Hola Charmers! Mireya here, just wanted to share something that has really been bothering me for the past year or so. You see, when I first started Once Upon a Charm, I wasn’t expecting it to turn into the small business it is today. I have always been that girl who loved to create. I baked, knitted, painted, drew, danced, and even sung (I failed in many crafts). I guess the main reason for such creative impulses was to distract myself and keep my anxiety levels low. Working with polymer clay has changed my life, and I am grateful that I was introduced to it a few years back. I researched, watched videos, and read articles on this medium. I thought that polymer clay creations were new—since I had never heard of it—but I found that there was already a large community of polymer clay artists and grew to love clay creations.
I began to bring my own Mexican twist into my creations, and I really enjoyed how this hobby made me feel. Shortly, I began to receive orders and sold my charms. At one point, I was managing grad school, the dance team, two teaching jobs, and the charm business. Many, thought that I would give up. They assumed that I would not be able to keep up with demand—or that like the rest of my hobbies—I would eventually get tired of clay. I am actually glad to inform all those who thought that way, that I am not tired of this “hobby” and that this “hobby” is now a business.
It is very frustrating to have to continuously explain to my family and friends that my career is my business. It is even more frustrating to see how devastated they feel when I tell them that I am not using my college degrees. Moreover, it is disappointing to see how shocked they are to hear that I recently got my Masters degree, yet I am not teaching. Here’s a funny—yet upsetting example—my neighbors think I do not have a job! They see me at home in my pajamas or my comfy robe most of the time, and think I am struggling in life. People have gone as far as to asking me if I am suffering from depression, and they have offered me many jobs. It sucks to know that they don’t take what I do seriously. However, what is more upsetting is that they think a young woman cannot be her own boss. Therefore, let me start by saying—I have had enough!
Yes, it is true, I have gone through many changes in 2018—but NO—I am not depressed and I am not in need of a job. I know that I do not look like a businesswoman who wears a blazer, slacks, and heels. Not to mention, I did not get a degree in business, but if there is one thing I can guarantee, it is that I work as hard as anyone else, and my everyday attire is called—HUSTLING.
Although I do not dress like a businesswomen or do my hair and makeup, I run my own business. I work from home and I can wear whatever I feel like wearing. I sell handmade charms and it is hard work, just like any other career. I am proud of what I do, and I don’t plan to stop. Nevertheless, us business women will run into ignorant people who will consider our small businesses just that—SMALL. They do not see the cognitive, emotional, and physical strength that is needed to run ANY type of business—no matter how small. These people assume that we are struggling, and that our businesses will fail. How annoying is it to have to explain to people that these “little and cute charms” are paying my bills. I wont stop doing what I love, and I will not stop showing them that—I am a MUJER DE NEGOCIOS (aunque no lo crean).