We were lucky to catch up with Ash Espíritu Libre recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ash , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I got my first client about a month after I started my business. I was a flight attendant at the time. During my “break” times I would work on jewelry to pass the time during the flights. It was a flight to Bangor, Maine, when a woman named Claire came and asked me what I was working on. I showed her a Blue Onyx pendant I was working on and she said “I want it!” I was kinda shocked because until that point anyone that bought my work were friends and family. It wasn’t until then that it actually sank in that I had truly started a business. Claire asked me if I had any other pieces that were finished and I showed them to her and she asked if she could take them back to her seat to show her mother and I gave her permission. I ended up selling four pieces to Claire and her family. At that point I had no idea how I should price things because I was practically giving my pieces to family so when I said $20 a piece they refused to accept that price. “you’re seriously low-balling yourself and your work. we’ve decided to pay you $50 per piece instead because you put a lot of work into this” I was floored, not only did they believe in my work but they were honest enough to let me know that I should see the value in my work and myself. I will never forget that day. Claire and her mother handed me two crisp $100 bills and told me to keep the change. I felt on top of the world because this was something I had just started doing a month before and I couldn’t believe how quickly I was selling jewelry I taught myself to create. I was so excited to learn more techniques and expand my skillset after that day.

Ash , 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 Ash Espíritu Libre and I am a psychic tarot reader and spiritual advisor. At the age of seven I began having very vivid dreams and visions. I never really talked about it because I thought everyone had this ability. Soon I started to predict things and just know things that I couldn’t recall ever knowing about prior. I grew up seeing the women in my family praying and burning candles so I thought it was totally normal. I’ve always loved crystals so I started to collecting them and crystals became the foundation of my business. I started Tribe Called Vibe LLC in 2015 as a jewelry company but I always knew I wanted to open a botaníca. A botaníca is a spiritual supply shop that carries herbs, crystals, candles and other tools for spiritual practices. The pandemic happened three months after I quit my job to focus on my business full time. I knew that difficult times were upon us and I had to help others the only way I knew how through my spiritual practices. I opened my online botanica in June 2020 and I began offering tarot readings, herbal teas, custom jewelry and more. I wanted to create a safe space where I am free to be myself and allow my clients to do the same. I learn so much about myself through my connections with my clients and that is what I think sets me and my brand apart. I am not afraid to show the different parts of myself and stay rooted in who I am. It’s not about followers it’s about healing for me. My work comes from my soul and to be of service is the best way I can add to the world and I want people to know that. I feel so fulfilled when clients share how my work has impacted them. Knowing that I am following my heart and spirit is better than any amount of money. I work for spirit period.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source has definitely been in person events and pop ups. In 2021, I realized that I needed to switch up my approach. Online and social media is a big part of being in business but it can be difficult to truly connect online. Anyone can create a persona but I wanted to meet the people that support me. I wanted to feel their energy. I also wanted to people to see me in my element and really understand what I do. So I decided to start applying for pop ups and markets. I had no idea where to start so I want to Google and started researching. There were so many opportunities right there in my community that I had no idea about so I hit the pavement. Before I knew it I was in spaces that I didn’t know would be interested in my work. I began connecting with local businesses and meeting other artists and entrepreneurs and things started to snowball. To this day, the in person events are my favorite way to conduct business.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my social media presence from the ground. It was difficult at first because I felt this pressure to always be online and posting. It felt weird for me because I would see these accounts with thousands of followers and I would get into comparison mode and start to beat myself up about what I thought was not progress. I struggled for awhile honestly and it started to affect my mood about my business because it felt like work and not fun. So I told myself that followers does not equate success because it really doesn’t. I remember having 300 followers and having over 150 orders come through. I stopped stressing out about it, I just keep working and the exposure and opportunities will come. My best advice is don’t let yourself get caught in optics. We hardly ever see the behind the scenes work of those social media posts and reels. We see the highlighted parts and if we allow ourselves to get caught up in being popular the work we are doing suffers. Focus on the work and the rest will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tribecalledvibe.com
• Instagram: @tribecalledvibe
• Other: TikTok : @tribecalledvibe