187 – Finding Courage Through Art with Frances Castro of Francesita by Frances
Frances is in the process of starting her own business, Francesita by Frances, with the dream of making a living income with her art.
Frances works on canvas and also upcyles furniture. Actually, she’ll tackle just about anything that will take paint.
Bright colors and whimsical themes are fundamental to her artwork as she has been influenced by having lived in Central America for several decades.
Frances’ personal goal is to transmit sunshine through each piece she sells. Her journey to this point has been one of action, decisions and believing in herself.
I’m thrilled to catch Frances right at this point in the development of her new business. As you’ll hear, her background and experience are putting her right in line for success.
Business Building Insights
- When faced with adversity, you have the opportunity to transform into something new.
- Art is a mindful practice. It keeps you in the present and focused on creating.
- Research how to make your business visible and begin to thrive.
- Focus on what your customer is looking for.
- Don’t stop. Don’t give up on your dreams.
- People who’ve found success usually are people who’ve also had a lot of failures.
- Be determined and resourceful. Also call upon your energy and attitude.
Contact Links
Gift Biz Resources
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Learn to make money doing what you love. You’re a gifter, baker, crafter, or maker … and you’re stuck in a day job. You’d love to turn your one-of-a-kind jewelry or heavenly chocolate into a profitable business, but you have no idea where to start. How the heck do people turn their creative business dreams into reality?
- Learn the ONE thing that will take you from ‘hobbyist’ to ‘pro’ in no time
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It’s time to get out of your rut and dive into your future headfirst! Stop wondering about your next steps — instead, pour yourself something delicious, sit down, and let me show you how to turn your hobby into a money-making business.
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Thanks! Sue
Transcript
Hi there.
Speaker:You're listening to gift biz on rapt episode 187 people were
Speaker:reacting towards it and saying,
Speaker:this is great,
Speaker:this is awesome,
Speaker:and I'm like,
Speaker:Whoa. At Tinton,
Speaker:gifters, bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one
Speaker:now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is gift to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal,
Speaker:Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there Sue,
Speaker:and I'm thrilled that you're joining me today because I have
Speaker:a little bit of a different episode and guest for you,
Speaker:but before we get into all of that,
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift biz breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:I've got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week.
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing,
Speaker:to show pictures of your product to what you're working on
Speaker:for the week,
Speaker:to get reaction from other people and just for fun because
Speaker:we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody in
Speaker:the community is making.
Speaker:My favorite post every single week without doubt,
Speaker:wait, what aren't you part of the group already?
Speaker:If not,
Speaker:make sure to jump over to Facebook and search for the
Speaker:group gift biz breeze.
Speaker:Don't delay.
Speaker:Come join us in gift biz breeze today and seriously,
Speaker:you're going to want to jump in if you aren't there
Speaker:already specially right now because I have a certain special holiday
Speaker:promo for you that's only happening in the breeze.
Speaker:It's an opportunity for you to share your creations with other
Speaker:people and get some holiday sales.
Speaker:That's all I'm saying here.
Speaker:Details await you in the breeze.
Speaker:Okay, so let me tell you about Francis,
Speaker:our guests today.
Speaker:We met just by happenstance and as you often do when
Speaker:you meet somebody new,
Speaker:you just have some small talk pesky a little bit about
Speaker:what you're about,
Speaker:what you're doing,
Speaker:why you're at a particular event,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:Well, it ended up,
Speaker:I found out that she is an up and coming artist
Speaker:and I gave her a little bit of a challenge.
Speaker:She not only took on the challenge but circled back to
Speaker:me and told me what she did and I thought it
Speaker:would be so interesting to talk to somebody who's just starting
Speaker:their journey,
Speaker:but is coming with a wealth of knowledge and experience from
Speaker:other areas.
Speaker:So she has a lot of things that she can show
Speaker:us and teach us and talk with us about that she's
Speaker:now applying to this new budding business of hers.
Speaker:So without any further comment on my side,
Speaker:let's get into the interview with Francis Today.
Speaker:I am so excited to introduce you to Francis Castro.
Speaker:Francis is in the process of starting her own business.
Speaker:Her dream is to make a living income with her art.
Speaker:It's such an exciting time when you're starting your business.
Speaker:Her company is going to be called<inaudible> by Francis.
Speaker:Francis works on canvas and upcycles furniture.
Speaker:Actually she'll tackle just about anything that will take paint.
Speaker:Bright colors and whimsical themes are fundamental to her artwork as
Speaker:she has been influenced by having lived in central America for
Speaker:several decades.
Speaker:Francis, his personal goal is to transmit sunshine through every piece
Speaker:she sells.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I love that visual.
Speaker:Francis, welcome to the gift biz on wrapped podcast.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:I'm so excited to be here today and share a little
Speaker:bit about my art.
Speaker:Yes, I love the fact that I'm catching you right in
Speaker:the beginning.
Speaker:I think this is going to be such an interesting conversation
Speaker:and even for people who have gotten started just to hear
Speaker:from you and the energy and the excitement of when you're
Speaker:creating something fresh,
Speaker:I think is going to be so enlightening for everybody so
Speaker:I can not wait to get to that.
Speaker:But before we do,
Speaker:it's a tradition here for me to ask you about a
Speaker:motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to describe yourself by color and quote,
Speaker:what would a candle look like that speaks all Francis?
Speaker:My candle definitely would be red.
Speaker:Red is a vibrant color full of vitality,
Speaker:and it represents me on a personal,
Speaker:deep level because it signifies determination,
Speaker:courage, and an interesting word that I found while I was
Speaker:searching to know the significance of the color red.
Speaker:It means survival.
