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

Yazmin, appreciate you joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

When I first started my business I was working out of the kitchen in my small one bedroom apartment. I did not have a work space or enough counter space to buy everything that I needed. I remember projects were a clean and go style. I had a cheap $20.00 pasta roller, along with some tools that I had in my own personal tool box that I used for sanding. I used baking sheets that I had in the kitchen to lay the clay on for the baking process. My inventory was not as it is today. I did not know where to begin with selling my products. I first sold to my friends and family. Then someone mentioned vendor markets in the local area. I remember my first market, I sold two pairs of earrings. I felt an overwhelming joy. Through out the year of 2021 I sold at 5 different events with just a small 4×4 table, a random table cloth and a few display items I had found at the clearance isle at Joanns. My jewelry cards were generic, and I had no guidance on my logo. I built this entire business on a small budget. I was happy with the small success I had in 2021. I wanted to focus on re-inventing my business in 2022. I knew it would require more sacrifice.

In 2022 I decided to revamp my entire business. I wanted it to have a bigger meaning. I came up with a rose as my signature brand. The rose symbolizes hope and hard work. The dedication I had and continue to put into my small business. Being a woman and as well as a Latina there have been many barriers.

I decided to invest in new equipment. I bought a brand new Atlas 150, that helped with the clay mixing process. I invested in a quality printer and started to make my own business cards, thank you cards, stickers, jewelry cards. I made a commitment to start marketing my business on social sites. I created an Instagram and Facebook business page. I started with a number of 20 friends and over the course of the months I have made it to 400+. I began to sign up for market events 4 a month. I invested in the appearance of my display at markets. This part has been some what of a struggle due to the fact that I had a vision but I did not know how to bring it to life. I recently was able to bring it to life through my partner who helped me create some new displays. He built me stand up display boards that are easy for buyers to browse along. I also reached out to a few vendor markets in the area to have my clay earrings in store. I was afraid of rejection, but I was ready for it. I am proud to announce that I am currently at the Sunflower Market in Merriam, KS.

This business has grown out of the corner of my small one bedroom home to now something bigger. I do still work out of my home, but I have created a space with desks to work comfortably. I currently invested in a 3D printer to help speed the process of clay cutters. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

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

Yazmin Rios-Brown was born in Mexico. She started making jewelry from Polymer clay during the pandemic. Her creativity was a safe place to get away from what was going on in the world. At that time she worked in the medical field and was constantly surrounded by death. She decided to walk away in 2021, feeling her life had a greater purpose, and began to work at Rose Brooks, a local non-profit. She now helps women who suffer from domestic violence by empowering them and helping them get shelter, among more amazing things to help Latinas and all women in our community. It’s especially important to Yazmin because she is also a Latina SURVIVOR of domestic violence. She feels oftentimes in our Latino community there is a stigma about domestic violence and she strives to make sure that all she is intentional.

The Process: Yazmin uses a pasta roller to condition the clay. Once the clay is soft she uses a miriad of things to create the texture: sandpaper, napkins, candles, glasses,or anything else you can think of. Once my clay has a texture she uses cutters puchased through other small businesses to create the shape of the earring. She uses different techniques like the the quartz technique which requires translucent clay, acrylic paint, and alcohol ink. She also uses window glass technique and many more. Once it is cut and it is ready, she bakes the earrings on a tile as their “baking pan.” Once they are done, sanded, polished and painted and drills the holes for the assembling. Once assembled they are ready to wear. Need we say, they are beautiful.

Coming from growing up and having nothing, to then losing everything ,Yazmin is proud to say that she never gave up! She strives to continue to serve her community and express herself through her art.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Vendor events is the best way to get connected with new clients. I also recently gained new clients through word of mouth by past buyers. All my clients continue to come back and support my small shop. I never make the same pair of earring so there is always variety.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Never under sell yourself. Price your products what you know you are worth, I used to underprice my work knowing I had stayed up a few restless nights crafting. I was more worried about being liked then being valued. Over the last year I have learned that your constants will always buy your worth. Someone who loves your products will buy them, those who don’t, won’t no matter the price.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yazzyscreationco.shop/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yazzyscreation_co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YazzysCreationCoLLC/