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

Silvia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

IIn March of 2020, at 31 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage IIB Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

After 16 rounds of chemo and a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction I was officially in remission. So what now?

I was blessed with an amazing support system. Not all cancer patients have this.

In December of 2020 with the help of several local businesses and close friends we put together over 30 care packages for cancer patients. By doing this we were able to remind those affected by cancer that they weren’t alone. We were able to bring a little bit of joy during one of the darkest times in their lives.

I decided this was something I wanted to do on a regular basis, but I needed to find a way to fund my project.

That’s where the idea for “Silvia’s Creations” was born. My mom and I have always been “crafty” people. I grew up watching my mom make wreaths.

So I decided to start selling my creations. Half of all proceeds are used to fund my care packages.

Life is tough. Tragedy happens. I”m choosing to take my pain and turn it into something good.

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’ve always been up for a challenge. After hearing the words “it’s cancer”. I ugly cried for hours. Then I wiped my tears and decided I was going to fight like hell. Cancer wasn’t going to take me out.

Its was painful. Cancer brought me to my knees. It broke me. But being broken means you have the opportunity of allowing God to rebuild you.

And that is what happened. I am a new person.

Because I have experience tragedy, I can now in turn help others who are currently in the midst of their fight. I have the privilege of saying “I know. I understand.”

After realizing that I would never be able to repay our family and friends for the support and love they provided my husband and I during my fight with cancer, I decided I would pay it forward.

I received over 200 cards in the mail. Most cancer patients receive a handful if they are lucky. I received dozens of care packages every week for months. Our living room was covered in flower deliveries.

I wanted cancer patients to feel some of the love that I felt. That is where the idea for Silvia’s Creations was born.

All of my items are hand made. I make wreaths, cups, bows, headbands, center pieces for parties, a little bit of everything honestly.

When people purchase an item, they aren’t just supporting me. They are supporting a woman who is currently battling Breast Cancer. They are helping us remind a total stranger, that someone cares about them.

We share some of these women’s stories on our website.

All of this started because of my diagnosis. Life is hard. But we can find something beautiful in our pain.

My friends know that I speak a lot about performing self exams and scheduling mammograms. Early detection is key to saving your life.

It makes me happy and proud when friends reaches out to say that because of me, because of how much I shared about my own journey, they have scheduled a mammogram. Or they have set a reminder to perform a self exam once a month.

So when people think about Silvia’s Creations, I want them to remember that Cancer can affect us all. Cancer does not discriminate. Let us send love to a cancer patient, but also remember to take care of our own health.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on my site. I used Square Space.

Before I set up my website I was just selling on Instagram. Unfortunately that did not work very well. When someone would come to my page, it was very difficult for them to determine what items I actually had in stock and how to purchase them.

I looked into Etsy, but there were too many fees.

I did my research and decided to use Square Space to build my website. It is very easy to use for beginners like me.
Quality picture and easy navigation is key to having a professional website. Ease of paying is also very important.

I feel that the cost of Square Space is fair.

I built my website and then did a “soft launch”. I shared it with a brand consultant, a web designer and a handful of fiends. I asked for honest and constructive criticism.

I then took their suggestions and made changes.

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

Networking and sharing my “why”.

As business owners we all want to succeed. But setting ourselves apart from others is important. What makes me different than other small business owners who have handmade items? My why.

What is my “why?”

I want cancer patients to feel the love I felt.

The more I share about my journey and they women receiving these care packages, the more support I get.

We all know someone affected by cancer. The more I network the more I hear “I am also a survivor” or “my mom, my sister, my dad, etc. is a survivor”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.silviascreations.com
• Instagram: s_ilviascreations

Image Credits
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