On the Road with a Mission: My Tale of Motherhood, Books, & Hopes for a Kinder World
Friends, I'm way out of my comfort zone, but when you believe in something - and it matters - , you just gotta go there.
Being a wonderful mother is the most important thing to me, and for him alone, I would've stopped this startup insanity long ago if it weren’t for the impact people tell me our products make; teachers literally crying when they interact with our products; customers hugging, snapping photos, cheering me on, making TA-DA! their go-to gifts, entering schools organically …with ZERO marketing.
I recently had a stroke victim write, sharing they learned to speak again with our English talking dictionary. I just cannot begin to explain how that feels! (Plus he, my 9 year old angel) asks me to not stop - so kids will be nicer…)
I started @tadalanguages because so many of my students' families were asking for screen-free resources to bring their children the sounds & cultures of native speakers. When I became a mother (in a multilingual household) the realization hit hard. There just aren’t any.
My first client was Barnes & Noble, the biggest bookstore chain in the U.S. Their children’s buyer told me that we had created a new genre of book he had been looking for many years. We launched in every single one of their bookstores. But the beauty and curse of our products is that they look just like a book, and it can be challenging without ad money to explain the magic inside.
As a solo mama entrepreneur doing everything, and boy, do I mean everything, myself, the onus is on me to let people know. (And trust me when I say social media and advertising hats - they just itch on me.)
Advertising is truly indispensable in today’s world. Its absence is just no longer an option. The world has become such a crazy place!
So, I’m doing what sits best with me - I’m getting out myself to connect and meet people face to face.
I’m hitting the road like a vacuum salesman with my rent-a-car filled with our talking books in English, Spanish, Mandarin, French and German - so I can talk to people and let them know/show them myself THERE IS A BETTER WAY.
I stink at social media, and honestly, I wouldn’t even be on my phone if it weren’t for having a company because I believe in living in the beauty of our world—nature, water, trees, chatting with a dear one face to face …
Just making one post can suck up half of my day. But here I am, tackling that beast.
We have created something that is so beautiful - with the VERY best life can offer -
REAL native speaking kids and their teachers at our partnering schools
— Even President of UNAM Mexico (#1University of Latin America) - made our Spanish products alongside us!
The most acclaimed music producers of all time made the sound and music
The legendary 19x (could be 20 now - I can’t keep up), Grammy-award winning Rafa Sardina heard me and became my music director - he made Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ album!!
The artists are the best of the best - Kelsey Suan, Michelle Hiraishi, Gemma Roman, Alex Herrerias…
Our products have won the most prestigious awards available
I won startup of the year in Luxembourg, Europe
And bc I care, oh do I care, I made this the most high quality possible. (I’ve been told too high-quality to make the profits the publishing industry craves.)
They are environmentally friendly with FSC paper
And they are safety tested - beyond what is req’d of me…
I just entered a fancy bookstore here in LA with a ‘silly’ sound book with moo and oink oink that is a WHOPPING $29 for 6 spreads …ours our 12 spreads for 21.99. I want this to be ACCESSIBLE!!
I (the founder and CEO) have not paid myself 1 penny in 7 years to get this out there
We donate 1% of ALL profits to orphanages and underserved schools - like where I taught in Ethiopia.
I hope you’ll join me as my very small voice is often hidden, but with your help, perhaps we just might move mountains, making early language learning easy and fun, and God bless, screen-free, so our kids can grow up wiser, kinder, and more connected with tools that science proves is WHAT THEY NEED!…
(I also personally think early language learning coupled with culture could be just what’s missing for more world peace!!)
I’ll be sharing mainly on Insta and Facebook - @tadalanguages
I hope you’ll join me - as this is so not about me. This is about our kids - connecting with one another, despite where they might have happened to have been born (you got it right, Lady Gaga!!) - and LOVING learning in playful, tactile, multi-sensory, musically immersive way.
If this resonates with you, I hope you’ll share and get your communities and followers’ eyes on this too.
Here’s to the good fight! I’m off - and hitting the road.
Warmly,
Michelle Glorieux
Proud founder of TA-DA! Language Productions
