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

Santii, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

I think one of the main things I would do differently if I were to start over my rug making journey today would be, to not be scared of failing and believe in myself so I could have started sooner. When I first started my journey into teaching myself to make rugs it wasn’t pretty, I attempted to first learn with a tufting gun which did not like me. So I gave up for a little while until I learned I could do tufting by hand and that is called needle punching. With that I had finally found the confidence I needed to create the art I had always envisioned. Never stop trying to pursue your dreams, always find a way.

Santii, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello my name is Santii, I make handmade custom rugs, cup coasters, keychains and more made with love. I first started my rug making journey at the beginning of 2023. I had found myself hating my job working so hard for a company that didn’t care for their employees, so I used that as motivation to start a business working hard for myself instead and doing something I’ve always wanted to do. Which led me to needle punching, I use a needle punching process to make my art, I then shave and detail with scissors to achieve that clean detailed look. It’s a very intimate and time consuming process that I love and so do my customers when they receive their order. For a free quote customers can always DM on Instagram: @santiiscozycreations or
Email: [email protected] Just send a photo of what you’d like with the size and I will respond within a day!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Any advice I’d give to others on building their social media presence would be to post what they enjoy because I found that being authentic is what your audience likes to see. I only say that because when I first started my social media journey I wasn’t enjoying it because I was trying to be like others, then I started posting what I love. Doing that has definitely helped my business grow. My advice is be authentic and don’t be afraid to be you.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I would definitely say the most effective strategy for building my clientele would be staying consistent with my social media presence, without it I wouldn’t have the amazing clients I do and would have a difficult time finding them. I’d definitely like to thank social media for helping me expand and grow my business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: santiiscozycreations
• Other: Tik-Tok: santiiscozycreations111