We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Viridiana Osio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Viridiana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Chingona Inc was born during a time of rejection. I had just graduated with my bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and no one would hire me. With no experience or confidence in graphic design, I worked in customer service to pay the bills. During that time, I had seen an artist who made passive income from her art, and I fell in love with the idea. She sold her designs on print-on-demand sites with no money. So I thought, well, what do I have to lose? I started designing patterns and random things for fun. Also, during that time, I was searching for a chingona sticker and realized there wasn’t one I wanted to buy. So I created one for me and uploaded it for sale, not expecting much. Then boom! Many sales came in on my chingona sticker; it was much like a 50-cent profit, but I was ecstatic. That’s when I realized there was a need for Latina designs in general. I name my brand Chingona Inc because I found my bad-ass designer self.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Viridiana, and I am the creator of Chingona Inc. Chngona Inc sells clothing, accessories, and graphic design services. I aim to draw out the Chingonas (badass women) in every woman. I started Chingona Inc because I noticed the lack of Latina designs I wanted to buy, so I started creating my own. Chingona Inc has now evolved into helping Latinas-owned businesses with their brand identity by providing feasible and empowering design options. “Even if you have a small budget, your business deserves authentic branding.” – Viridiana. I am most proud of my ability to create my vision without financial help or assistance.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I started posting on social media in 2017 and was really scared to do so, but I received a lot of support. People want to relate to you, so being authentic is essential. I recommend getting comfortable with being on camera, especially now with popular videos. Most importantly, have fun with it; the moment it doesn’t become fun is when your customer can sense it.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Chingona Inc started as a hobby created for fun, not expecting much from it. If it weren’t for print-on-demand sites like Society 6, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch, I would never have been able to start. As I gained popularity, I got invited to events and started printing items specifically for those events. I still held my 9-5 job until COVID happened, forcing me to decide to find another 9-5 or go full-time. I figured it was a sign to go for it now or never, and I’m proud of what I have been able to do. I’m happy to say this past year; I purchased my own DTG machine and sublimation machine to print to order.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chingonainc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chingonainc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chingonainc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chingona-inc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chingonainc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chingonainc1704
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chingonainc
Image Credits
Nia Grace Photography