Ekaterina’s successful business

30-year-old Russian native Ekaterina Mamedovaholds a degree in psychology, with a focus on children's development and education. She's putting her degree to good use as the manager of her very own “Orange Elephant” store in Surgut, a small city in Northern Russia.

Ekaterina opened her franchise in December and it quickly became one of the most popular spots in the neighborhood, with parents flocking to the store search of fun, creative Christmas gifts for their children.

Ekaterina's mission is to find the Orange Elephant product that best fits the child in question.

"Customers that visit the store are initially drawn to the colorful displays and bright product packaging," Ekaterina says. "After looking things over, they usually have questions. I like being able to explain how the materials work and why they are beneficial and then I like to ask questions in return. It's great when a returning customer thanks me for recommending something that their little one loved."

"Kids really like to wander around and touch everything," she continues. "We encourage that! We invite them to try modeling and drawing with some of our samples. I know I'm doing my job right when the store is filled with kids."

Ekaterina has also found the perfect guinea pig for new products. "My young niece often helps out in the store - she knows almost as much about Orange Elephant as I do and she's great at helping kids find kits that fit their personalities. When she plays around with the samples, parents and children get a chance to see with their own eyes how easy it is to model and draw with our products. Working at Orange Elephant has been a fantastic experience and I’m so glad that I’ve opened the store!"

So are we, Ekaterina!