Speaker:Ooh. And why is survival important to you?
Speaker:It's a part of my narrative.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:art came into my life through a life changing event that
Speaker:I really wasn't expecting,
Speaker:but it taught me about courage.
Speaker:And that's another thing that is important in my art.
Speaker:And that brings me to my quote.
Speaker:And you never expect for me to bring a quote from
Speaker:this person.
Speaker:But John Wayne actually said something that has stuck with me
Speaker:from the very first time I ever saw it.
Speaker:And he said that courage is being scared to death but
Speaker:saddling up anyway.
Speaker:Isn't that great?
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:Yes. I've never heard that either.
Speaker:You're right.
Speaker:You just go through and you do it anyway.
Speaker:That's courage.
Speaker:Scared. But going forward.
Speaker:That is completely courage.
Speaker:I agree with you.
Speaker:So talk to us a little bit about how art came
Speaker:into your life,
Speaker:where you always,
Speaker:even as a little girl,
Speaker:loving art and that creative side.
Speaker:Yes, from a small child,
Speaker:I loved my crayons and my watercolors.
Speaker:I grew up in Tucson,
Speaker:Arizona and they had an art contest in the newspaper.
Speaker:And one of my drawings,
Speaker:which was about the cactus and the Southwest,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:motif. I entered it and I was actually picked and I
Speaker:was so proud of myself.
Speaker:I must've been about nine or 10 and throughout my high
Speaker:school years and college,
Speaker:I was always interested in anything that had to do with
Speaker:arts and crafts.
Speaker:I was always at the craft stores and I moved to
Speaker:Watson Mala in 1992 and I continued with my crafting,
Speaker:but I wasn't painting.
Speaker:I was just crafting,
Speaker:making things.
Speaker:And I was so influenced by the textiles and the artisans
Speaker:that are there.
Speaker:There's great artwork to be found in what the Mala,
Speaker:they're wonderful textiles.
Speaker:And it continued to develop in me this desire to paint.
Speaker:But I didn't have any paints yet.
Speaker:So were you just testing out different mediums and this was
Speaker:just maybe your experimental time of,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what did you really love?
Speaker:You knew you were a creator of some sort and an
Speaker:artist of some sort,
Speaker:but you were trying to like different mediums and different styles
Speaker:and all that.
Speaker:Yes. And then in 2014 I finally decided to buy some
Speaker:cheap acrylics.
Speaker:I sent one of the people that worked for me because
Speaker:I had a business.
Speaker:I ran a boutique hotel on what them all up and
Speaker:I bought some cheap acrylics and I got some bottles and
Speaker:I started painting the bottles because I wanted to see if
Speaker:I could do that,
Speaker:if I could work that medium.
Speaker:And I fell in love with it.
Speaker:And then my life gave what I would call a 180
Speaker:degree turn that I wasn't expecting.
Speaker:And I found myself back in the United States in September
Speaker:of 2014 and I had to start from zero begin a
Speaker:new life.
Speaker:And that was not easy.
Speaker:I was kind of in a state of shock trying to
Speaker:register because things happen,
Speaker:life happens.
Speaker:And it was my turn to face a challenge.
Speaker:But one of the greatest things that can happen to a
Speaker:person is when you're faced with adversity,
Speaker:you can find opportunity to transform into something new.
Speaker:And I started going to art therapy classes and that was
Speaker:the very first time that I came across canvas and I
Speaker:started doing paintings and I fell in love with it.
Speaker:I felt like that was something that was healing my soul.
Speaker:And I started trading my art for money because I wouldn't
Speaker:call it a business,
Speaker:but people were actually liking my stuff.
Speaker:I would post it on Facebook and everybody would go,
Speaker:Oh well are you selling that?
Speaker:And I go,
Speaker:well, not really.
Speaker:And then they say,
Speaker:I want to buy it.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:you really want to buy my art?
Speaker:And then I thought,
Speaker:wow, this is an Avenue that I never ever considered.
Speaker:But at the time I was back in school at the
Speaker:university of Arizona cause I had went back to Tucson where
Speaker:my family lives,
Speaker:my parents and I went back to school.
Speaker:So I didn't really have any time to work on my
Speaker:art, but it was always in the back of my mind
Speaker:and sometimes when I get stressed out from classes I get
Speaker:a little canvas and I do it a little eight by
Speaker:10 just to get that stress off of me.
Speaker:And it's always worked because I find that art is a
Speaker:mindful practice.
Speaker:It keeps you in the present and it keeps you focused
Speaker:on something cause you can't paint and have your mind flying
Speaker:somewhere else.
Speaker:Right. That's so interesting to me because there's two things that
Speaker:you're talking about that I kind of see from people who
Speaker:find and gravitate to a creative career at some point.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:a lot of times it is where there's a point of
Speaker:conflict in a life,
Speaker:something happens that really upsets the Apple cart,
Speaker:if you will.
Speaker:And it forces you to think differently or see differently that
Speaker:you might not have if everything had gone smoothly.
Speaker:Exactly. So in a way,
Speaker:although you know,
Speaker:I don't know the story behind the situation,
Speaker:but in a way I'm sure you would have rather not
Speaker:had all of that term,
Speaker:but it's brought you to potentially a better place.
Speaker:So I suggest to people who are listening to think about
Speaker:that too as they're going through their life and when something
Speaker:is really traumatic and there's a point where you could change
Speaker:to be open to some opportunities cause that's Francis what it
Speaker:sounds like you did,
Speaker:you were open to those opportunities.
Speaker:Exactly. The other thing I just wanted to say real quickly
Speaker:is you talk about art therapy.
