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

Manuela , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Although I know Flower Power is a saying from the 60s / Hippie movement. The name comes from the idea that I like to think my images are like flowers. Flowers make people smile and give good energy, and that’s what I want my pictures to do.

Manuela , 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?

My name is Manuela Montenegro, and my business started during the first lockdown of the pandemic. As a photographer, I couldn’t meet people or go out, so I just started going through all my images, editing them, and creating new ones. Then I realized I could sell them, so I began thinking about how to sell them. I didn’t want to sell them as digital files cause I like seeing images printed and publishing them in different materials. I started to check how to make my images on metal. But one day, it hit me: why not print them as puzzles? I would be printing on an alternative material, and it would be something interactive. And this is how Flower Power Puzzle started. The name comes from the idea that I like to think my images are like flowers. Flowers make people smile and give good energy, and that’s what I want my pictures to do.

Flower Power Puzzle is unique because we are very eco-friendly, from our materials to the packaging; that is a unique cotton bag with the image of the puzzle, no boxes used at all. We also ship our products inside compostable shipping bags. I design all images, including a collage, an image from a place I’ve traveled to, or a dream. Finding the right provider for everything has been challenging, but I found the right fit with patience and persistence. I’m still learning a lot about managing a business and customers.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Well, my product has both a vendor and I do it myself. So, I worked with a fantastic Colombian vendor called Alba for the part of the printing and cutting to create the puzzle. I need the space and the machinery to print and cut the size of the products. But the most important reason I choose to work with a Colombian vendor is to help the Colombian industry; I’m Colombian, so that is my way of helping my country. I found this fantastic vendor through my brother’s wife, who also creates products that need a laser cutter. I did a prototype with her, which was excellent, but the most important thing for me was the customer service. She is so helpful, and you can see she cares about the product she is creating. Then the other part of my product that I do are the bags where the puzzle comes in. I did know how to make it because I had done a course in textile printing, so I knew about sublimation and transfer paper. So, all of the bags are made by me in my studio.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have Instagram, Facebook, and a website chat. So whenever a client wants to chat, they can. At the same time, I go to fairs with my booth so people can see we are real and not just an online shop. It’s a great place to meet clients and get feedback and loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flowpopuzzle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowpopuzzle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Flowpopuzzle

Image Credits
Manuela Montenegro Maria Alejandra Montenegro