Startup Story
Yeelen Khan is a Mozambican entrepreneur and the founder of MJAY Criações which launched in January 2022. MJAY is a company that creates and sells educational resources for children, with the aim of making learning moments joyful and light. MJAY has 2 workers and has partnerships for distribution in Maputo, Nacala and Beira. MJAY has an online store that can be accessed at www.mjaycriacoes.co.mz.
A Yeelen Khan, é uma moçambicana e fundou a MJAY Criações em Janeiro de 2022. A MJAY é uma empresa que cria e vende recursos educativos para crianças, com o intuito de tornar os momentos de aprendizado em momentos alegre e leves. A MJAY conta com 2 trabalhadores e tem parcerias para distribuição em Maputo, Nacala e Beira. A MJAY possui uma loja online que pode ser acessada pelo www.mjaycriacoes.co.mz.
LoA spoke to the passion-driven Yeelen Khan about her impactful educational resource business and her vision to make children happy through learning.
What does your company do?
We create and sell educational resources for children. MJAY has already made 3 writing and erasing books available on the market (ABC, 123, Colours and Shapes), 1 Magnetic Calendar, 2 Digital Notebooks, and recently launched the first puzzle with the map of Mozambique.
Cria e vende recursos educativos para crianças. A MJAY já disponibilizou no mercado 3 livros de escrever e apagar (ABC, 123, Cores e Formas), 1 Calendário magnético, 2 Cadernos digitais e recentemente lançou o primeiro puzzle com o mapa de Moçambique.
“MJAY exists to provide educational toys and books that allow children to learn easily, provide more toy options in Portuguese, and raise awareness among parents about the children's learning process.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I am a mother of 2 boys and in the process of becoming better I discovered that educational toys were a way of connecting with my children and that they gained interest by always learning, not to mention that I greatly reduced their exposure to screens. I identified a lack of educational toys in Portuguese on the local market, so I decided to create toys to close this gap. MJAY exists to provide educational toys and books that allow children to learn easily, provide more toy options in Portuguese, and raise awareness among parents about the children's learning process. The name MJAY is in honour of my sons Maleek and Jayden.
Sou mãe de 2 meninos e no processo de me tornar melhor descobri que os brinquedos educativos eram uma forma de me conectar com os meus filhos e que eles ganhavam interesse por estar sempre a aprender sem contar que reduzi muito a exposição as telas. Identifiquei falta de brinquedos educativos em português no mercado local então resolvi criar brinquedos para fechar essa lacuna. A MJAY existe para disponibilizar brinquedos e livros educativos que permitam o aprendizado das crianças de forma fácil, proporcionar mais opções de brinquedos em língua portuguesa e conscientizar aos pais sobre o processo de aprendizado das crianças. O nome MJAY é em homenagem aos meus filhos Maleek e Jayden.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
At MJAY, I design toys from scratch. I am inspired by products that already exist on the market and I bring products to life with a touch of Mozambique, and of course in Portuguese. Launching the first puzzle with the map of Mozambique was a great emotion, it is a legacy for our children (and for adults too).
Na MJAY, faço o design dos brinquedos do zero. Me inspiro em produtos que já existem no mercado e dou vida a produtos com um toque de Moçambique e claro em português. Lançar o primeiro puzzle com o mapa de Moçambique foi uma grande emoção, é um legado para as nossas crianças (e para os adultos também).
“At the moment at MJAY I am responsible for almost everything, but I believe that soon I will be able to grow the business to have more people on the team.”
Tell us a little about your team
At the moment the team is made up of 2 people, me and a girl who does customer service.
Neste momento a equipa é composta por 2 pessoas, eu e uma menina que faz o atendimento ao cliente.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
In 2021 I teamed up with a friend to create an online platform, it is still in the design phase. However, it brought me a lot of experience that gave me a lot of speed to bring MJAY to life. At the moment at MJAY I am responsible for almost everything, but I believe that soon I will be able to grow the business to have more people on the team.
Em 2021 me juntei a uma amiga para criação de uma plataforma online, ainda está em fase de projeto, contudo me trouxe muita experiência que deu-me muita velocidade para trazer a MJAY a vida. Neste momento na MJAY sou responsável por quase tudo, mas acredito que em breve vou conseguir crescer o negócio para poder mais pessoas na equipa.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My plans are to have a national presence, launch more educational resources, and be able to distribute educational materials in schools.
Ter presença nacional, lançar mais recursos educativos e conseguir distribuir material educativo em escolas e escolinhas públicas.
“My plans are to have a national presence, launch more educational resources, and be able to distribute educational materials in schools.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to see happy children developing their skills and gaining knowledge using our educational resources.
Poder ver crianças alegres a desenvolverem as suas habilidades e a ganharem conhecimento usando os nossos recursos educativos.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Have a ‘why’ so strong that on days when you are in doubt, afraid and without hope, you can remember the reason for starting your journey.
Tenham um porquê tão forte que nos dias que estiverem em dúvida, com medo e sem esperança possam se lembrar da razão para iniciar a sua jornada.
Contact or follow MJAY Criações:
eMail: yeelen.khan@mjaycriacoes.co.mz
Website: http://mjaycriacoes.co.mz/loja/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mjaycriacoes/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mjaycriacoes/
Why LoA loves it…
Yeelen Khan is an entrepreneur who knows from personal experience with her own two sons, the importance of educating the next generation and making learning an enjoyable and shared journey. She was inspired to create a business to fill a gap in the market for educational toys and books in Portuguese, and is now empowering both children and parents through a shared learning experience. Yeelen is making a real impact with her growing business, and her passion for making learning fun for children is driving her own success. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa