We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rose Cisneros. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rose below.
Rose, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment of time and energy I’ve ever made and continue to make is into my mental health. I’m thankful that society is finally moving discussions of mental health challenges out into the open, because I can’t think of a more important way to show up for ourselves. I started working on my mental health nearly 6 years ago to heal from various childhood and adult traumas. It’s been a pretty incredible journey so far, and looking back at the person I was feels surreal sometimes. I would never have had the confidence or wherewithal to have the career, the lifestyle, and run the business that I have now if I hadn’t prioritized my health. I know being able to spend so much time in self-reflection, as therapy demands, is a privilege, and I’m grateful to have had access to the resources that allowed me to do so for so many years.
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’ve been roller skating since I was a kid. Every Friday night for years, my dad would take my sister and me to our local skating rink with $10 to rent skates and get snacks from the concession stand. It was such a pure form of entertainment that I always looked forward to. About 6 years ago, I got back into skating through a local roller derby team. That experience reignited the love I had for skating, and eventually led me to transition skating. I bought my first adult pairs of skates online, because we don’t have a skate shop within 100 miles that carries quad skates. The process was really stressful. Every skate brand uses different sizing and you really have to do your research to know what you’re getting. It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to skating. It’s also a significant investment of money.
I wanted to make that process easier for people, whether they were brand new or had years in the sport. I started Grin and Bearings Skate Company as my answer to the confusion that comes with buying roller skates online. The great thing about building custom skates is that the client is in full control of what they’re getting. It’s so much easier to look at standard shoe sizing to know what fits, since that’s a process we are already familiar with. I walk clients through the entire build and am always available to answer questions. It helps put them at ease and helps me ensure they’ll be happy with the end result.
During the pandemic, more people were discovering the sport and there was this alarming trend where certain roller skate companies were getting credit and a lot of publicity for “bringing back roller skating.” I took issue with that because the history of roller skating extends well beyond what was being acknowledged, and for some communities, it never went away in the first place. Communities of color have always had a deep connection to the sport but historically have been left out of the conversation in public media. As a queer, Latinx individual, I wanted to be sure to acknowledge the true foundations of the sport and hobby of roller skating. That’s part of why inclusion is such a big part of my personal philosophy as well as my business model. And it inspired one of my favorite sayings, “No Skatekeeping,” meaning, no one has the right to exclude anybody else from this sport.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Probably everyone can relate to feelings of self-doubt, but for creatives, the struggle can be a lot deeper. Creating art, in any form, comes with a certain level of vulnerability. You’re pouring yourself into your craft, into your product, and that’s a really scary feeling. It opens you up to all kinds of criticism, not just of what you’re making, but of your very worthiness in some instances. For me, I fought against feelings of doubt at the prospect of opening my skate business — Do I know enough? Am I skilled enough? Will people like what I do enough to buy my products? I still feel that way sometimes, but I’ve gotten so much support and encouragement from the folx who matter most to me, that I’ve been able to push past the doubt. I also remember why I’m doing this; if I can help just one person discover the sport and have it help them unlock all the joy and freedom that skating has brought to me, well then it’s all been worth it.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
More on the business side of things, I wish I’d known about all the tax responsibilities that business owners have to deal with. The first month after I got all my licensure in place, I didn’t know I had to file taxes — even though I hadn’t made any sales yet. I got a letter from the SC Department of Revenue saying I was going to owe $600 in fines if I didn’t file by the final deadline. Since then, I’ve created a system to remind myself to file every month, but that was definitely a scary moment and one where my self-doubt was at its highest. I definitely wish I’d had a resource to walk me through all of the paperwork, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gandbskate.com/
- Instagram: @gandbskateco
Image Credits
WphotographySC