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

Hi Jules, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

​​Mira Mira was born in honor of my mother who worked tirelessly, often earning below minimum wage to provide for me and my sisters. Her true passion of creating top-quality dresses from scratch was cultivated only after she got home from work. Her talents could have landed her a dream job and financial success, but she was never seen by the world because of the limited knowledge and resources she had. It is my goal to change that, for the women around me and for future generations. My mother’s passion for designing and creating is her legacy, an energy I bring into every client’s project. I see her passion in every woman I work with.

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

I’m a first-generation American and the first entrepreneur in my family. It started when I was a young teenager, when I started giving women makeovers and capturing their beauty through photography. These photographs captured the essence of who these women were and the inner and outer beauty I saw in them. Since then, I have devoted my professional career to mastering the art of photography for a wide range of people, events, and businesses. However, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for women. Which led me to my latest venture, Mira Mira & Co. Mira Mira is my Austin-based production company with an in-house photography and videography studio, an initially run-down warehouse that I transformed into the perfect oasis to create content. At Mira Mira, I specialize in creating an experience that allows you to step fully into your power. I then capture the visuals that show that power, images and video that will upgrade your brand in a way that tells your story and connects to people at a deep level. It is my mission to help you share your unique energy with the world so you can be seen as the expert you are and stand out in your industry.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what’s helped me build my reputation within my market is the fact that I really care and go out of my way to make people feel seen. It’s the model of my business. It’s my mission to help you understand yourself and your business, and for that understanding to be captured in your visuals. When building my business, I went against the status quo and I didn’t look at my competition. Instead, I reflected and thought, “What would I want if I was the client? What would I need?” After all, I am my audience. I am a busy female entrepreneur. And in my industry, people just want to feel fully cared for, they want to work with experts who know what they’re doing. They want to feel loved and seen for who they are and what they have to offer. That’s the energy that I bring to all of my photoshoots. I facilitate an experience that incorporates all of the senses, including music and scents, all of the details needed to create a full experience for my client that goes beyond the service of photography and allows them to embody their highest self.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I’ve had to unlearn in my business is that I can’t wear all the hats. I’ve always been able to learn things quickly and have always been a capable person. But I realized that taking everything on is not sustainable. I needed to outsource the things I wasn’t an expert in. It’s taken me 20 years of doing everything by myself to learn this lesson, but I really wanted to be more mindful and intentional with my decisions for Mira Mira. It being my third business, I wanted things to be different, I wanted my business to be sustainable. Thinking back, I feel the backstory and reason I didn’t embrace this idea of outsourcing was because it wasn’t something that was taught to me growing up. My mom and dad, like myself, were multi-talented and capable people, always taking care of things themselves. They never hired help. So that concept was unfamiliar. If anything, it seemed extra. I was of the belief of “Who am I to hire help?” But the overwhelming growth and expansion of Mira Mira made me reconsider. If I was to grow my business in the best way possible, I needed assistance. And now I see things differently. My mindset on the whole concept has completely shifted. Now, I’m giving back to the community. I’m giving people work and the opportunity to do what they love so that I can focus on doing what I love. And working together, we’re able to serve better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliannaj.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miramira.co/

Image Credits
Myself, Jules Mira Mira & Co