RealKidz Receive Microloan Needed for Survival

Last year while lining up vendors for the Fuller Woman Expo, I came across an awesome company called RealKidz.
RealKidz is an Ypsilanti-based company that operates as a direct-sales retailer, similar to MaryKay and Pampered Chef, which allows parents to shop from home and host or attend shopping parties.

Ann Arbor Spark announced today that Ypsilanti-based RealKidz Inc. is the second recipient of its Eastern Washtenaw County Micro Loan Fund award.

Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor Spark awarded RealKidz $50,000 — the fund’s maximum award — toward operating expenses, including the hiring of a director of sales.
The fund provides loans from $10,000-$50,000 to Ypsilanti-based startups with growth potential, national or international market opportunities and some or close-to-some sales revenue, said Skip Simms, Ann Arbor Spark’s managing director of business acceleration.

The fund’s objective is to loan capital to 10 Ypsilanti-based companies through 2011 and create 20 new jobs.

“That was the missing piece,” said Merrill Guerra, founder and CEO of RealKidz, a direct-sales company that makes clothes for plus-size girls age 5-12. “We have the product and the quality, now we have someone to lead our team to sales.”