We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cristina Lozano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cristina , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

Go out and socialize more, show myself more and establish links with people because that way we all help each other, you know new strategies that work for others and that your strategies help others but not always you, exchange ideas and cooperate where you can and you learn in a group, thinking of everyone not only in your benefit.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I decided to make very unique and personal custom by hand painting reusable bags in 2018. LoGui Bags was created then with different drawings from pet portraits, your favorite family photo or your favorite childhood cartoon. I realized how much more convenient it was to use the eco-friendly bags instead of the single use plastic bags. You can wear the bags anywhere and use them as many times as you’d like. They truly are one of a kind.

Ikigai Bold was created in 2023 with the intention of sharing freeze dried instant coffee, and chocolate from Ecuador. It holds a special place to my heart as I am born and raised in Ecuador, and I wanted to share it with all.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There are struggles but I believe that finding a healthy balance in life is essential. Having a full-time job, being able to raise my two boys, care for my loving dog, and finding that little time left to focus on what I am most passionate about is a true blessing. I am able to be part of our local community markets and share both my art through the bags and offer a cup of my freeze-dried instant coffee.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I started LoGui Bags with purchasing samples for reusable bags in hopes to find the best quality, then started to purchase in wholesale. In Ikigai Bold company, I decided to take a risk, and started with over 10k freeze dried instant coffee boxes that were made and shipped from Ecuador.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ikigaibold.com
• Instagram: @LoGuiBags/ @IkigaiBold