Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diana Rosario. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Diana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
In the beginning…at the very start, I was shy to talk about my small business with others and very protective of the vision I held for it. So…I decided, I would first tell my closest friends and then after, share with a few family members. After hearing the news, they supported me 100% and they felt excited and very happy for me that I had decided to explore my entrepreneurial side. As time passed, I felt that the people I hadn’t shared this new venture with should have been supporting me regardless of whether or not I had discussed it with them. In my thoughts…at the time, I felt that everyone on social media was seeing my journey and work and I felt that it should’ve been enough to gain more support. But, now I don’t feel the same as I did. I let go of all those expectations and decided to just focus more on my small business duties. I feel that once I stopped worrying about what others thought, felt and said about what I was doing, I allowed myself to concentrate on more important aspects of my small business. I started to notice that a stranger would support me first before my own friends and family do. Today, I have a beautiful small business community that I have been able to grow and build by just authentically being myself and sharing my journey as I go. I always remember that what I make and sell may not be for everybody but, it can be for someone else. There will always be someone out there who can identify with me and my journey so, there’s no need for me to stress.
Diana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Relax + Restore Loungewear is a small business baby that was born during the pandemic and is still growing after the pandemic. It was inspired by my own personal mental health struggles with anxiety and depression. From that, grew a desire in me to want to create amazing, unique, inspirational and uplifting items that would help spread awareness for that. Since the launch of my small business, I have made so many beautiful pieces of clothing that women and men as well as, children and pets have been able to enjoy. All of the items I have made so far are handmade. I do a lot of tie-dye loungewear such as socks, matching sets for all seasons and I do also love creating cricut craft projects. Although, tie-dye has been around for centuries…I feel that what sets my small business apart from others is the amount of love I pour into each order and the quality of my work. Even though there is no such thing as perfection, I do pride in making sure that all items are nothing less than that. It is extremely important for me to feel that my best work was done for each customer because their satisfaction is my joy! I am most proud of everything I have done since the beginning. I feel that my entire journey as a small business owner has helped me become who I am today and is helping me build the best of myself for the future. I want my potential customers and followers to know that I love what I do and that I am eager to continue to create more and more each day and super excited to share what’s coming next so keep supporting me the same way and even more because I am super grateful for all those who have invested in my vision so far.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
A good way for me to keep in touch with my customers and followers is through my social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Between those two platforms, I am able to connect with everyone through my stories and answer any notifications I may have on my posts, reels, tiktoks, messages and more. But, as of late…I have been working towards continuing to build my e-mail list in order to never lose contact with my loyal customers and any new potential customers and followers I may have along my small business journey. When you sign up for my newsletter, you can expect to always stay in the loop with all new things happening with my brand, any pop-up shop events I may attend, promotions and more!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Personally, I feel that what has helped me build my reputation within my market is just constantly being present in every sense of the way for my small business. Even through my moments where I would take a small break to regroup with myself or to prepare for what was to come next, I would still pop-in to give updates and make sure all was good with my small business. Also, attending as many pop-up markets as I could and just interacting with potential customers and admirers for my craft. That has allowed me to share my story of what it is that I do, talk more about what my small business and what my journey has been like. These events help me to get in front of an audience even more, in order to break out of my comfort zone to meet other entrepreneurs and show my authenticity through every conversation I engage in to be able to bond through similar experiences. The more I push myself to engage with others in the small business community, the better it is for me to be able to share my small business story with others who share the same vision for small business love, dream chasing, advancement and success.
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