Speaker:You can probably speak to this way more than I can,
Speaker:but I continue to hear how working with your hands and
Speaker:creating something that's coming from within,
Speaker:that's your sole cause.
Speaker:It's your style.
Speaker:It's your way of expression.
Speaker:Can be so healing.
Speaker:Yes, exactly.
Speaker:I didn't even know art therapy existed.
Speaker:I was in therapy sessions and my counselor,
Speaker:she saw in me that creative spirit and she recommended art
Speaker:therapy. She goes,
Speaker:do you like to paint?
Speaker:Do you like to sculpt?
Speaker:Do you write poetry?
Speaker:And I go,
Speaker:well, I've always wanted to pay it.
Speaker:I think I can do it.
Speaker:And she was the one that sent me to these therapy
Speaker:sessions with art.
Speaker:I was there for a year painting and it was,
Speaker:I went like three,
Speaker:four times a week,
Speaker:and definitely I felt that I had more healing from the
Speaker:actual art than I did in the talking sessions.
Speaker:Oh, interesting.
Speaker:But in that you're healing yourself,
Speaker:right? Because you're expressing yourself.
Speaker:It's not someone necessarily talking you through everything.
Speaker:Yes. I was able to express through the medium of acrylics
Speaker:and the canvas what I was going through.
Speaker:It was like a storybook.
Speaker:As I look back because I have photos of all the
Speaker:pieces that I created during that time,
Speaker:and I can actually tell a story of my healing process
Speaker:from the beginning to the end.
Speaker:That's so interesting.
Speaker:I don't want to discount that at all,
Speaker:but I want to move on then now into you.
Speaker:So you started creating,
Speaker:you were putting them on Facebook just to show people what
Speaker:you're up to.
Speaker:Right. How shocked were you when some people came back and
Speaker:said, Hey,
Speaker:can I buy that from you?
Speaker:I was completely shocked.
Speaker:I thought that my work was okay.
Speaker:I didn't think it was anything special.
Speaker:I liked it because I love bright colors.
Speaker:I love flowers,
Speaker:I love whimsical motives and I liked things to be fun
Speaker:and people were reacting towards it and saying,
Speaker:this is great,
Speaker:this is awesome.
Speaker:And I'm like,
Speaker:Whoa. And then you know,
Speaker:some of my Facebook friends,
Speaker:they said,
Speaker:I want it,
Speaker:will you send it to me?
Speaker:And we had to discuss the price.
Speaker:And so I was like,
Speaker:what do I do?
Speaker:How do I do this?
Speaker:How do I go about charging something that I made and
Speaker:I just spit out a price and they said,
Speaker:Oh, I'll take it.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I found myself selling my art.
Speaker:It was a mind blowing experience for me,
Speaker:but it also created in me that question,
Speaker:could I do this for a living?
Speaker:Right. I mean it validated to you that other people wanted
Speaker:what you could create.
Speaker:Exactly. And now I'm starting to develop that idea.
Speaker:I just opened up an Etsy shop just a few days
Speaker:ago. I know.
Speaker:I'm so excited about this.
Speaker:I'm sorry,
Speaker:I don't mean to interrupt you,
Speaker:but can you go to where you flip the switch?
Speaker:The time.
Speaker:So this is like within the last several days a week,
Speaker:I'm not sure,
Speaker:but what was your mind when you flipped a switch and
Speaker:said, okay,
Speaker:I'm going to formalize this now and I'm starting a business.
Speaker:When I met you at the concert that we were at
Speaker:the summer in Ravinia,
Speaker:I felt like that was assigned to me.
Speaker:Really? So let's share with everybody what happened.
Speaker:Do you want me to tell the story or do you
Speaker:want to tell the story?
Speaker:Go ahead and tell your side of the story and then
Speaker:I'll add.
Speaker:Okay. Okay,
Speaker:good. We'll see how this works.
Speaker:So my aunt was in town.
Speaker:Shout out to Kristi and Rob,
Speaker:if you're here listening to the podcast and you better be,
Speaker:we went to Revinia to listen to the Chicago symphony.
Speaker:This is an outdoor concert area right in my community,
Speaker:but it draws in people from all over Chicago.
Speaker:And by accident we got there too early.
Speaker:So we had to wait in line for an hour in
Speaker:this sweaty hot 90 degree weather or whatever it was then.
Speaker:And you guys also came relatively,
Speaker:I don't think you were waiting as long as we were,
Speaker:but we're right in line together and you had the cutest
Speaker:outfit on.
Speaker:So we started talking,
Speaker:I think we started with your shoes.
Speaker:And so one thing led,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:as conversations do,
Speaker:and this just goes to show talk with people around you
Speaker:because you never know what's going to happen.
Speaker:So one thing led to another led to another and we
Speaker:started talking and then we got started to get into your
Speaker:story Francis and you pull out your phone and you show
Speaker:me your furniture,
Speaker:which is so beautiful.
Speaker:I was like all over this.
Speaker:So then of course me with the podcast and what I
Speaker:do for a living and start asking you questions,
Speaker:is this a business?
Speaker:What are you doing?
Speaker:They're like 7,000
Speaker:could trillion questions and we left it that you were going
Speaker:to continue doing what you're do sent.
Speaker:You were going to send me some pictures and then we
Speaker:would see how it developed.
Speaker:And that has led to today when we're talking.
Speaker:What are you going to add to the story Francis?
Speaker:Well what I'm going to add is that up until that
Speaker:point I wasn't really doing my art.
Speaker:I had done a stool and I think I had done
Speaker:a painting but I really wasn't thinking about going down that
Speaker:Avenue cause I just moved to Chicago this year and I
Speaker:getting settled.
