We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lorena. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lorena below.

Lorena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I have always loved to find different things to wear from what everyone else was wearing, and so I found myself at times making things because I couldn’t find it to buy what I had pictured in my head. I would make special pieces for friends inspired by their personality and so they would ask me, when will you start your own business?
I knew I wanted to create something unique that nobody else was making and so I started to play with some wood and cork I had at home. I love working with natural materials and the creativity was just too much to hold it back!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m from Brazil but I’ve been living in Savannah, GA for the last 12 years. I love art; to me everything is art. At least that’s how I see life. I believe God made us in His image and if He is the Creator then we are creative beings. To know God and to live for Him is part of who I am.
My jewelry is inspired by this colorful world that we live in.
I make big, bold, yet light weight earrings and some hand painted bracelets. The cork earrings are my favorite ones as I use different prints and I developed a resin like formula that seals it all together. No one else in the world have used this technique before and I’m very proud of it.
I also hand paint some of the wooden ones and some are just natural wood.
I love to see people’s reaction when they first approach my booth. Many people say; I’ve never seen anything like it. And that’s the best compliment I could ask for as an artist!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Social Media ! I love social media for so many reasons. I have made so many friends through social media and I think if we keep with the positive it can be a powerful tool. The way I see it, you can share so much love and positivity across the globe. You can follow and share hashtags about things that you are passion about it and connect with your clients in a beautiful way.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I started small and slow and I still have a full time job Monday through Friday. I was writing a business plan with the intentions to quit my job and take my business full time when Life threw a curve ball and I got a divorce. Although I had to slow down the plans a little, this experience only gave me a even bigger fire to go after my dreams. It’s important that you don’t fall into the victim mindset and start believing that you’re never going to make it. You need to surround yourself with people that already made it and know that you too have what it takes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zoelifesav?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054864316917