Q&A with Krysta Harrick of Gugu Guru
Krysta Harrick is a Partnerships Guru at Gugu Guru. Krysta lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and two children. She has experience in retail and is working as a liaison for valued brand partners. She is excited to help new parents through exciting times in their lives.
Tell us about your path to parenthood
Growing up in a very large extended family, I always knew I wanted one of my own. I am the epitome of a type-A personality and I had a dated plan for my entire life including career, marriage, and kids. At the same time, I have also suffered from anxiety since my early teen years and was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to have children. I researched everything recommended for trying to conceive ahead of time and started tracking my cycle and taking prenatal vitamins. My husband and I started trying 3 months ahead of my self-appointed deadline and low and behold were successful on the first attempt. I nearly jumped down an entire flight of stairs with joy and excitement to share the news. The exhilaration lasted about an hour or so and then the fear set in—I worried about taking care of this tiny human I was growing, about everything that I put in my body, that my morning sickness and low progesterone levels were was affecting the baby’s growth, that my stress was harming the baby—the list went on and on. In life, I have found that preparedness and keeping busy are two of my best tools against my anxiety so I threw myself into researching for my registry. Through this, I developed a deep passion for baby products which I have been fortunate enough to turn into a career. I would love to say that all of my fears melted away once I held my sweet baby girl, however, over the last 4 years (including the birth of her little brother which was a completely different experience) they have instead morphed into new ones. I’m not sure I will ever be fear and worry-free but now I try to focus on helping others who may feel a similar way.
Tell us about your work at Gugu Guru
Gugu Guru is the leading baby product concierge company and we are here to help to-be-parents get personalized, unbiased product recommendations tailored to meet their lifestyle needs & wants.
My responsibilities are to connect all of the parents in our incredible community, to the right products, from our fabulous brand partners. This means ensuring our database is always up to date with the newest and most innovative products, providing education around items which may need a bit more explanation, collaborating to bring our users unique discounts and giveaways, conveying real parent feedback to the manufacturers, and overseeing our product experts who support our clients every day.
How does it work?
Mom (or Dad!) tells Gugu Guru about her style preferences for herself, baby and nursery, as well as her unique lifestyle and product preferences, Gugu Guru then delivers the products best suited to her through a patent-pending proprietary algorithm. The concierge experience also includes expert, unbiased overviews along the way to give mom a helping hand as she builds her registry.
The Gugu Guru website was built with heavy input from pregnant moms. All of the site's tailored, limited, and definitive product recommendations are organic—wholly based on consumer data as well as guidance from industry experts. Product recommendations include leading brands as well as new and emerging brands in the mom and baby space.
How is Gugu Guru any different from just going to a baby store and speaking to a store associate?
Even the most knowledgeable store associates are only knowledgeable about the gear that is available at that particular store. From Etsy to the big-name retailers, Gugu Guru curates from all over the web. Our product expertise spans the entire industry–including direct to consumer brands you won't find in any stores—and is not limited to a single retailer.
How does Gugu Guru help families save money?
We see it all the time–duplicates, way too much of something on a registry or even splurging on an item when you don't need to. Gugu Guru's concierge team are pros at helping moms avoid the all too common and costly pitfalls of creating a baby registry. Plus we give women the opportunity to enjoy exclusive discounts and other rewards. Not to mention we help them save loads of time on top of that (an average of 39 hours!)—and time is hard to put a price on.
What is your one piece of advice for new parents?
Each parent is completely unique, and advice, philosophies, or products that worked for your friend or sister might not be right for you and your family. BUT personally I wish that I had leaned into my village more. Part of my nature is to be very independent and to try to do things on my own and, I was one of the first of my immediate circle to have children. I wish that I had reached out, expanded my community, and asked for help sooner. Help can mean offering guidance or just a listening ear and a hug. This can take the stress off your back, so you can relax and enjoy this beautiful time in your life.
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