Speaker:But when I met you and you asked me are you
Speaker:an artist?
Speaker:And I think it had to do with my colorful outfit.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:Whoa. And so I started answering your questions and then later
Speaker:on I told my husband,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I feel like this is a sign that I should do
Speaker:this. Oh,
Speaker:I'm getting shivers over here.
Speaker:I love this,
Speaker:that I should actually go forward with doing my art.
Speaker:And I told you that I would have like four or
Speaker:five pieces done by the middle of September.
Speaker:So by saying that out loud,
Speaker:I was being held accountable to my own promise.
Speaker:And I started working on different projects.
Speaker:I had painted a chair,
Speaker:I did a jewelry box,
Speaker:I did a couple of other things and I said,
Speaker:I've got to do this.
Speaker:And I started looking into Etsy.
Speaker:I haven't been on social media for quite a while.
Speaker:So opening up the Etsy was something big.
Speaker:And now I'm thinking,
Speaker:Oh, I should go on to Pinterest and start putting my
Speaker:stuff out there.
Speaker:And, and then I started listening to your podcast and getting
Speaker:ideas from different people and seeing how I could actually make
Speaker:the sustainable living,
Speaker:creating something from my hands that can bring,
Speaker:like I said earlier,
Speaker:a little bit of sunshine into each person's home that you
Speaker:know, supports my business Well and sunshine into your life too
Speaker:because you've already shared how much that helps you in terms
Speaker:of just taking your internal and bringing it out and you
Speaker:know, your happy colors and all of that too.
Speaker:So it's rewarding on both ends for sure.
Speaker:Have you already established and registered your business already?
Speaker:So Francis SITA,
Speaker:am I saying it right?
Speaker:Yes. Francis Francis,
Speaker:SITA by Francis is already registered as a business.
Speaker:It's registered as a business on Etsy.
Speaker:I opened a shop,
Speaker:but I haven't done any business paperwork,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:like outside of at state.
Speaker:So that's something you'll definitely want to get done just for
Speaker:government, you know,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:But let's talk about Etsy now.
Speaker:What has been your experience and you just put this shop
Speaker:up right?
Speaker:I just put it up.
Speaker:I had never even been on Etsy before.
Speaker:I mean I've been off of social media for so long
Speaker:that I have become like kind of like unacquainted with everything
Speaker:that's going on now as far as online sales.
Speaker:So you have a whole world of learning to get started
Speaker:with. Yes,
Speaker:exactly. But I do have experience in sales.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I did a lot of marketing and sales in what the
Speaker:Mala with the businesses that I had,
Speaker:I was very successful and so I think if I was
Speaker:able to do it there,
Speaker:Absolutely. And you're so personable.
Speaker:I mean give biz listeners,
Speaker:you can hear it just through her voice right here.
Speaker:It's that magnified in person for sure.
Speaker:So all right.
Speaker:How did you find the process of setting up the shop?
Speaker:Was the platform easy to manage through uploading photos,
Speaker:getting everything established?
Speaker:What was your experience there?
Speaker:It was very easy.
Speaker:It's black and white,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you just go on,
Speaker:you open up your account,
Speaker:you start uploading and the uploading process was very quick.
Speaker:Everything is explained to you in minute detail and I think
Speaker:I did it in like maybe under two hours.
Speaker:Oh wow,
Speaker:that's wonderful.
Speaker:And so have you had any sales so far?
Speaker:Not yet.
Speaker:I put it up like maybe 48 hours ago.
Speaker:Oh man.
Speaker:Okay. So I need to go and do some research on
Speaker:how to make my Etsy visible and that's why I felt
Speaker:like I need to open up an Pinterest and start to
Speaker:get back on social media to promote my online shop.
Speaker:Absolutely. And you've got it exactly right.
Speaker:You know on social media what you'll do is you'll drive
Speaker:everybody over to your Etsy shop.
Speaker:Exactly. Instagram too.
Speaker:For sure.
Speaker:Instagram, Yes.
Speaker:I'm going to have to go back.
Speaker:I've been like one of those people that I was on
Speaker:social media for a long time when I lived in Guatemala
Speaker:promoting the hotel,
Speaker:promoting other businesses,
Speaker:but I left All that behind and now it's like,
Speaker:Oh, I've got to get started again.
Speaker:Absolutely. And I'm sitting here and I wish all of you
Speaker:who were listening could see this.
Speaker:And the very first thing I said to Francis when we
Speaker:connected here,
Speaker:I do all my recordings over Skype but was,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I love the visual that I'm looking at right now.
Speaker:Right. The fantasy by Francis.
Speaker:Just the imagery and you know,
Speaker:I'm not sure if it's pink or purple.
Speaker:It's a little combination of both,
Speaker:but it's so brilliant and so bright and so happy and
Speaker:I can see that all over social media just it's beautiful.
Speaker:Francis isn't going to share the motivation and how she came
Speaker:upon the colors of her logo.
Speaker:Right after a word from our sponsor.
Speaker:This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of the
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Speaker:Craft studio in seconds.
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Speaker:print company.com
Speaker:for more information.
Speaker:I love bright colors and it has to do with the
Speaker:time that I lived in Guatemala.
Speaker:Anyone that's listening on the podcast has been there,
Speaker:will understand.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:they went,
Speaker:I'm talking to the textures of the textiles and just the
Speaker:colors, the bright,
Speaker:beautiful, vivid colors.
Speaker:I put them into my artwork.
Speaker:And also I had mentioned a little bit when I wrote
Speaker:to you about my grandmother.
Speaker:She was a quilter and she was a crafter and she
Speaker:did everything always with bright,
Speaker:beautiful, vivid colors.
