We recently connected with Yanique Petioma and have shared our conversation below.
Yanique, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
COVID definitely changed my business model. I started my business making custom baby onesies and shifted to shirts. I had made 3 custom stoles prior to this but I had only done them because my mom and sister asked me to. When the pandemic shut the world down, I watched my friends who were graduating be disappointed as they were not able to traditionally celebrate their achievement by walking across the stage. I reached out to one of my brothers who I knew was gradating and I asked him if he would let me try something out for him, no questions asked. I played with sizing and different materials to create a customized stole to celebrate him. Fast forward two years later, I have amassed a community of colleagues who inspire me every day and shipped to almost half the states in the country. I am immensely blessed as I never imagined that my business would expand the way that it has.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Yanique, aka ‘Yaya” and I love arts and crafts. I got into creating when my godson was born in 2019. I wanted to gift him with something that was personal and only for him. Youtube University helped me create customized baby onesies for him, one with his name and one to honor his angel sibling. From there, I played with customized acrylic clutches, baby bibs, shirts, and graduation stoles. I am most proud of my graduation stoles, which is why they are my sole focus for my business now. Each stole is a piece of that individual’s educational journey, from the organization(s) that they have joined along the way to inspirational quotes or verses that kept them going. I like to think of my stoles as time capsules that can be cherished for years to come. They each have their own flare and no one stole is the same.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn going above and beyond the hard way. Every business model wants to provide amazing products and great customer service, however there are boundaries that need to be put in place in order to maintain that amazing standard. I struggled for a while with setting and enforcing those boundaries. I had to realize that it doesn’t make me a bad person to enforce policy to help me streamline my business and I don’t have to feel guilty when I cannot accommodate everyone. There is alot of time and energy that goes into customization and many people don’t understand that, especially when juggling adulting and a full-time job. My business is single-handedly operated by me and me alone. When it got to a point where I was barely getting 1 hour of sleep in order to fulfill my orders and I was still getting “shouty capitals” in emails, I had to realize that I needed to step back and prioritize my health. Through my journey, I have learned that it’s okay to say no and stand my ground.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
My business is completely self-funded! I started off investing $100 here and there from my paychecks into my Cricut and the heat transfer vinyl. One thing I learned was not to get ahead of myself and start spending the money I made on the finer things in life. Every penny I made went right back into my business, purchasing different books and materials until I started seeing a profit. I’ve gone through three heat press machines in the past three years and two Cricuts. It took a while, but I finally started seeing some profit a little over a year after I started. I continue to make my business a priority with the money that I make, but now I can indulge in a nice steak or a new purse every now and then.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stampdbyyaya.com
- Instagram: stampdbyyaya
Image Credits
@candidphotographybycane