Married couple Alejandra and Oliver James bring complementary personalities to their Miami-based baby product business, Ali+Oli.
“I handle most of the physical, and she does most of the brain work,” Oliver said. “She’ll love that answer.”
The cofounders launched their baby product business in 2007, when their three daughters—Isabela, Penelope, and Natalia—were just babies. As parents, Alexandra, an industrial engineer by trade, and her husband Oliver were looking for ways to spend more quality time together as a family.
Ultimately, they pivoted from their brick-and-mortar business and started selling online, including in the Amazon store.
“We started focusing on what the future was going to be for the consumer,” Oliver said.
With Amazon, Ali+Oli sales outpaced the couple’s expectations.
“Our business has grown from zero to a lot,” Alejandra said. “We do the same [in sales] as we did having three full retail stores open.”
Alejandra and Oliver were all smiles when they shared that the shift has given them the freedom to do more of what they love—focus on their family and expand on their collection of innovative products, like their stackable snack bowl sets and star-shaped binky holders.
“Being able to use Amazon to fulfill our orders so we don’t have to do it gives me the freedom to…be able to enjoy my life because it’s not all working, working, working,” she said.