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

Kassandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I manage my own social media! I chose to manage my social media as I know my brands tone better than anyone else. Also as an upcoming small business the funds aren’t always there to hire a team. My background with social media has lead me to stay on top of trends, target my ideal consumer and build a pawsome community. I believe small steps lead to big results. As quality over quantity matters. As long as you stay true to your business and unique ideas the consumers will follow.

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.

Firulais Co. is a Latina owned handmade Mexican pet accessories small business. I was inspired by my stray dogs to name it “Firulais” as it’s a common term used for rescues/strays in Mexico. Naming my business Firulais Co. Just felt right as it embraces my Mexican culture and the Americanness of being a dog mom. I learned to sew through my grandmother and was often found making bandanas from from fabric scraps for my dogs as a hobby. I realized there was not enough representation for pets in Hispanic/Latino households. Therefore, I incorporated serape textiles into the bandanas and reached out to artisans. I now work with artisans from indigenous communities all over Mexico to keep our traditions alive through our pets. Our most popular items are our folkorico dresses and guayaberas as they are a staple piece in a Latino household. We currently offer sizes that range from 6XSmall through 5XLarge as we aim to include all sizes no matter the breed. I truly love being able to represent mi gente. I love getting to share stories with customers about their fellow firulais/michis, hearing they came to a popup just to visit me, and connecting on a deeper level through our culture.

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

When I first started my business I tried Etsy as it was easy to use. I liked it because even if you didn’t have a social media presence you could still reach a lot of consumers. Although you have to pay a fee every time you list and sell an item gradually over time the fees were not worth it anymore. I recently launched my own website through Shopify. I like it for the most part so far as I’m still learning how to maneuver it. It is also easy to design and make it your own as I am a graphic designer but no worries they offer templates as well if designing isn’t your thing.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When it comes to social media you may think having a lot of followers means having a lot of sales. Thats not always the case as what truly matters is quality over quantity. Building a community that loves the ideas/products you bring to the table is amazing! Being able to bridge that relationship between seller and consumer is the ideal goal as it allows you to build trust and loyalty. I built my audience by narrowing down to my ideal consumer and putting my authentic self in front of the camera/captions.    

Contact Info:

• Website: Firulaisco.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/firulaiscompany
• Facebook: Facebook.com/firulaiscompany
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@firulaiscompany

Image Credits
All photos were taken by Kassandra the owner of Firulais Co.