Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    BAUCE
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Hustle

      The Difference Between a Mentor and an Advisor: Understanding Their Unique Roles

      April 28, 2025

      Leveling Up: How Quality SEO Tools Can Take Your Brand to the Next Level

      April 23, 2025

      How to Network at a Women’s Conference And Build Meaningful Connections for Success

      April 4, 2025

      How to Know It Is Time to Get an Office as an Entrepreneur: 5 Clear Signs You’re Ready to Expand

      April 2, 2025

      Benefits of Adding Telehealth Options as a Med Spa Owner

      March 31, 2025
    • Believe

      How Working From Home May Make Anxiety Worse (And What to Do About It)

      February 27, 2025

      Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Confidence Tips for Black Women Entrepreneurs

      January 27, 2025

      10 Black Influencers To Follow If You Want to Start A Business in 2025

      January 22, 2025

      How To Use Affirmations To Manifest Abundance and Wealth In Your Life

      January 6, 2025

      The Ultimate Guide to Digital Vision Boards

      January 2, 2025
    • Earn

      How Entrepreneurs Can Prepare for A Recession: Smart Strategies for Tough Economic Times

      April 30, 2025

      How Non-Profit Founders Can Gain Capital and Build Meaningful Partnerships

      April 21, 2025

      Here’s How To Properly File Taxes as a Small Business Owner

      April 7, 2025

      Staying the Course: How Black Women in the Retail Space are Navigating DEI Rollbacks

      March 24, 2025

      20 Funding Programs and Resources Every Black Woman Founder Needs To Know About in 2025

      March 19, 2025
    • Live

      How to Refresh Your Look Without a Major Makeover

      April 23, 2025

      The Art of Hosting Coming-of-Age Events

      April 15, 2025

      Find The Best Women’s Shoe Brands For Work By Focusing on Style and Comfort

      April 9, 2025

      Say Yes to Jewelry That Doesn’t Make Your Skin Flare Up

      April 7, 2025

      Wellness-Oriented Rentals in San Antonio: A New Era of Healthy Living

      March 12, 2025
    • Profiles

      Serial Entrepreneur and TV Star Melody Shari On Adding Beauty To Her Business Empire

      April 7, 2025

      How Danika Berry Turned Adversity Into Success With The Relaunch Of Glam Body

      March 5, 2025

      How ArLancia Williams is Building Generational Wealth Through Real Estate

      March 3, 2025

      How Nina Parker Became A Successful Fashion Brand Owner

      February 5, 2025

      Candi Dailey Bridges Hope and Hospitality

      January 20, 2025
    • More
      • About
      • Contact
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
    • Shop
    BAUCE
    Features

    Meet Amanda Wilson: The Woman Behind A+X Puzzles The First Black-Owned Brand Of Its Kind To Hit Target Shelves

    By Shanique YatesDecember 20, 20214 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Black businesses across the nation have built products out of a necessity for items on the market that don’t reflect people who look like us. The same is true for Amanda Wilson who decided during her pregnancy with her twins that the world needed more puzzles with people who look like her family.

    “I was building their baby registry and trying to look for educational toys and games to add,” she said during an exclusive interview with BAUCE. “I could not find any puzzles that had Black characters.”

    Because she grew up playing board games, puzzles, and the whole nine with her family, Wilson wanted her children to experience the same, however, she wanted them to be able to see themselves through those same puzzles and games and thus A+X Puzzle was born!

    The Inspiration

    Wilson’s twins, Adric and Xola were born 10 weeks early and during the 43 day period that they were in the NICU, the pair became the inspiration behind the designs for the puzzles that their mother began to sketch.

    “We actually had a long NICU stay due to their early birth and that’s when the sketches started the vision really began to come to life,” Wilson continued. “I started sketching images and by the time that they were out of the NICU, I had my first prototype done. When they were in the NICU there really wasn’t much that I could do besides making sure that they were breathing and eating and because of that I put my energy into something that I could be in control of and for me, that was the sketches. Using my imagination and creative skills to bring this to life during that time period was really where we got started.”

    The Products

    “I’m not an artist by trade, I can just do a stick figure really well, but I am a daydreamer,” expressed Wilson.

    She turned those dreams into a reality by coming up with the product design and images that she was able to draft out using her creativity and imagination and from there Wilson contacted an illustrator to help bring the concepts to life.

    “A lot of the designs came from thinking of different scenarios that I thought the twins may like to explore or things I thought they should learn about,” she shared. “Some of the images include spaceships, submarines, dinosaurs, race tracks, and a lot of what my interests and my children’s interests are. It’s all about letting your inner child explore again because as adults we get away from what our inner child would want.”

    Journey to Retail

    Now, Wilson’s inner child is amazed because A+X puzzles are the first Black-owned puzzles to hit Target shelves.

    “In January of 2020 I walked into Target and was super intrigued by their Black History Month display and began to wonder who I could get our products there,” she explained. “I went home and hopped on Google and LinkedIn trying to figure out who the creative team behind Target’s Black History Month set up was and how I could get in touch with them. I ended up getting in touch with someone connected to the creative team behind the display thanks to LinkedIn and from there I was able to have a conversation about steps we could make to get to that point and the rest is history.”

    After the conversation, Wilson went back to the drawing board and began to take the advice of the contact she has connected with looking at everything from prie point changes to target audiences.

    “About nine months later, I received an email saying ‘hey, we want to bring your products into our stores,’” Wilson revealed. “I was thinking that this was for Black History Month, but they wanted A+X puzzles in their stores throughout the country.”

    Click here to learn more about A+X Puzzles and to purchase yours today!

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit WhatsApp
    mm
    Shanique Yates
    • Instagram

    Shanique Liz Yates is a millennial with a passion for storytelling. She is committed to using her gifts to not only champion for other young women walking in their purpose, but to uplift and inspire others to find their own voice through her work. When she’s not spending QT with family and friends you can catch her perfecting her Diddy-bop, sipping margaritas pool (when the weather permits), or vibing out to her favorite 80s/90s R&B jams.

    Related Posts

    Serial Entrepreneur and TV Star Melody Shari On Adding Beauty To Her Business Empire

    April 7, 2025

    How ArLancia Williams is Building Generational Wealth Through Real Estate

    March 3, 2025

    How Nina Parker Became A Successful Fashion Brand Owner

    February 5, 2025
    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    TOP RESOURCES FOR YOU

    15 Black Women Web Designers That Can Transform Your Website

    How To Truly Break The Cycle of Debt

    It’s Time To Stop Sleeping On Your Credit Score, Sis – Here’s Why

    These Are 15 of the Highest Paying Careers To Pursue

    15 Good Jobs That Women Can Do From Anywhere Without Experience

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • Jobs
    • Subscribe
    © 2025 BAUCE MEDIA LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    x