Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Juana Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Juana, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

I have worked in corporate America for over 25 years I’ve been very successful working in the Austin area. There are a lot of technical companies and I’ve been blessed to work for most of the big ones including Motorola, Dell AT&T and Apple. I have spent most of my career, (22 years) at Apple. Over the years, one of the biggest lessons that I have learned is that there is always room for growth and there are always opportunities to learn even when you think you already know everything.

In one of my roles at Apple I spent over 12 years working as a Corporate Trainer. This was one of the best times in my career because I had an opportunity to interact with hundreds of employees throughout that decade. I was also able to influence a lot of change within the company through the people I trained.

I was very proud of this position and felt vested in all of my accomplishments. Late during my tenure a new younger woman was hired as my manager.

She came in the door suggesting that I look for other job opportunities.
I had built my life and identity around being a “Corporate Trainer” and I figured that that was what I would do for the foreseeable future.

During a 1×1 meeting mynew manager offered suggestions to help me think about expanding my career.

I was not receptive at all and felt like I was being pushed out. That night I went home extremely upset worried about my future with the company. While I slept I had an Epiphany! I thought I was thriving but in all honesty I was burned out. I was tired. I was a trainer and escalation diffuser for hundreds of people and I was basically on auto pilot after having done the job for so long. When I woke the next morning, I understood that her prodding was actually an opportunity for me instead of a setback. I wrote an email apologizing for my defensiveness and explaining to her the types of work that I was interested in doing in the future. Within two weeks I was on a plane to Los Angeles to train new employees that had recently been acquired during the Apple/Beats by Dre merger. I got to spend a week in LA and I had the opportunity to meet and engage with people that would change the course of my career. Another lesson I learned is that it’s never too late to pivot and learn something new from those that are younger or maybe less experienced than you. Taking that leap from my training job was one of the best decisions I made in my career.

It gave me the courage I needed to take a chance on myself and start my own business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a long time corporate junkie who turned a hobby into a viable business. I create handmade BodyButters and SugarScrubs called Heavenly Hope. I also sell waist beads, lingerie and other accessories.

I am also a veteran vocalist and currently in the process of recording my own debut solo album!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started my business in 2015 and I was able to quickly build a loyal following by participating in local farmers markets and pop-up shop events throughout the state of Texas. In 2018 I moved from the state of Texas to Georgia and I basically had to put my business dreams on hold while I got settled into a new state.

Family responsibilities unexpectedly brought me back to Texas the next year to help my mother provide hospice care to my grandmother.

During COVID I was able to re-ignite my focus on my business and have since expanding my product line and I am currently in the process of rebuilding my brand.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Most of my sales are in person at pop-up shops and other events around the state. I have always felt that connecting with customers face-to-face is the most effective mode of evangelizing my product. I have realized that in order to scale I will need to develop a robust website and marketing strategy. While I do have an online presence, it has been a challenge driving consistent eCommerce sales. I believe it is important to set aside funding to source professionals to assist in building your online representation. Customer take a clean, fresh, smooth website seriously. I built my website myself and have not incorporated some of the newest trends and features that are available on other platforms that sell the same products. Representing your brand in a professional manner manner online builds credibility and confidence in your product.

Contact Info:

• Website: esparanzasexpressions.com
• Instagram: @Esparanzasexpressions
• Linkedin: @JuanaTaylor

Image Credits
This is my image