Hidden Gems: Meet Anna Tellme of Crazy Science Corp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Tellme.

Hi Anna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Anna Tellme. I am 35 years old and the CEO and founder of Crazy Science.

I help educators achieve real learning outcomes while making kids fall in love with science.

I started this company when I was 27 years old with just $100 and almost no English. I was an immigrant living in a basement apartment and earning money as a music teacher while trying to build a business from scratch.

In the beginning, I had no marketing budget and no connections. I posted free ads in Facebook groups and called schools one by one. One of those schools happened to have Russian-speaking staff, and they became our very first client.

I still remember that meeting. At the time, I had nothing but an idea for a science show and a few photos I had taken from Google because I didn’t have pictures of my own events yet. I walked into the principal’s office and confidently explained how professional and established our company was. I even said that we had offices in Europe.

The truth? I had an idea, and I needed to survive. Some people call that a dream. That was it.

Surprisingly, the school decided to work with us. I had one month to legally register the company, buy equipment, and hire someone who spoke English well enough to represent the business. Somehow, I managed to do all of it.

Then I received my first $10,000 check.

To be honest, I spent almost all of that money on equipment. It was one of the riskiest decisions of my life, but it was also one of the most important.

Eight years later, Crazy Science has grown into one of the largest science education and entertainment companies in the New York market. We are an approved vendor with the New York City Department of Education, and we have performed thousands of programs throughout New York and Florida—although we still haven’t opened that European office yet!

This year, our company was officially certified as an MWBE (Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise) by New York State. Today, most of our clients are schools, libraries, community centers, and NYC Parks, although we still love bringing science to families through birthday parties.

The last eight years have not been easy.

After my divorce, I experienced a deep depression that lasted nearly three years. There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed. At one point, I was living on about $500 a month—not enough to rent a room in New York.

I moved to Florida, which I now jokingly call my “rehab.” During that time, I went back and forth between Florida and New York. The business wasn’t generating enough income to support me, so I started walking dogs to make ends meet.

I felt like a failure. I felt like there was no future and no reason to keep trying.

But something unexpected happened.

The dogs helped save my life.

I was lucky enough to meet Anne and Andy, two incredibly loving people, along with their dogs Chase, Ryan, and Megan. Their kindness, friendship, and unconditional love helped me heal. Sometimes recovery doesn’t come from a grand breakthrough. Sometimes it comes from taking a dog for a walk and remembering that life can still feel good.

I am also incredibly grateful to my team for keeping Crazy Science alive during those difficult years. I especially want to thank my assistant, Elena. To this day, I don’t know how she continued believing in me and in our mission when I struggled to believe in myself. I feel fortunate to have had such amazing people around me.

About a year ago, I returned to the business with renewed passion, energy, and determination.

Then, a month ago, one of our earliest clients called me.

She said, “Your STEM show became one of my son’s first childhood memories.”

I cried.

That moment reminded me why we do this work.

We are not just teaching science. We are helping create memories. We are helping children become curious, confident, and excited about learning.

That message resonated deeply with me because of everything I have been through, including years of therapy and personal growth. Even now, when fear and self-doubt return and try to convince me that the future is hopeless, I remember those words.

They bring me back to reality.

They remind me that our work matters.

And they remind me that we are helping shape the future—one child at a time.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
.The last eight years have not been easy.

After my divorce, I experienced a deep depression that lasted nearly three years. There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed. At one point, I was living on about $500 a month—not enough to rent a room in New York.

I moved to Florida, which I now jokingly call my “rehab.” During that time, I went back and forth between Florida and New York. The business wasn’t generating enough income to support me, so I started walking dogs to make ends meet.

I felt like a failure. I felt like there was no future and no reason to keep trying.

I also had experiences where performers tried to take our clients and work directly with them.

At that time, I was lost, and in many ways, the company was lost too. I made several attempts to rebuild and grow the business, but because I was struggling personally, many of those efforts failed. Looking back, I realize that when a founder loses direction, the company often feels it too.