Speaker:And I think color is something that livens up any space.
Speaker:It brightens any mood when you see something just so bright
Speaker:and cheery.
Speaker:Some people say,
Speaker:Oh, that's so cliche,
Speaker:but I think it really does wonders for the soul.
Speaker:I totally agree with you.
Speaker:So let me ask you this,
Speaker:as an artist and someone who clearly knows how to put
Speaker:colors together,
Speaker:is this a fuchsia or a purple or a combination of
Speaker:both? Maybe.
Speaker:It looks like It's a combination.
Speaker:There's a few HSA and there was some blue that was
Speaker:put in there to give that purple-ish tone.
Speaker:Oh, gotcha.
Speaker:Okay. So and give biz listeners,
Speaker:you'll be able to go over to social media and see
Speaker:this. Is this imagery on your Etsy page too?
Speaker:Yes. Okay.
Speaker:So you can go look you,
Speaker:everybody who listens regularly knows there's a show notes page where
Speaker:you'll have all the links.
Speaker:But what I'm getting at and what I think would be
Speaker:an interesting conversation is you use color and are surrounded by
Speaker:color and have color in everything.
Speaker:How did you then narrow in and decide what your colors
Speaker:were going to be that were going to represent the business?
Speaker:So the branding side I decided that I wanted to use,
Speaker:my name is Frances Castro.
Speaker:I'm of Hispanic descendant,
Speaker:so I've wanted to tap into my culture and I wanted
Speaker:to tap into what represents me and I feel like those
Speaker:bright colors,
Speaker:the fuchsias,
Speaker:the reds,
Speaker:the greens,
Speaker:the purples,
Speaker:the bright pinks,
Speaker:the yellow,
Speaker:that all is representative of like this,
Speaker:I would call a woven fabric.
Speaker:That is my life,
Speaker:that the different compartments of who I am is being a
Speaker:Latina. Having lived in Guatemala,
Speaker:my love of art,
Speaker:my love of color,
Speaker:I wanted to bring that into what my pages so that
Speaker:people could see a little bit of my personality through the
Speaker:colors that I chose And you know,
Speaker:along the way now those are the types of people who
Speaker:will be attracted to you too because you've made a clear
Speaker:statement. So people who love that and love that style and
Speaker:love that feel are the people who are going to become
Speaker:your customers.
Speaker:It's that Folklorico folk art type of art.
Speaker:Think of Frida Kahlo,
Speaker:but it's not,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:like Frida Kahlo,
Speaker:but she loved color and I love color and I love
Speaker:flowers and I love everything to just be with sun and
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:stars and moons and just whimsical.
Speaker:Beautiful. Perfect.
Speaker:Okay, so now I want to go a little bit inside
Speaker:your thinking.
Speaker:You've got your Etsy shop up,
Speaker:you're waiting for that first sale,
Speaker:which will probably be maybe even while we're courting the show.
Speaker:You never know,
Speaker:but what's your thinking?
Speaker:Where is your mind right now?
Speaker:It's doing research to get my business to begin to thrive.
Speaker:To have a sustainable income and developing more ideas of what
Speaker:I can do as far as business because something has to
Speaker:be in demand.
Speaker:So as I'm growing I can see through what people are
Speaker:purchasing, what is the actual object that's going to be something
Speaker:that will be a popular item that I can focus on,
Speaker:like if that makes sense.
Speaker:Like I do a lot of things,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I have the chairs,
Speaker:I have the stools,
Speaker:I have shelves,
Speaker:I have jewelry boxes,
Speaker:but I want to see if there's going to be a
Speaker:certain object that I'm going to focus in on.
Speaker:That seems to be the one that most people are gravitating
Speaker:to in purchasing and are interested in.
Speaker:Yes. That's fabulous because you're not putting something out there and
Speaker:saying, okay,
Speaker:this is what I have,
Speaker:buy it.
Speaker:You're saying let's put these things out there.
Speaker:And then as you're saying research and then you're going to
Speaker:just observe what are people purchasing the most,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what are they asking for?
Speaker:Cause you might get calls and say,
Speaker:Hey, I love this,
Speaker:but could you do it in these colors?
Speaker:Or could you make it smaller?
Speaker:Exactly. You never know what's going to come of it.
Speaker:So very interesting.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And I also haven't heard through this whole dialogue,
Speaker:just this recent part,
Speaker:like what are you doing now?
Speaker:Where's your mind?
Speaker:Anything about it?
Speaker:Reflecting on you as a person who you are,
Speaker:you're going to wait and what the market wants from you,
Speaker:but it doesn't influence who you are as a person.
Speaker:So many times when people start a business,
Speaker:they associate themselves as they're being too.
Speaker:Whether the business is successful,
Speaker:like if you hadn't sold anything,
Speaker:even for the first week,
Speaker:that doesn't matter.
Speaker:You still need to drive an audience to your site.
Speaker:But so many people would say,
Speaker:Oh, I'm a failure.
Speaker:Oh, it's not working.
Speaker:Right? None of that.
Speaker:You're in research mode.
Speaker:It's a great example and we didn't talk about this before
Speaker:the show,
Speaker:but it's a great example.
Speaker:It's fundamental.
Speaker:When I ran the boutique hotel and what them all,
Speaker:uh, one of the things that I learned is that I
Speaker:might like something,
Speaker:I might have a certain idea of how I wanted things
Speaker:to be,
Speaker:but I had to listen to my customers and take what
Speaker:I wanted and he tried to mold that into what the
Speaker:customer wants because obviously when we're offering goods we have to
Speaker:focus on what our customer is looking for.
