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

Siana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

Amorita launched in 2019 with no real game plan. I had the vision, I had the product but was unsure of where to start. By chance, a friend of a friend had told me about a market for female BIPOC business owners that was starting in Santa Barbara, called Mujeres Makers Market. I knew this was my chance to officially launch Amorita. Ironically, the first market was scheduled in May of 2021 – still in the thick of a pandemic. The market was held in the parking lot of a Big Brand Tires. No one knew what to expect, this was the first market of it’s kind for Santa Barbara. Needless to say, the market was an absolute success! Business owners and customers alike were so eager to just be out and about, feeling a sense of normalcy and supporting small business owners in their community. That day in May marked the start of something great not only for Amorita but for the Hispanic and BIPOC community in Santa Barbara.

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 grew up a bit of a nomad. I spent my childhood shuffling between Santa Barbara and Peru due to my parent’s work as archaeologists. At the time, I wasn’t appreciative but I’ve come to learn that it really shaped who I am as a person and instilled in me a love of travel, cooking, art and culture.

I come from an academically forward family, but ever since I was a child I knew I always had an interest in fashion and the arts. As the youngest of 4, I broke the family mold and attended “fashion” school (FIDM in Los Angeles) and started my career at just 20 years old.

As my career started taking off in the corporate world, it felt like something was missing. I felt as though my creativity and passion for creating was at a standstill. At random, I found a leather warehouse in downtown Los Angeles and began making leather wallets for family and friends. From there, I experimented making various accessories and began to think that Amorita could become the brand of my dreams.

Amorita officially launched in 2019 and has been growing slowly and organically ever since. We offer handmade, hand-stitched, minimalist leather accessories and handbags. I really like to emphasize that all our products are made by hand, with no machine, by myself! I am a one-woman team (for now) and am proud to say Amorita is truly a labor of love.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I would say one of my greatest pain points come from simply not being able to source/find exactly what I am looking for when it comes to leather colors, hardware for handbags in the right finishes, thread color, the list goes on and on.

It might be a small problem to have, but I came across an issue where I couldn’t find metal grommets in the right gold finish. After scouring the internet for days on end, reaching out to countless suppliers, I decided that I would just paint the gold finish myself. It was quite tedious, it might not even be the perfect match, but I was proud of myself for solving a problem, going the extra mile to ensure my vision was not compromised.

My mother always taught me, “think of the possibilities, not the obstacles”. I often refer back to that quote to push me into finding solutions for anything and everything. Leaning into resilience is one of the most valuable things we have, especially as business owners.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I am the first to admit that I am no social media expert. Being a one woman team designing, sourcing and hand making all our product leaves little time to think about marketing and growing my social media audience.

But I will say, the one piece of advice I have is to basically “shoot your shot”.

I came across an opportunity that I knew I couldn’t pass up. Liz Hernandez, who I grew up listening to on the radio came to speak at my work’s Women’s Leadership Summit. Hearing her speak about her mission with her company, Wordaful left me so inspired. That following day, I worked up the courage to DM her on Instagram, sharing how much her company resonated with me. I introduced Liz to my brand and simply asked if I could send her product for free – no strings attached, no contract. She graciously accepted and began posting my product occasionally on Instagram. My main goal was to just get my product in someone’s hands that I knew would appreciate Amorita’s simplicity but it was an added bonus for her to post my product and share her genuine love of Amorita with her followers.

I also built another great relationship with an influencer that I greatly admire, Citlalli (@kaliestrella). It’s similar to my story with Liz. She’s been nothing but supportive of myself and Amorita. After several years of being internet friends, Citlalli and I met in person after she moved to Mexico City.

I think building genuine friendships, working relationships with those you admire in the social media world is really important in growing your audience. Shoot your shot and don’t look back! It might be the best thing you can do for your brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopamorita.com
• Instagram: @shopamorita
• Other: tiktok: @shopamorita

Image Credits
Kristine Lo