It was a difficult period, but it taught me valuable lessons about leadership, resilience, and the importance of building a strong team and company culture. Those challenges ultimately helped me become a better leader and build a stronger business.

My thoughts: I am not strong enough and not talented enough to make something great

But something unexpected happened.

The dogs helped save my life.

I was lucky enough to meet Anne and Andy, two incredibly loving people, along with their dogs Chase, Ryan, and Megan. Their kindness, friendship, and unconditional love helped me heal. Sometimes recovery doesn’t come from a grand breakthrough. Sometimes it comes from taking a dog for a walk and remembering that life can still feel good.

I am also incredibly grateful to my team for keeping Crazy Science alive during those difficult years. I especially want to thank my assistant, Elena. To this day, I don’t know how she continued believing in me and in our mission when I struggled to believe in myself. I feel fortunate to have had such amazing people around me.

About a year ago, I returned to the business with renewed passion, energy, and determination.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Crazy Science Corp?
Crazy Science provides science-themed birthday parties, educational events, and STEM programs for schools, libraries, community organizations, and educators.

Our company is an approved vendor with the New York City Department of Education and is certified as an MWBE (Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise) by both New York City and New York State. We are also developing partnerships with educational and cultural organizations, including institutions on Staten Island, as we continue to expand our impact in STEM education.

Our clients include families, PTAs, schools, libraries, NYC Parks, community centers, and organizations throughout New York and Long Island.

One thing that makes us unique is our team. Most of our performers come from theater and performing arts backgrounds, including Off-Broadway productions. We train every performer extensively in our programs, classroom management, and child engagement techniques. Because of this, our quality remains consistent across all events.

We are especially proud of our inclusive programs. Our team has extensive experience working with children of different ages, abilities, and learning styles, including children with special needs. Creating a welcoming environment where every child can participate and succeed is one of our core values.

Another advantage of being a team-based company is reliability. Unlike many single-performer businesses, we have systems and trained staff in place to handle emergencies, scheduling changes, and last-minute challenges. This allows us to maintain a very low cancellation rate and provide dependable service to our clients.

Our clients often tell us that they are surprised by how engaged children become during our programs. One parent shared, “I couldn’t believe that children as young as three to five years old stayed focused and excited for the entire 45-minute show.” Many clients also mention the professionalism of our performers and the personalized support they receive from our office throughout the planning process.

While we teach science, our primary goal is not simply to deliver information. Our mission is to inspire curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. We believe that when children are excited, engaged, and having fun, real learning naturally follows.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I actually love working in uncertainty. To me, it’s a game. There are no clear rules, and that’s what makes it exciting. What could be better than playing?

I love taking risks—of course, risks that are grounded in reality. Otherwise, you can end up flying to the moon and never coming back (at least until Elon Musk finishes his project, and that is taking way too long!).

To me, risk means opportunity. And I love opportunities. Every risk is a chance to succeed, but even if things don’t work out, it’s a chance to discover what’s broken, fix it, and come back stronger for the next launch.

I take risks that align with the goals and growth of the company.

For example, we often accept more projects than we can comfortably handle, or we say “yes” to a client request before we know exactly how we’re going to make it happen. That’s when the fun begins. We learn, research, innovate, improve our systems, expand our capabilities, and do whatever it takes to deliver on our promises.

Those challenges push us to grow. They force us to look at our business and our existing processes from a different perspective. They help us see both the bigger picture and new possibilities we might otherwise miss.

Risk is also a wonderful way to get to know yourself and your team better. It creates opportunities for connection, trust, and understanding. It helps you discover your strengths and weaknesses. It shows you where you might be avoiding responsibility—and where you might be carrying too much of it.

For me, risk isn’t the opposite of safety. Risk is one of the fastest ways to learn, grow, and become better—both as a leader and as a human being.

Pricing:

• 80-150 science classes
• 400-550 science shows do educators
• 550 science birthday
• 680 best science party

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Stemkiddo.com
• Instagram: @kids_party_ny
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-tellme-telminova-956a89233/