We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diana Byll-Cataria a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Prior to the pandemic, I was finally coming out of the dark side of post-partum depression. When the pandemic hit, I was working from home for two months, that was very different for me. Things were different all around and I felt myself slipping back into a place that was uncomfortable. I have always loved art, more so making things. I dabbled in bead work, wood work and everything in between during the pandemic but nothing felt right to me. I have a love for earrings, I’m sure like most women do. I had never in my life heard of polymer clay, I knew absolutely nothing about it. I was on Pinterest one day looking for recipes and came across these beautiful earrings. I clicked on it and went down a never ending rabbit hole and never looked back. I researched for hours on end and two days after my discovery I was in Hobby Lobby purchasing every and anything that would help me. When I started, I never knew my business would have grown this much. It was fun and exciting at first then it became my passion, something I cannot live without, a form of therapy.

I didn’t know of it would take off, I had no expectations. One day I said to my husband “I’m ready to put my business out there”. Of course I was scared, but I was also tired of being scared of what people will think so I went for it and never looked back. Polymer clay isn’t new, it was developed in the late 1930s by a German doll maker during WW2. There are so many polymer clay artists and that’s ok. There are so many people making shoes, bags, jewelry, clothes, etc. You get the point! Don’t ever stop yourself from doing something just because someone else is doing it. You are you and that’s what I told myself. I have my own style, I have different approached to how I handle my business. I am still learning and still growing, that is what I love the most about being a business owner.

Diana, 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 Diana, creator, and owner of Attia Designs, a minority-owned company. I named my company after my 4-year-old daughter, Isabella Delali Attia. Attia means gift in West Africa and I thought it was so appropriate because she is a gift and blessing in my life. I was born and raised in Belize, CA, and came to the U.S. in 2007 to further my education. I am married to an amazing hubby and I have two children, Bella (4) and Enzo (2). I also work full-time for a healthcare organization a I am a busy bee! Regardless, I find it important to carry out your passion and make time for the things that make you happy. ​
I launched Attia Designs on June 6, 2020. So, why earrings? I am completely obsessed with earrings and came across polymer clay earrings while browsing the internet one day. Quarantine from the pandemic gave me a lot of much-needed time to explore my passions. I didn’t put much thought into planning, I dove straight into it and a month later here we are. I have had help from other amazing women on social media, who have been so encouraging. The best part for me is putting my own style and unique perspective into every design. I put a lot of love and thought into each earring.

I built my business on the foundation of celebrating women and all their beauty. One of the designs that I love the most is the women bodies that you will see on my website. They are such a strong expression of strength and femininity.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is such a different animal than what it was back then. It is so much harder today and a lot more effort has to be made into making your products visible. I am no where near a crazy following on Instagram but when I think about 1800 people in a room, that’s a lot of darn people. Always be thankful for your followers, especially the ones who have stuck around since day one. I literally started with 1 follower and that was me following myself from my personal account. It then grew to 5 which was family and friends. With everything in life, you have to put yourself out there. Growing my account is a lot of work and a lot of putting myself out there. I show my true self, my failures, my mistakes, my accomplishments.

Growing social media also takes a lot of planning and effort. If you are starting out, plan ahead of time but also remember to have fun with everything you do. In a world that is constantly changing, you also have to be willing to adapt to all the changes and grow through all the challenges. If you are not willing to step out of your comfort zone, growth will be hard.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Always always always be true to yourself. Be genuine, be kind, be respectful. Do what you say you will do! That is the foundation on how I built my reputation within my market. When it comes to other makers, there is no time for envy or jealousy. There is power in numbers and unity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.attiadesigns.com
• Instagram: @attia_designs
• Facebook: Attia Designs

Image Credits
Kelly Martucci Photography Anna Nanton Photography