We were lucky to catch up with Tania Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tania, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Coming up with the idea to create book accessories should have been a no brainer for me but it wasn’t. the idea and concept was right under my nose the entire time but at the time I had not thought about it. I owned a cutting machine that sparked my creative side to kick in and that gave way to my entrepreneurial spirit to rise. I was in love with tea and coffee and new that many in the masses felt the same so I focused on making tea cups and coffee mugs with snarky designs and sayings. After months of exposure to other small business owners and creators I felt in my heart that even though I was creating something people loved I wanted to share more. I wanted a niche. Something more artisanal and unique. I prayed about what direction to go and then one day while reading a book I realized that I could make book sleeves. I’m a reader and enjoy sharing my book reviews through Instagram to others. Instagram was the perfect platform for me to share my idea, rebrand and continue to share my passion for books along with book sleeves. But where and how do I get started? First I made shop changes to my logo, my business cards, the wording on my handle. Then I began to design and create my first sleeves by crochet. They turned out beautifully. My aunt taught me to crochet at the age of 10. I never forgot how my first crochet creation, a scarf. I was fascinated that the I hadn’t lost the skill to crochet. So I continued through. I day viewed them at a pop up and voila! SOLD! People loved them. I then began making blankets too because hey, who doesn’t like a cozy blanket when reading? I thought then, what about fabric book sleeves, book marks, reader and book lover inspired mugs! Everything book and reading related. I then invested in a small sewing machine and began making my first fabric sleeves. I learned to sew at the young age of 8 by my mother and grandmother so I knew that much, but a machine was much different. I was going to have to learn and fast to keep up moment of the future pop ups and rebranding. Why the rush right? Well, I felt that if I gave myself a timeline I would be able to push myself to produce and it would give my audience the anticipation of something new. I was scared too that my rebranding would fail but little did I know I tapped into a market full of people who would later turn out to be readers like me but also book accessory lovers.
I began searching for training videos on you tube, “how to start sewing on a sewing machine”, “sewing machine basics”, then I just went for it. My first sleeve was a bit crooked and it was so silly looking but that didn’t stop me I kept going. I viewed how others made their sleeves and made a few changes to mine to make them different. Taking inspiration from other makers who so kindly share their own way of making things. I then created my own style and my own bookish accessories, blankets and lounge wear. Showing how to use sleeves to protect your current reads and how they could be used to carry your stationary and other items safely in your bags, totes, etc. was so satisfying. Hearing people love them makes me so happy too! I then created magnetic bookmarks and those too have been a huge hit. I am so happy to see that so many people have reached out now sharing what they are reading and how much they love their accessories. I am thankful for the reading and book community. But I am also glad I rebranded and took the risk in doing so. I’m also very happy to have inspired so many to do so.
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
My name is Tania, I am an avid reader and bookstagrammer, a mother, wife and former Corporate American worker. I used to work in the O&G industry and became tired of the up and down flow. The constant ebb and flow of the potential to being laid off tormented me always. I hated coming into work early and not knowing if a job would be there. I had a problem answering to authority too. I knew I was meant to be my own boss, but where to begin. I quit corporate and decided to sell insurance. While I did well I still hated reporting to someone else. I wanted to do things my way and with flexibility. With encouragement and support from my husband Victor. I then decided go back to school. I knew I also wanted to help people so I thought maybe going into the medical field would be a great idea. A few weeks shy of graduating from medical school, more changes came. I was fighting the good fight of infertility and in that time of refocusing I was blessed with a pregnancy. That pregnancy lead me to bed rest. After baby was born, the urge to do something came back and again I knew I wanted something of my own. I was following many others on Instagram who loved paper products and books like I did. I then decided to make book marks and create my own Etsy shop. That didn’t go well as I didn’t know what I was doing. I was overwhelmed with running a business I had no idea how to even to that. I had no resources and lost to imposter syndrome. A few years later I was gifted the cutting machine by my husband and that is where the making and creative side kicked in. I knew then it was time to start looking for resources online and through others on how to not just start a business but keep going and advancing. The love of coffee and tea inspired my making of mugs and such. So I named my business Tatis Tacitas. Tatis is my nickname given to me by my aunt when I was little and “tacitas” means little cup or mug in Spanish. A clever name to a mug shop. The inspiration of fellow small business owners encouraged the advancing of learning new skills and pushing forth to keep going. In the wake of change and advancement, wanting something unique and different; my fellow reading community and love for books inspired my rebranding. While it was risky and I could and would lose followers I took the risk. I wanted to inspire and encourage others to read. So, I created book accessories and kept my love of coffee and tea mugs too, because honestly they go hand in hand. Hence my new business name Tacitas and Bookish Love.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building an audience on social media had and has to be one of the most challenging aspects of building a business. Using proper hashtags, posting regularly, and staying abreast with technological changes such as reels is hard work, time consuming but essential to the business. I had a separate account just for my book reviews and so when I rebranded I announced there what I would be doing and I began using hashtags for readers and bookstagrammers. Taking quality photos and using proper photo enhancers and editors helps too. While many followed some did not. This is why I feel constant posting and exposure during pop up markets as a vendor is highly important.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
While there are a plethora of books, videos and essays that can help the entrepreneurial journey, for me it was the Business Academy at U of H Downtown taught by LULAC. the many Hispanic women who spoke of their journey and shared their experiences and knowledge aided me in making smarter moves in business. From finances to rebranding and insuring my products. Knowing that there are many resources out there too to help small businesses gave me a reassurance that I was on the right path and not alone in this journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tacitasandbookishlove.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacitasandbookishlove