We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nancy Ayala. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nancy below.
Nancy, appreciate you joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?
I manage my own Social Media! I take all of my photos and edit them myself. I love how aesthetic it has become!
Nancy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Nancy Ayala, I am a Latina Mother or two boys. Let’s start with the beginning! I left a company I was with for almost 8 years because it no longer served me. It was mentally draining and I experienced the burnout feeling more often than not. As a mom of two, I noticed my energy towards my children when I would get home from work. I would find myself very tired and becoming frustrated quicker. I knew change was necessary. I didn’t think it meant starting my own business but it did however, lead me to grow a deeper connection within my Spiritual Journey.
My personal spiritual journey led me to start this growing business I know have. I have always been the one to encourage others and although I wanted to continue to do that, I knew I wanted to share more than just positive words. I wanted to make a statement… literally. I watched my partner at the time start a T-Shirt business and inspired me to start mine. He would show me all of these YouTube videos on how people of our age were making so much money from a T-shirt business. This was during a time everyone was pretty much feeling stuck at home. COVID happened. A few days of watching videos and a light bulb went off. The idea of creating t-shirts with spiritual sayings came about. I wanted to create sayings that were relatable and so I did. I started this journey on Instagram and received so much support from my followers on my personal account.
Shortly after, I created Luna And Gem’s very own Instagram account. I then got really creative and started offering more than just t-shirts and sweatshirts! I realized that the deeper I became in my spiritual journey, the more the ideas came flowing. I began selling everyday items I use myself. I remember one day, I posted a poll on my Instagram asking if there was anything specific I should offer in my shop, I received several responses but one really stood out. It read “A Journal”.
I asked myself, how could I incorporate a Journal in my Spiritual Collection, That is when I created my very own Affirmations Journal! Maybe 2-3 days later! As a thank you, I sent the person who responded to the poll, their very own journal. Today, I have already published three Journals!
My small Latina-owned business continues to grow and I am so excited to share all the new items I am working on bringing to Luna And Gems!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for me has definitely been Markets! I started by applying to different Markets in Florida and it has given Luna And Gems great exposure. I am now proud to say that Markets reach out to me asking if I would like to be apart of their Market/Pop Up!
How did you build your audience on social media?
When I first started Luna And Gems Instagram, I promoted it a lot on my personal account. I would say this, close mouths don’t get fed. What do I mean by that? Sometimes you have to put your pride aside and just ask! I started asking people to share me on their Instagram as well. I did do a few Giveaways in the beginning. It was an easy way for others to tag others on my account. Aside from sharing I made sure my feed was aesthetically pleasing. People love when pages look put together. When photos look professional or neat. I made sure my page always looked like it belonged in a magazine! No pun intended. If I can give you some advice, I would say, Quality over Quantity. Take your time and don’t rush the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: Lunaandgems.com
- Instagram: Lunaandgems
- Facebook: Lunaandgems