Interview with Christina Guo – Founder, Little You [2023]

I graduated from OCAD in 2015 with a Bachelor in Material Design and a minor in Communication Design. I started this idea during my undergrad thesis year, it was originally about 3D printed avatars and this idea got me into OCAD incubator. While I was researching on customizable characters, I saw a big gap in the market for 3D printed game merchandise; from there U-Dimensions was born. U-Dimensions is a free marketplace that helps game companies produce and sell 3D printed toys. Fast forward to 2020, I determined to reinvent my initial idea and Little You is about to be launched. With a Master in Entrepreneurship from the University of Waterloo and a $10k grants for my business idea, this time my goal is to create a social venture with a mission to entertain children while cultivating their creativity.

My past experiences in additive manufacturing, design, and business development help bring varieties of expertise to the company.

Little You is a modern custom Avatar company that promotes the creativity of little, young growing children. Little You believes that the imaginative skills of young children are endless and plans to provide them with wings so that the creativity of the kids can be nurtured and molded by allowing them to create and design 3D characters and then print their designs. It is not just the kids, parents, teachers, and siblings who can get themselves involved in the activities of the application along with kids making the activities more fun-loving and bringing out the hidden artistic skills of children to life with Little You.

Little You application supports more than 800+ templates with more than 500+ creations giving way to the endless imagination of your kids, students, and your young siblings. It is a user-friendly platform that allows children to create real-life anime figures and characters using 3D printing technology. Children can design and create 3D characters and can easily customize every aspect and feature of that site for the appearance and the identity of their 3D characters. The application allows you to change the color, size, and position of numerous add-ons that are used as accessories for the anime characters. Once the designing is completed, Little You then brings to life the created design into live characters in the form of toys that are delivered at your doorstep. This encourages children to always keep their wings open and continue exploring their hidden artistic side with a new approach.

The live 3D anime characters are made of RIZIUM composite. Little You offers toys made of different durable materials like glass fibre composite from Palitra 3D,  acrylic resin from Mimaiki, and full colour sandstone from 3D system. These materials are durable and safe for hands-on play for young kids. The concept of making your toy is simple, you just have to visit the official site of Little You, begin by designing your cute anime characters by selecting the features as per your original or imaginative character, you can also give suitable add-ons from the application making your design more like the original character and give suitable color as well. Once you are done with the design, you can proceed with the purchasing of the character.

Little You uses operations to add value for their target market customers by working efficiently to fulfill, and ship each order. The company’s prices will reflect the superior quality of our product without being over budget for most individuals in the target market. The wide variety of sizes, and materials will ensure that each individual that experiences Little You’s platform will be able to afford to purchase at least one item. The most important aspect of Little You’s operational success is customization – the ability for customers to use their creativity to create the product that they want to purchase. This will add the most value to the collectible, that mass-produced products will never be able to replicate.

Little You will operate on an ongoing basis by focusing on several vital aspects of the offered service. Orders that are received daily will be processed, and fulfilled in the order of purchase. Received orders will be sent to the 3D printing supplier automatically for production through our backend system, and received products will be packaged appropriately, and prepared for shipment. Shipment will be scheduled several times a week, and will ensure speedy delivery. Great customer service will be available during working hours, and social media sites will be constantly updated with news from the industry, new partnerships and other relevant material. The search for school partnerships will be an ongoing daily process, and the development of products and services will be a consistent aspect of company operations.

Little You will be focusing its resources on targeting children between the ages of 6 and 16 and their parents. In previous surveys conducted, it was determined that parents are consistently finding ways to inspire and educate their children. They wish that their children lived fulfilling and prosperous lives. However, there is a lack of toys that would provide entertainment as well as inspirational value simultaneously. Parents have highlighted that they are willing to spend money towards products that will get their children inspired to achieve their goals and dreams. In addition to parents looking to find new ways to motivate their children, children are also looking for motivation themselves.

Teenage youth in particular are primarily trying to find a path that would allow them to lead a happy and successful life; however, there are many distractions that appear in their lives that make them lose focus on these goals. Little You ensures that they will not forget their goals, whether they purchase a customized product in the form of a keychain or figure. These products are meant to be in a visible location to embody the reflection of the child’s self and remind them everyday of who they are and who they want to become. In addition to the value that these products provide, the products are also 3D printed and are high in quality.

In my spare time, I enjoy composing music, doing yoga, painting, and traveling. I believe work life balance is very important for your personal health and everything around you.

I believes strongly that young entrepreneurs should feel encouraged to have multiple careers and try different things to get to know their true selves better.

Little You has an extremely viable market for growth and scalability. The entertainment industry in North America is constantly growing; the interest in digital toys has equally risen. In addition, 3D printing has huge potential with the capability of customization. Overall, we want to build a culture around innovation and creativity, bringing forth a new way for children to grow happier and healthier.