Speaker:Perfectly stated.
Speaker:Let's talk a little bit about your pricing.
Speaker:So you kind of made up your Facebook purchase pricing because
Speaker:you weren't expecting that that was coming out of the blue.
Speaker:Now you hit a little bit more time to think as
Speaker:you're setting up your Etsy shop.
Speaker:How did you determine how you were going to price your
Speaker:pieces there?
Speaker:What I decided to do was take into account the time
Speaker:that I spent on each item,
Speaker:how much paint did I use if I purchase this item,
Speaker:like as far as upcycled items,
Speaker:the price that I paid for that,
Speaker:and even including gasoline that I've used to acquire different items
Speaker:and putting all that together and then dividing it up by
Speaker:hours and then saying,
Speaker:okay, this is my cost.
Speaker:And then from there then I can make an estimate of
Speaker:a price for each item And then put some margin in
Speaker:on top of that too.
Speaker:Yeah, definitely profit because you're going after the living income,
Speaker:sustainable business.
Speaker:Yeah. So I love that because you also included some of
Speaker:the costs that people forget about,
Speaker:which is the gasoline or if you're having paint sent to
Speaker:you, let's say instead of going out and getting it,
Speaker:what were the costs of shipping?
Speaker:So you had all of that.
Speaker:So those are a lot of hidden costs that people forget
Speaker:about frequently and then they wonder why they're not making any
Speaker:money because there may be just breaking.
Speaker:Even what they make is what they sell it for,
Speaker:but it's just a neutral transaction.
Speaker:They're not making anything.
Speaker:Yeah. You have to take that into account and then you
Speaker:think about,
Speaker:well, if I were working at a retail,
Speaker:what would be my hourly wage?
Speaker:Give myself a wage and include that to the estimate.
Speaker:I will also say,
Speaker:and I'll be curious about your opinion on this,
Speaker:Francis, is you have taken art classes and spent a lot
Speaker:of hours just on your own,
Speaker:even from when you were little learning how to create the
Speaker:techniques that you do and some people who are makers out
Speaker:here are buying soldering equipment or other types of equipment where
Speaker:they've had to not only invest in their tools but also
Speaker:invest in learning how to use them professionally in the best
Speaker:way. And that's valuable too.
Speaker:That's worth a monetary line in the whole buildup of your
Speaker:cost as well.
Speaker:Exactly. Does that make sense?
Speaker:Yes. That's something that you would have to take into account
Speaker:also to be able to break even if you've invested in
Speaker:any kind of equipment,
Speaker:you need to break that down.
Speaker:Well and I would imagine for you it's paint brushes,
Speaker:paint brushes,
Speaker:my paint,
Speaker:cleaning your paint.
Speaker:Yes, cleaning of your brushes,
Speaker:like all of that is part of the cost of making
Speaker:the product and at some point probably replacing your brushes.
Speaker:I don't know how often they get to need to be
Speaker:replaced. And then also the technique,
Speaker:the time you've put in the training that you've had to
Speaker:perfect your skill,
Speaker:All that has to be taken into consideration.
Speaker:And when you do that and then you put your price
Speaker:on an object,
Speaker:that money will be replenished and you can keep rotating and
Speaker:you can keep moving that money,
Speaker:making more product and selling it so that eventually you'll see
Speaker:that growth,
Speaker:if that makes sense.
Speaker:I agree.
Speaker:Okay. I'm going to put you on the spot here a
Speaker:little bit with my next question.
Speaker:You sound very confident.
Speaker:You have had other businesses,
Speaker:so you're an experienced business owner,
Speaker:not necessarily with something that you create,
Speaker:but you know the whole system of business,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:Have you had any fear or doubt or worry despite your
Speaker:courage? Every day.
Speaker:Every day it's like I say to myself,
Speaker:what am I doing?
Speaker:What have I gotten myself into?
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:And then what's the next thing you say to yourself?
Speaker:Well, I'm already in the middle of the tornado so I
Speaker:can just lock through it.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:I'm just saddling up and going forward on that horse.
Speaker:Just like John Wayne's said.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:And you know what?
Speaker:It's faith in what you can do.
Speaker:It's recognizing that just as you were talking about earlier,
Speaker:even though it might be a little uncomfortable,
Speaker:you just still do it.
Speaker:You'd get up and you just go through with it.
Speaker:You don't stop,
Speaker:you don't give up.
Speaker:I think a lot of people give up right when they're
Speaker:on the cusp of a breakthrough.
Speaker:Oh, good point.
Speaker:Talk a little more about that.
Speaker:I feel like a lot of people,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they set everything up.
Speaker:They had a great idea,
Speaker:they're all excited about it,
Speaker:and then they see that it's just like there's nothing going
Speaker:on. And then,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they say,
Speaker:Oh, I'll wait a little bit longer and nothing's happening.
Speaker:And then they just throw in the towel and maybe just
Speaker:right around the corner they were going to meet somebody or
Speaker:something was going to happen and they were going to have
Speaker:that breakthrough,
Speaker:but they gave up.
Speaker:And anybody that does something that's worth something,
Speaker:there's sacrifice involved.
Speaker:And people who have had success usually are people who have
Speaker:had lots of failures,
Speaker:who had lots of doors,
Speaker:slammed on their faces,
Speaker:but they just kept going forward,
Speaker:kept going forward and saying,
Speaker:I've sent out a thousand applications while,
Speaker:or I've been to hundreds of auditions.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you hear those stories all the time and I feel like
Speaker:there's a lot of truth in that.
Speaker:I see it in my own life.
Speaker:When I went back to school,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I know this doesn't have to do with art,
Speaker:but I went back to school and half of the time
Speaker:that I was there I said,
Speaker:what am I doing here?
