We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Velazquez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
My brother took part in coming up with the name Jess’s Paper Garden. When we first came up with the name it was 2017 and I was solely making items from paper/card-stock. Items such as paper flowers, cake toppers, birthday banners and more. At that time it made sense to name it Jess’s Paper Garden since most of the items made were paper flowers. However, in 2020 I bought a laser machine. A Glowforge to be exact and I started making laser goods out of acrylic and wood. My first project with the laser was a keychain of my name. From there I expanded into making baby items and home and party decor. We had to then adjust the company name to match the selection of products I was making. We kept the Jess’s Paper Garden but added Paper & Wood Creations as an extension. Since I was sure of the company name and didn’t plan to change it, I went ahead and hired a professional to come up with a unique logo of the company name as well as the brand and color scheme for the name. I loved the result and I feel it has been the perfect representation of Jess’s Paper Garden.
Jessica, 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?
Hola! My name is Jessica and many know me as Jess. I am a Latina born and raised near Chicago Il. I now live in the suburb of Plainfield. We moved out here before our son was born in 2021. Happy wife since 2016. Jess’s Paper Garden started in 2017 when I helped my uncle with his wedding decor. We made paper flowers for their backdrop and I styled their sweet table as well. Their centerpieces were flowers made out of coffee filters. I truly enjoyed making all of his wedding decor. Now grant it his wedding took place in Mexico so we had to transport everything over there. After the wedding I realized the passion I had for creating and simply making things! That’s when Jess’s Paper Garden evolved. I continued making paper flowers and goods out of paper. Everything from gifts to party decor and seasonal items as well. In 2020 I decided I wanted to expand into making items out of wood and other materials. I made my research and came across the Glowforge Pro machine. It is a laser machine that cuts and engraves various materials. I made the leap and bought the machine. From there I started making products from both acrylic, wood and other materials as well. I try to consistently create products that my customer and potential new customers may like. I love to be able to come up with a design and then make it happen. Everything takes time and I believe positivity and determination can make you reach your goals. I do love to make custom items and I strive for perfection when creating customs. I do know this Industry is saturated with a lot of amazing makers, however, I don’t let that stop me from executing an idea that probably another creator has already come up with. The idea is to get out there and market your product, although your products may not be for everyone but the right people will find you if you keep on pushing to get discovered. I am proud of where my company is today. There has been moments where I have wanted to stop mostly since it’s been complicated running a small business and also being stay at home mom. It’s not always easy to manage it all but I try to take it day by day. I know in the end everything will be worth it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There’s been many challenges while running my small business. One of the biggest challenges I faced was when my son was born. My whole life changed and I was starting to experience a sort of postpartum depression. At that time I didn’t really think I had depression, but looking back at how I felt and how much my life had changed with a newborn baby I know I was experiencing something alright. I had no motivation whatsoever and I just didn’t feel like myself. I was only focused on my son and being the best mom for him. I drifted away from my small business and didn’t pay as much attention to it as I should have. Had I invested more time in my small business while my son was little I feel I would’ve grown more than where I am today. However, I have no regrets I dedicated the time my son needed. He is two years old now and I feel I am in a better place and I am motivated to grow and keep on doing what I love. If there’s any advice I can give would be to not give up. Although days may seem dark there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Stay persistent and push forward. I now realized I can do anything I put my heart and mind to.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I currently sell on both and Etsy and my own website. I opened up my Etsy shop in April of 2022, However I easily got discouraged because I wasn’t seeing sales come in as rapidly as I imagined. The fees for Etsy where a bit crazy too I thought. I then decided to put the shop on vacation mode and deactivate all of the listings I had. I was mainly selling through word of mouth and instagram messages as well as Facebook messenger. I then decided I needed to make my own website and open up Etsy again. I needed to have patience to be able to continue growing my business. I launched the website in December of 22′ along with Etsy. I still get more sales from word of mouth and Insta Messages but I am slowly growing in sales with Etsy and the website. I now understand why fees in Etsy are so high. They help drive traffic to your shop and they do the marketing for you. You do have to put in some work as far as listings go but once you have that squared away you’re all set. Selling through any platform or even a website takes time and I’ve come to learn that. Not everything is easy and growing a business requires consistency, patience, and a positive mindset. I do feel that Etsy is a great platform when starting out but having your own website is the best thing ever! You do have to put more work in marketing but the simple fact of being able to customize the page to your style and liking is just mind-blowing. People are coming into a page that’s personalized to your liking and to shop your products. What more can you ask for?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jesss-paper-wood-creations.square.site
- Instagram: @jessspaper
- Facebook: Jess’s Paper Garden
- Other: Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/JesssPaperGarden