We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yolanda Brionez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yolanda below.

Yolanda, appreciate you joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

I love this question because I didn’t know anything when I started. I had never worked retail in my life and I am still learning how to manage and upkeep our inventory system. So obviously one of the major things I would do is
1.) Learn inventory for a product has business. Take an accounting course. Its worth the time and effort!
2.) I would be less emotional about it all. These days it’s really about numbers. In my early days I was very hurt by people’s negative reactions to my products and my lack of knowledge about marketing. Now I understand marketing to my ideal customer. That alone is a game changer.
3.) I would choose a low cost product that costs very little to store and ship. I learned the hard way that businesses with a heart often don’t make it…we are still here but it’s been a battle.

Yolanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Yolanda. I am from a small town just outside of Bellingham, Washington. I created Petra de Luna from my travels throughout the world. Originally I was selling vintage and thrifted goods. I realized I can only make as much as I can physically do myself with that business model. Having 3 young kids I decided to pivot & only sell textiles. Currently, we design them ourselves and have them made with other small artisan businesses throughout Mexico.
Our niche is western textiles & rustic interiors. And you know, I don’t love the question; “what sets you apart from others?” Really, I don’t know. What I DO know is we do our best to offer gorgeous textiles with southwest style. And my favorite thing about Petra de Luna is we love our customers. Seriously. If there’s one thing the world is lacking it’s kindness and compassion. If someone takes the time & money to support me you better believe I will give 100% back to them. Customer service is something I will not slack on. I take pride in offering them something that large corporate businesses have dropped. Humanity in business should be the bottom line…and it’s disappearing.
One thing I would love for people to know about me…I don’t love the spotlight. I’m not shy at all but I prefer to stay behind the scenes. So my face is rarely on our socials or even our website. But please know I love our supporters and it’s me answering emails & DM’s as best I can. I really do love you all very much. It’s an honor to have our textiles in your home.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

2023 has been one of the hardest years of business. We are still going but it’s not been easy. Right now I am focused on two things: 1.) bring awareness to our business (marketing & ads)
2.) fixing any leaks monetarily (credit card interest rates, working directly with artists & applying for grants/low interest loans)

I know a lot of small businesses have shutdown this year and it breaks my heart. I know the heart & soul that it must have taken for them to try…only to have to call it quits.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have actually had to pivot multiple times. The first time was after I graduated from college. Unlike many people I graduated at 31. I had plans of becoming a teacher. And then I realized how much time and energy it required. Having 3 young kids I decided to pull back. As I was trying to figure out my next move I decided to start selling unique finds at local markets. I did that for several years…selling vintage rugs & such. As I learned more I realized I could gain more money for my time from an actual product. That’s when our textiles came in. I was very reluctant to do Mexican blankets because I simply didn’t want to. But it took off more than I expected and Petra de Luna was heading in a new direction.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://petradeluna.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petradeluna/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100064014691735
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/PetradeLuna/

Image Credits
Alexandra Munger Val Vogt Landon Hogue