Speaker:And I just kept plowing through because you know,
Speaker:I'm obviously not a 20 year old student and to be
Speaker:in this world of young people and doing essays and papers
Speaker:and research and I said,
Speaker:how am I going to get through this?
Speaker:Well I have to brag a little bit.
Speaker:I plowed through and I graduated with a GPA of 3.95
Speaker:I graduated Summa cum latte.
Speaker:So, Wow,
Speaker:congratulations. That's awesome.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So I feel like you're doing something.
Speaker:Don't give up.
Speaker:Don't give up on your dream.
Speaker:Absolutely. It is heartbreaking when dreams get crushed and I see
Speaker:it in two places,
Speaker:I see it where people will just keep saying like they
Speaker:want to start the business.
Speaker:They are thinking of doing this,
Speaker:they want to write that book,
Speaker:you know whatever it is.
Speaker:And it's always want,
Speaker:want, want,
Speaker:want and they never take the action.
Speaker:And I think it's because of being fearful and quite honestly
Speaker:when we were standing in that line,
Speaker:Francis I wanted to see if you were going to follow
Speaker:through. Well because I do meet a lot of people who
Speaker:don't. They just always are talking and my heart breaks for
Speaker:them because I know that they're not proceeding because of fear.
Speaker:Something's holding them back in that way.
Speaker:There's other things that can hold someone back too,
Speaker:but most of the time they just don't believe in themselves
Speaker:enough. Right.
Speaker:And to your point,
Speaker:you believe in yourself regardless,
Speaker:and if it doesn't work right away,
Speaker:you make adjustments.
Speaker:You make changes,
Speaker:whatever you need to do to get to that point of
Speaker:success. So that's the first place I see it.
Speaker:The second place is,
Speaker:again, just as you're saying,
Speaker:maybe it just hasn't worked the way they thought it was
Speaker:going to and it's the fourth try or the fifth try.
Speaker:But what if it's the sixth try that really lands it
Speaker:right. You know,
Speaker:and then at some point,
Speaker:yes, if you're losing money over and over again,
Speaker:at some point you have to do something different.
Speaker:Don't just keep trying the same way and losing money the
Speaker:same way.
Speaker:Try something different to see what that magic potion is that's
Speaker:going to make it work.
Speaker:Exactly. I agree.
Speaker:A hundred percent My husband said to me once that I
Speaker:was in the gift basket business for awhile and he was
Speaker:very supportive,
Speaker:but I kind of think back and wonder if he really
Speaker:thought it was gonna work or not.
Speaker:It did.
Speaker:It worked very well actually.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:he's made a comment to me,
Speaker:which I thought was really good and he said,
Speaker:Sue, you know,
Speaker:if you're not to sell these products,
Speaker:it doesn't mean the products are bad.
Speaker:It might mean the market just isn't there for you.
Speaker:It's like taking it outside of who you are,
Speaker:but it has to be the market because the market has
Speaker:to like and want what you have.
Speaker:So something else to consider as we're thinking about businesses,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:for all of us,
Speaker:that was really for all of our listeners as you talk
Speaker:about research,
Speaker:because that's what you're saying your into right now,
Speaker:is researching what the market's going to want from you.
Speaker:How you can adjust to accommodate the market,
Speaker:which means you'll sell more researching,
Speaker:registering the business,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:all the business side and the creative side and social media.
Speaker:Getting people over to your Etsy site,
Speaker:where are you going to find your information?
Speaker:When you say research,
Speaker:what are you doing research wise?
Speaker:I'm on Google,
Speaker:I'm on YouTube.
Speaker:Yes, Google has everything you want to know about anything and
Speaker:I go on there and I delve into my subject and
Speaker:then as I'm into one step deck I might focus in
Speaker:on something that I saw on there and then it just
Speaker:grows and grows and grows,
Speaker:but I'm constantly on YouTube and Google researching,
Speaker:looking at what people are selling,
Speaker:what people are making.
Speaker:I do it on a daily basis because things are changing
Speaker:so quickly and to be on top of it,
Speaker:I look to see everything that is being produced by the
Speaker:different crafters and artists and that also influences in me or
Speaker:it sparks in me like,
Speaker:wow, I see all this,
Speaker:but I haven't seen anybody do any of this yet.
Speaker:So it's analysis of your market and where you are and
Speaker:how you can be different as well as resourcefulness on the
Speaker:business end of what you need to move forward.
Speaker:Yes, I use those.
Speaker:That's basically what I'm using and I ensure like when I
Speaker:get back onto the other social media sites then you know
Speaker:I'll have even more information available to me.
Speaker:Absolutely. I think you would be perfect for Instagram stories and
Speaker:I'm not sure if you know all of what that is
Speaker:yet, but I'm just going to leave it at that cause
Speaker:that's a whole nother show.
Speaker:But I want you to think about that cause you're so
Speaker:good at presenting yourself cause I've seen you face to face
Speaker:now and I'm hearing you talking here,
Speaker:But that was something that I was actually thinking about because
Speaker:one of the things that I see on YouTube or a
Speaker:lot of DIY wise and so I thought wow,
Speaker:maybe I could do something that involves my art,
Speaker:but also having a platform where I could actually talk to
Speaker:my audience.
Speaker:That's something that crossed my mind.
Speaker:I think you're perfect for it just by personality.
Speaker:Not everyone is,
Speaker:but I think it could just so flow for you.
Speaker:Not everyone is made to do that.
Speaker:I always tell people too,
Speaker:because I think they should be out there and showing who's
Speaker:behind the art that they create.
