We were lucky to catch up with Valerie Aguinaga recently and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
My name is Valerie Aguinaga; I’m the founder and creator of Pampúree, an online spiritual boutique established in May 2020. I am a young 34-year-old Puerto Rican/Peruvian woman who is raised and born in Queens, New York. Raised in the city of creativity, every corner you turned, there was something to be inspired by, and that’s the beginning of my artistic birth. This last year has been one of the most defining moments in my life, and I’ll dive into why that is. Coming from the concrete jungle, I always dealt with many obstacles growing up, which formed me to develop my tough skin. You started in school with so much diversity, trying to figure out how to fit in and be who you thought you were at the time. That’s where my first creative love for writing came about, as it was my outlet to use my imagination in a world I was so shy in. I started writing short stories/poetry about the age of 7 and would only read my stories privately to my family. My mother always said I was naturally gifted in writing and even went about having an essay written by me read over my high school graduation ceremony. Those pivotal moments at the beginning of my early years always left an intuitive feeling inside me that I was destined for something greater.
Once I started my journey working, I knew I wanted to have an influential impact on anyone I crossed paths with. That left me never wanting to settle for a job that created the socially accepted protection of building a 401k, pension, etc. I wanted to keep looking for that job that gave me a burning desire; whether employed or having to become the employer, I never wanted to give up. Come March 2020, with word of the lockdown being whispered around, my life and home “sanctuary” being in jeopardy, I didn’t know what to think. Whether I’d be employed tomorrow or not how was I going to be able to provide my part in life. I kept looking and searching for answers from the universe, asking to be used as a vessel to send a healing message to the world.
Then one day, as I was watching YouTube, I got my message with a healer voicing to other healers to come out and to take this time of stillness to CREATE… create objects of love- of the security- of protection to send to others. That’s exactly when it clicked for me to work with my hands and create healing items to send to my friends and family in this time of need. My partner helped build my confidence as I practiced daily trying to perfect my floral white sage smudge sticks, which came out as my debut product. Now it is my top seller called Pure Vida “Pure Life” as they use in Costa Rica as their attitude towards life… NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Once we announced our brand Pampúree through Instagram, orders came left and right from our amazing friends and family! It was the most heartfelt chilling moment I ever witnessed as a creator.We went strong for a year with over ten collections on our website.
Then came June 2021, and my spirituality had come to a still. I was vacationing in Hawaii, sharing content on my stories, and looking for the next collection idea. It was now March 2022, and no new collection to date. I decided I wanted to go to my mother’s beautiful island of Puerto Rico to celebrate my 34th Birthday with my tribe (my partner, my beautiful sister, and my amazing cousin). I wanted to get closer to the energy of my ancestors and just get lost in the moment of current happiness. I tried to fill in the gap of where my creative block was coming from. As I spent those days on the island with the people I loved I had my DEFINING moment. I Valerie will succeed in moments and jobs, but the true happiness is the one I have with myself. I can’t be successful in a business with my cup being half full, smiling outside while frowning inside. I knew at that moment I needed to become the woman I wanted to look back on when I was older and say, “You did that, girl; you never let anything stop you.” My business Pampúree is about finding the spirituality in yourself and owning it. Being truthful to who you are in the bad and good. Our society has us feeling we need to play this role of porcelain, never wanting us to break, but that’s the beauty of life. You break and rebuild better and smarter with the knowledge to lead others the right way. That’s what I, Valerie Aguinaga, and my brand Pampúree stand for and what we believe, and I thank my 34th year and my tribe Joseph, Laura, and Lincy for teaching me that and more. I love you guys eternally.
And in the words of Pampúree, we love you all. Love & Light, Namaste.
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 on-line business Pampúree is a spiritual boutique, which welcomes all to enter this healing experience with us. From floral smudge sticks to all natural rose oils and facial mist. We created a business to allow more zen and pampering moments in your life or to others you most care about. As the founder it is essential to have my pampering days or moments I shut off from the world. All my products are handcrafted and created to send off with so much love. We also strive to create vegan/eco friendly packaging and products to help protect Mother Nature from any damage. We also have a wonderful program which we send you refills for your Fresh All day Natural toothpaste to keep using your glass jar and get a 10% discount. We have 8 current collections and still working on new collections to release. Our following and support have been phenomenal which allows us to take pride in our craft each and every order. From creating just a name in 2018 to now being on social media influencer pages, three interviews, and continuous reorders we are absolutely blessed in what we’ve created and what we are yet to become! Skies the not the limit, it’s v i e w.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy I’ve had was the power of social media, through my personalized letters sent with every order. I would always make sure to share our hashtags they can include when posting and reminding clients we are a small business so a tag in post would be appreciated. All of my beautiful clients have always shared their products which allowed their friends and families to be introduced to our brand which led to more follows, orders, shares, etc, It was the fastest most effective way without having to pay fees in advertising.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Absolutely not, I know my path was purposely given to me at the right times and places. Without certain experiences and professions I wouldn’t have become the leader and creator Pampúree and our clients needed. I believe in divine purpose and this is my calling to heal others through our products.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pampuree.com
- Instagram: @pampuree
Image Credits
Photos by: Joseph Anthony Rodriguez Goldenseasproduction Instagram: @goldenseasproduction Website: goldenseasproduction.com