Congratulations to Penny Bauder, Winner of Entrepreneur's 'Build Like a Woman' Contest

Congratulations to Penny Bauder, winner of Entrepreneur's "Build Like a Woman" contest! This working mom/environmental scientist founded Green Kids Crafts, a subscription box service that delivers monthly STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, & math) kits.

Green Kids Crafts

The contest gave female business owners the chance to share with our audience the inspiration behind their business. Here's how Penny was inspired:

I'm Penny, a busy mom of two spunky kids. I grew up in meager circumstances "out in the country" in Michigan, where I was the first of my extended family to ever graduate with a college degree. I now live in a house on the outskirts of San Diego, CA, where I can often be found taking care of the 15+ animals on our "urban farm." I'm also the founder of a company called Green Kid Crafts, a cash-flow positive, bootstrapped company run by a staff of working parents with yearly revenue over $1.5M.

Green Kid Crafts delights thousands of kids each month with STEAM activities delivered to them through my company's subscription program. I started GKC in 2011 -- pre-Birch Box, before most people had heard of subscription boxes -- as a way to stay at home with my children while continuing to work in the world. Through GKC, I am able to marry my environmental ethics with creativity and share this experience with kids. Each box is filled with up to six STEAM activities related to a common learning theme -- think Arctic, Rainforest, Art Lab -- and designed to spark creativity and cultivate respect for the planet. We've won numerous awards for our products and responsible business practices.

We've now delivered over 1 million inspirational packages to kids all over North America. I believe that science and art are unifying, and it's my company's mission to help raise the next generation of creative leaders.

Penny will receive a prize package including a variety of Sudara clothes -- all made by women -- a Build Like a Woman digital course, and a mentor session with "Build Like a Woman" founder Kathleen Griffith.

Follow Green Kids Crafts on Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks for the inspiration, Penny!