Our Give Back Journey 

Since 2010, bloom’s mission has been simple: to inspire and empower others to become the best versions of themselves. Giving back—locally, nationally, and globally—has always been an essential part of our business.

Every purchase from bloom helps support what we consider the highlight of our Give Back line: our Empowerment Planners. These planners are 100% free and designed specifically for women transitioning out of prison. In partnership with the Arouet Foundation, we co-created these planners with the women in their program, and we print and distribute thousands of them free of charge. You can read more about this special project here.

Since our founding, we’ve donated over $4 million in free products to organizations like the Kids in Need Foundation, under-resourced schools, homeless shelters, and many others.

In addition to product donations, we provide direct financial support to various charities through our Give Back lines, annual Hilde Back educational sponsorship, sales give-back days, and other yearly initiatives.

We also make giving back part of our company culture by organizing monthly volunteer events and service projects that are open to all employees. You can learn more and see photos on our Give Back page, here!

The Application Process 

Over the summer, we applied for this award and went through several Zoom interviews with Amazon’s team. We felt confident, but as the original notification deadline passed, we assumed we hadn’t been selected. While we were  disappointed, we understood—there are millions of sellers and likely thousands of applications! Then, one Saturday night, Kaylyn happened to check her email and immediately called the team with the incredible news—we had won! The excitement was off the charts; we were literally screaming and jumping for joy! Amazon let us know they would send a team to film with us for 10 hours over the next two weeks to gather footage and interviews for the video they'd play on stage. From that point, it was full speed ahead!

Filming Day at bloom HQ 

Filming day was absolutely WILD—in the best way possible! The timing couldn’t have been better, as we had just moved into our brand new office, and we were beyond excited to show it off. The whole week before, we were busy organizing and putting the finishing touches on our décor, making sure everything looked perfect.

The energy was electric when the 10-person film crew arrived. They were so kind, professional, and a blast to work with! Kaylyn and Michelle had to be camera-ready by 8 a.m., with outfits prepped for changes throughout the day. They even had a professional hair and makeup artist giving them touch-ups before filming started—talk about feeling like stars!

The first hour and a half was dedicated to interview-style filming with Kaylyn and Michelle, and after that, the rest of the team jumped in for the “B-Roll” footage.

Our office was buzzing with excitement as equipment filled every corner. They captured shots of our team working at their desks, holding meetings, and even filmed us volunteering at one of our favorite local spots, Exceptional Care for Children. The entire day was bursting with positive energy, and the Amazon team made us feel completely at ease while capturing the true heart and passion of our brand. We’re incredibly grateful to them for making it a day we’ll never forget!

Attending the Amazon Accelerate Conference 

Although Kaylyn couldn’t attend the conference, it was for the best reason—she’s about to welcome a beautiful baby girl! Emily stepped in to join Michelle in representing bloom at the Amazon Accelerate conference in Seattle.

The scale of the conference was truly mind-blowing—unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. With 4,000 attendees, it was massive, and every detail was executed with precision and care. The event was incredibly well-organized, with impressive presentations, new service announcements, endless networking opportunities, and a palpable energy throughout. The conference placed a strong emphasis on giving back, and we were thrilled to be part of heartwarming activities like creating flower bouquets to donate to hospital patients and stuffing plush animals to be donated to local children and animal shelters. It was a truly meaningful experience!

Another highlight was Michelle being featured as a guest on the *Fearless Sellers - The Women of Amazon* podcast, hosted by the amazing Joie Roberts. It was an incredible opportunity for bloom to share our story on such a prominent platform! We can't wait for the episode to drop. We had a blast reconnecting with our friends from the Amazon film crew, meeting new people, and attending unforgettable events like the block party at the Museum of Pop Culture.

The Rehearsals  

The Force for Good Award was a surprise to attendees, with the presentation scheduled to close out the conference during the final general session on Thursday. Since Amazon doesn’t leave anything to chance, we had a few rehearsals in the two days leading up to the event. It was such a fun experience to “peek behind the curtains” and see what goes on backstage at such a massive event! We joked that it looked like the Matrix behind the wrap-around conference walls—the sheer amount of electronics and screens was mind-blowing.

We also had the privilege of connecting with the other two incredible honorees, Tamra from Women’s Bean Project and Ruebens from Papa Rozier Farms. They are truly inspiring individuals with amazing stories, and standing on stage alongside them was an honor that’s hard to describe. We encourage you to check out their stories and support these incredible entrepreneurs!

The Award Ceremony

When Thursday evening finally arrived, our bloom team chat went wild! We had the incredible opportunity to see our edited brand video play (on possibly the world’s largest TV screen 😂,) with thousands of people watching both in-person and via live stream.

To top it off, while we were on stage, they surprised us with a $50,000 grant for future charitable initiatives—totally unexpected and not mentioned in the rehearsals! We are absolutely blown away by this generosity and can’t wait to brainstorm all the ways this amazing gift will help us amplify our impact and improve lives.

After the award ceremony we were whisked away backstage and got to meet and take photos with the CEO of Amazon stores, Doug Herrington. What an honor! 

The past few weeks have been truly surreal, and we’re still pinching ourselves over this level of recognition. The calls, texts, and heartfelt messages from friends, family, and members of the bloom community have been the cherry on top of this incredible experience.

The story has already been picked up by Retail Touchpoints, Amazon, and more outlets that are publishing content soon! 

A Big Thank You 

Thank YOU for being part of this journey. When you choose bloom, you’re doing more than buying tools that help you bloom into your best self - you’re helping serve others. Keep following bloom's journey on social and especially via our free Facebook Community as we continue to ask "how else can we serve? What else is possible?"

- the very grateful bloom team