Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sayuri Tsukahara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sayuri, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

I am fortunate to say I have met many Heroes throughout my life, they have come in all shapes and sizes, some gave life to me, some saved me without even knowing it, some were in my life for a brief moment but to this day I still carry their memory with me, some have stayed longer and some still remain beside me. But there is one person who checks all the qualities a Hero should have: kind, courageous, strong, wears an invisible cape. This person has faced adversity and grew from it with a grace I have never seen. This person can carry the weight of the world and walk through the darkest of times without ever losing spirit. This person has always something to give, constantly helping others, taking care of the ones he loves, loving fearlessly, has admirable patience and shows up every single day with a smile or a quirky dance. He reads minds, he knows when something is wrong, he will always listen, he will keep going for you when you need to rest, he will work hard, make smart choices, show us the world. He will play on the floor, build puzzles, get his nails painted pink by a princess, he will cook and then clean, stay up in the middle of the night to comfort a crying child and wake up early in the morning to prep lunch bags and breakfasts. There are many heroes in the world and i get to share my life with one of them. You, dear husband, you are my hero, you have put up with my tough Scorpio personality for ten years, and supported me in every not so bright idea, creative outlet or mental downfall. You helped me create three humans who turned out to be pretty cool people to hang out with. You keep us positive in grim times, you are our Home, our lifeline, our protector, simply put, you are our Hero.

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 am the proud owner of a small Etsy shop named Boho Bela. My main product are customized dream catchers and bow holders, combining different materials and styles to create one of a kind gifts and products, made with all the love in the world. This project started in 2018. I was a stay at home mom of two beautiful little girls and they were obsessed with hair bows. At some point the bathroom drawers were not enough to store and I wanted something I could use to hang them, so they could have easy , organized access to their bow collection. I looked online and couldnt find what I wanted to match their room decor so I decided to make my own, turning out into a very fun craft. My husband suggested to sell them, so I made a few more to show my friends and school mates, and they all sold out. And thats how I opened my Boho Bela Etsy Shop. All of the bow holders and dream catchers are unique from each other, so the customer will be getting a one of a kind item. Not only that, but they can also customize it to their needs, from the colors to the theme ( unicorns, dinosaurs, planets, princess, etc…), add names or initials, anything they want, I can add to the design. My hobby turned out to be more than that, it became a full time job and most importantly a mental therapy, a time to disconnect from daily motherhood chores, to feel self sufficient again and get rewarded with kind reviews and pictures customers share of their dream catcher hanging on top of their children’s bed.
As a small business owner, there is something very fulfilling to achieving small milestones, showing my kids that big or small goals can be achieved with hard work, sacrifices and discipline, that loving what you do is key to success, and to always be proud of what you do, even if its owning a little online shop like mine. My favorite part of it all is when customers share their stories with me, like a Grandma buying my products for their granddaughter’s birthday and telling me how she is all about Unicorns now, or an expectant mother wanting a dream catcher to hang on the door of her delivery room, or a worried father looking for a dream catcher to help his son work through some nightmares, it lets me get to know them better so I can create that special something they are looking for. And the fact that my customers picked me from all the infinite options they can find online and entrust me with that special gift, that is an honor I take with pride and I am humbled everyday by it.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I have always been interested in creativity and art as a way of expression, so creating stuff comes easy to me. When I found the need to find the perfect bow holder for my daughters’ bow collection and failing to do so, I knew I had to try to make one myself. I had to learn different techniques of weaving, macrame and sewing. When I opened my Etsy shop and went from selling 1 a week to 10, I had to learn to buy for materials in a smarter way without sacrificing quality. In the beginning there were more losses than earnings but I was able to find providers and maintain the same materials even through the pandemic when the options were more limited and expensive due to the distribution problems, At one point the option of hiring someone to help me make my products arose. I had to choose between hiring someone to expand my business but probably losing the initial essence or purpose of it or continue with my business model, where I am the sole maker of the product while juggling with my full time mom job and continuing to grow it but at a slower rate. So I opted for option #2, I decided that I had to be the one in control of my product quality, by doing so I could keep the essence of my shop which is handmade items made to order to fulfill each customer’s unique needs. and accepting the fact that by doing so my business would grow slower since there is so much these two hands can make a day. It is what works so far to us as a family and to the stage of life I am living at the moment. Perhaps, when my kids grow a little bit more and time is more flexible, I can consider again looking for business grow possibilities and more marketing investment, but for now, I embrace what I have, create and offer to the very supportive customers who have allowed me to explore this path.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

The idea of creating bow holders and dream catchers started mostly as a hobby and an exploratory project to see where it could go. Never in my wildest dreams I expected it to take the journey it has taken now. It started on my kitchen table and into a studio.
I have seen my little store grow slowly but steady, shipped internationally to places like Spain, Denmark, UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan, Argentina, Costa Rica, Norway and France. I can also say that there is now at least 1 Boho Bela in every state of the United States, a little fun fact that my kids think is so cool when they see the world map with the little red dots where I have shipped one of my products.
It has turned into a full time job that adapted and complimented my most important job of my life which is been a present full time mother, Both jobs now coexist with each other and I am looking forward to keep growing along with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BohoBela
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohobela/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bohobeladreamcatchers