We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Talamantes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Ankata sprouted up in October 2020, as a spin off of another sustainable business I was running at that time, selling pre-loved clothing and goods. Prior to Ankata, the polymer clay earring community was emerging and I was so drawn to it. I started dabbling in making clay earrings, and soon enough, it was all I wanted to do, and eventually became all I did. I would have wanted to start Ankata sooner for a combination of reasons: pursuing passion, making a positive impact, entrepreneurial fulfillment, and the satisfaction that comes from building and growing something meaningful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Making earrings was something I enjoyed so much more than I ever imagined. In that passion grew a desire to align my creative practices with more sustainable and environmentally friendly options. I learned polymer clay requires the extraction and processing of fossil fuels, which as we know, has a significant impact on our natural resources. Air dry clay is made with renewable resources and has a much lower environmental impact. Because air dry clay is made from natural materials, it can break down over time and return to the earth without causing long-lasting harm. Our styles evolve as we do, and what we like today may not be what we like 10 years from now, and I wanted to find a way for that not to reflect in our landfills. I wanted to create something that was durable for us, but gentle for the planet.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Becoming a business owner was not something modeled for me growing up, a stable 9-5 was the secure way to achieve financial stability and was expressed to be less likely through entrepreneurship. Something I had to unlearn was that being an entrepreneur was scary or crazy. I started to see obstacles as opportunities to learn and try different possibilities. This is all still new to me, the ever changing algorithm and digital marketing, the uncomfortable vulnerability, finding the balance that doesn’t quite exist, and learning how to manage my time, and even taking myself seriously as a business owner sometimes, it’s all just a part of the growth and comes with the territory.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Sustainability has been an ongoing passion of mine, something I implement into my own personal lifestyle, and I needed that to reflect in my business. Transitioning to air dry clay was definitely challenging, but not impossible and has encouraged me to find ways to run my business sustainably overall. My business cards and thank you cards are made of seed paper sourced from an ethical small business. I also use thrifted beads and recycled glass beads to add a fun element into designs. I used to stress over designs of my polymer clay earrings, but I had to pivot to focusing on sustainability. That was what made my earrings special. Everything I implement into my business is intentional and I strive to continue to learn, fix and evolve to provide the best I can for my people and our planet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopankata.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopankata/
• Other: tiktok: @shopankata

Image Credits
Sebastian Garcia