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

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

My first client was a friend of mine, and it kind of spiraled from there. I still look back at some of my first posts on my personal page before I made an official business page and it just makes me smile. The growth is by miles. My first market was in the plaza that I now have my brick and mortar located in. It feels like kismet, to have come full circle. My first pop up was a terrifying experience! I am not the type of person who truly enjoys social interactions and so to now have to market myself and these items that I had poured my heart and soul into was just, so overwhelming. I did it though! Oh the question was my first client! I began doing card readings on Facebook lives so I began to do readings for strangers, which then by word of mouth; spiraled from there! Eventually leading to; as previously mentioned me opening a brick and mortar, which I now run full time! My grand opening is what I consider my first real dollar. It was a truly magical day and I will never forget the feeling! It was the culmination of 3 years of hard work to market, putting myself out there, meeting people and being willing to make a huge gamble on myself and what I could do! I managed to transform the space in a two week span from a drab and honestly dirty space to an emo girl’s dream bedroom. It truly feels like everything in my business has been a complete coincidence and random luck; if I’m being honest but I’m just happy to be here enjoying the ride while I can and making things I love, helping people to grow and celebrating the balancing act of life and death.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a practitioner since I was 14, working with nature elements and practicing mostly pagan magic. Working with nature was easier for me since my parents were religious and didn’t approve of me practicing magic. I make classic magical items you would find in any Botanica, and modernize them. I often joke that I’m the Americanized version Mexican of witches, haha! A terrible joke, but it also kind of fits! I would like to think that I am the bridge for Mexican American peoples (typically like 3+ gens) to find a way back to their spiritual roots. So many of us have been forced into assimilation, to be more “American” and less Mexican. I feel like this is where I stand out, I am also sharing my journey through my spiritual dysphoria. The thing I’m most proud of is my marketing; I won’t share all my secrets but I am ALWAYS coming out with different ways to market! I have such a niche business that most general marketing techniques don’t quite work haha. My brand is… idk? Goth, synthy, neon; it’s just “a vibe” for lack of a better term!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Reputation is EVERYTHING so I do my best to be completely honest with my clients! There are so many things I don’t know or haven’t had teachers in, so when I share something I’m very upfront on where I learned it and how I’ve applied it for myself! I truly think that my ability to be humble enough to say “I don’t know but I might know someone who does” has helped me so much. Nobody trusts someone who can’t admit when they’re wrong and I’m sure I’m wrong more often than not, and if I’m right I might not even know why sometimes haha! (Meaning I might have gotten the idea in a dream, not knowing the proper name; which is a common occurrence.)

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

Initially, this was just my passion project. I was going to school for Biotechnology, working full time in the on-campus lab and I was reading cards on the side. Then the pandemic hit…. and suddenly I was furloughed and as we all know, everything hit the fan. So, I took advantage of everyone’s boredom and began posting more content, sharing my spiritual experiences. I shared astrology posts I read, books I read, thoughts and musings. The good and the bad, I managed to turn my side hustle into a full time job, Most people don’t know that I actually, also take care of my 3 children full time, and during that time I was going through an abusive relationship. So not only am I managing my business (social media, marketing, inventory, content creation, product creation, etc etc.) I am managing the mental and emotional abuse while being the main caretaker of my children in the middle of a pandemic where I’m now jobless without income. Being an entrepreneur, you learn very quickly that you either sink or you swim. I jumped in and said; I’ll learn to float for when I get tired of swimming. I learned to move even when I’m still and how even stillness is a necessary skill in a world that constantly promotes the hustle and grind culture.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brujitaboutique.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.brujita
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chulitabrujita