FROM TURBANS TO TRENDING ENTREPRENEUR

Hi friends and welcome back! :)

Last month we learned principles to have a successful year. If you missed one of the four parts (or maybe the entire series) I encourage you to invest in yourself and your dreams. You can read the four parts in 20-30 minutes and receive the tools to help you fulfill your dreams and goals! I believe in you and in all that God has for every single one of you!

Something that helps me stay motivated is reading inspiring stories, and this month I have four stories from entrepreneurs that are sure to bring encouragement and hope into our lives. Our first guest is the beautiful Daniela Roa, who managed to turn her thesis project into a booming business. Welcome, sweet-Dani!

Nadi, thank you very much for inviting me to your blog. Sharing about Mitigadores is always very exciting for me.

Mitigadores began with my interest in telling the story behind how I started my turban collection. I wanted to show others that this was an instrument that helped me become familiar with, handle, and accept my curly hair. My platform was my university degree project, where I explained my entire process. Mitigadores contributed substantially to my personal ¨comeback¨; to me, Mitigadores represents a change.

I think that everything that at some point brought insecurity to my life, today is the drive that gets me up every morning. It´s why I always want to share the message that everything that happens in our lives has a purpose, and the situations that make us feel vulnerable can be where we find the most wonderful opportunities of our lives. For a long time, I felt insecure about having curly hair. I didn´t know how to work with it and had a very bitter relationship with it, but the turban alleviated that burden for me. ¨Mitigar¨ translates to ¨alleviate¨, and as I take the risk to step out every day, I alleviate, or mitigate, the burden of fear and feeling incapable. It's normal for us to relate vulnerability to emotions we want to avoid, such as fear, uncertainty, or shame; but vulnerability (situations that generate a certain urgency for a change) is where many joys, creativity, and love originate, which is what I´ve experienced with my business.

Since my first semester of university, I saw brands on Instagram selling notebooks, clothes, among other things, and I dreamed of having my own brand, which had always been my dream. I started to write name ideas for my company, and the accessories I would sell, etc. When it was time to do my professional practice, I reaffirmed that I did not want to have an office job with office hours; of course, I was willing to do it if necessary, but I was more convinced than ever that my passion was beyond the office walls. However, there was one thing against me: I always considered myself a very distracted and unorganized person, and I was terrified of having to accomplish SO MANY things to get a business going. But one night I sat up in bed and wondered, ¨what's the worst that can happen?¨. I won´t know if I can unless I try, and that very night I started. I started this to help women, but also to show myself that I was made of much more than my insecurities.

It has been two years since I decided to believe that my degree project could also become my life project. After a month since having presented my thesis, I saved everything from the project and arranged to send my resume to different places. But that day I was able to overcome the fear in me and the voice that said "It won´t work out¨. I decided to believe in my project and take it to the next level.

I began to dream of what I would really like to see in my professional life and not just accept what ¨had to be¨. On July 6, 2018, I took the first step. Actually, I didn't know what the first step was, but I felt that if I didn't do something that very moment, I never would. So I created an Instagram account with the user @mitigadores and put the three chapter titles of my thesis in the bio, as well as my cell phone number. I posted a few pictures of women who had inspired me and the turbans that I had made for myself. From my personal account, I invited my friends to follow the new account and went to bed. The next day, when I got up, the account had grown much more than I expected and I had three messages of people asking how much the turbans cost. That was the moment I was convinced, really convinced, that this was ¨it¨! I could´ve seen it as something small, but for me, it was the answer that I had to give my everything to make my business grow.

MITIGATING BURDENS in entrepreneurship:

I think there isn´t a formula; what might be a successful business for me, may not be for other people. But these are some of the things that have helped me create and grow Mitigadores.

Have a very clear WHY. Your ¨why¨ won´t let you abandon or run away the first time things get difficult, you need a compelling reason to continue. In my case, there is a very strong and significant personal experience. Thinking about what I´m passionate about and the message I want people to receive makes all the difference.
DON´T COMPARE. Our business is like a child. Comparing it can hurt it and make you go looking for things that do not identify or represent you. I think the key is to love your business and accept it as it is, accept and embrace the process it´s in now, being aware that giving your best is enough for it to grow healthily, just like a child who receives love and affirmation grows.
ENJOY THE PROCESS. There´s a beautiful quote that says, "The miracle is in the process" and I think this is so true. The process is what teaches us and makes us grow.
FOCUS. All your senses need to be directed towards a goal. What you see, what you read, what you hear, and what you speak is transformed either into creativity or frustration.
CARE FOR EVERY SINGLE CLIENT. Your clients are the ones who trust your work and invest their money so that your business grows. Treat them with love and build a relationship with them. Don't just sell them a product, impact their lives in a positive way.
BE AWARE OF YOUR RESOURCES and take advantage of them. The difference between a business that grows and one that stagnates is the way resources are used. Your resources are your time, your talents, your money, etc.