Speaker:But you're just a natural.
Speaker:So a little idea for you to contemplate and it sounds
Speaker:like you already are.
Speaker:So what would be your recommendation for someone who is thinking
Speaker:that? Yeah,
Speaker:they're doing some stuff on the side.
Speaker:They really enjoy it.
Speaker:They've had a little nibbles from maybe family and friends,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:just like you did back when.
Speaker:Right. So they've had some interest in their product.
Speaker:What would you say to somebody who is contemplating making the
Speaker:switch and turn it in into a business?
Speaker:I would tell them to dream.
Speaker:And when I say dream,
Speaker:I'm saying put in that determination.
Speaker:Use that resourcefulness,
Speaker:your energy,
Speaker:your attitude,
Speaker:and your management dream and do it.
Speaker:Go for it.
Speaker:Thank you so much Francis.
Speaker:That was wonderful.
Speaker:And now on behalf of myself and my listeners,
Speaker:I'd like to invite you to dare to dream.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:I would love to write a memoir that includes my art.
Speaker:That would be a visual experience of sharing what I've gone
Speaker:through in my development as a artist and as a person
Speaker:and I would love to do a Ted talk.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:those are two super cool things To actually put together.
Speaker:Everything that you've gone through,
Speaker:it's kind of like an autobiography,
Speaker:but in an artist's D way I guess I would say.
Speaker:Have you been thinking about that for awhile?
Speaker:I've been thinking about this for years,
Speaker:but as I develop these artistic skills that I didn't know
Speaker:I had,
Speaker:I started to dream about creating something that would include my
Speaker:art with what I gone through as a person and Professionally
Speaker:Included some kind of media.
Speaker:I'm not sure you know,
Speaker:if it would be a coffee table book or small book,
Speaker:who knows,
Speaker:but I want to write a book,
Speaker:my art,
Speaker:I want it to be a memoir and I always dreamed
Speaker:about doing a Ted talk.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:Well, first off on the book part,
Speaker:you know it all starts with the idea.
Speaker:So what?
Speaker:It actually ends up being in physical life is one thing,
Speaker:but it has to start with the idea.
Speaker:So that is really exciting.
Speaker:And your Ted talk,
Speaker:you already know the topic.
Speaker:I would talk about how art changed my life.
Speaker:I want to include my artwork in my Ted talk and
Speaker:how was therapeutic in my healing from a situation in my
Speaker:life that was life changing.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:It would be directed towards anyone who has come into a
Speaker:situation, whether it be personal,
Speaker:it could also be natural disaster.
Speaker:Anything that turns your life around and that you can use
Speaker:different mediums and art can be one of them to get
Speaker:you back on that road to recovery because it was,
Speaker:for me,
Speaker:it changed my life.
Speaker:That sounds like that would be such a potent talk.
Speaker:Will you circle back with me when you do that?
Speaker:Because I know you will establish that you take action when
Speaker:you have an idea you do it.
Speaker:But yeah definitely let me know because I'll want to let
Speaker:all our listeners know about it too.
Speaker:Oh I will.
Speaker:And you know one of the things I want to say
Speaker:is in order for something to come true,
Speaker:a dream to become reality,
Speaker:you have to speak it out loud first.
Speaker:Yes. It's more powerful than we think.
Speaker:I really believe that that when we actually put it in
Speaker:a voice,
Speaker:not just think it but actually put the words in.
Speaker:Just like you were saying,
Speaker:I don't even need to expand on it cause you did
Speaker:a great job with that.
Speaker:So all right,
Speaker:so you're going to let us know about that.
Speaker:And then also can you tell us where is the single
Speaker:best place for anyone who wants to see your art?
Speaker:To see a little bit more about what you're up to
Speaker:and the logo.
Speaker:Cause we've been talking about how bright and beautiful your logo
Speaker:is. Where's a good place for them to go?
Speaker:You can visit my shop on Etsy.
Speaker:It's called Francis SITA by Francis and you can see everything
Speaker:that I'm doing.
Speaker:Wonderful and so then also on the show notes page give
Speaker:biz listeners,
Speaker:you know this already.
Speaker:I'll have links to social media sites because we already know
Speaker:that you're going to start working on all of those right
Speaker:and then and then the Etsy site and all of that
Speaker:will be right over on the show notes page.
Speaker:Francis, I am just so impressed with you from the moment
Speaker:I met you in line who knew like I had no
Speaker:idea all the things that you have going on and I'm
Speaker:thrilled that you took action.
Speaker:I'm thrilled that you reconnected with me and are actually doing
Speaker:it and I am so excited to watch you progress.
Speaker:Thanks for being here right at this point in your journey
Speaker:because I think a lot of our listeners all right the
Speaker:same place you are so they can really relate.
Speaker:It's really valuable for them to be able to see as
Speaker:you're starting and growing something new.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:thank you for sharing everything with us today.
Speaker:I really appreciate it.
Speaker:Thank you very much for having me on your show.
Speaker:It was great.
Speaker:Before we all move on to our other activities of the
Speaker:day, I want to make sure you know about my newly
Speaker:released free master class.
Speaker:It's called how to turn your hobby into a business.
Speaker:How do you know if this is for you?
Speaker:Well, if you're starting a business right now,
Speaker:you've gotten that dream,
Speaker:but you're not sure what steps you should be taking.
Speaker:This masterclass is for you if you're already in business,
Speaker:but something just isn't clicking,
Speaker:it's not bringing in the sales or it's just not performing
Speaker:the way you think it should.
Speaker:This masterclass is also for you to check it out.
Speaker:Just go over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash masterclass.
Speaker:I look forward to seeing you over there and of course