Meet Mary Carrasco

We recently connected with Mary Carrasco and have shared our conversation below.

Mary , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I would have to say that I get my resilience from my parents. As a child growing up in my household I was taught that not everyone will like me and not everyone will accept me and that is ok. That I needed to be me regardless of what others thought or felt about me. I was taught that no matter what circumstances I was in that I needed to remain strong and push through any and all difficulties because despite all of the hardships in the world….I needed to learn to love myself as they love me. Throughout my years, now even as an adult I can say that I have had an overwhelming ability of being able to overcome any and all hardships including divorce.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Amongst having a full-time job as a Behavioral Educational Aide; I also have a small clothing brand called Soy Como Soy. My brand started back in January 2020 at the start of the pandemic. It was a way for me to make some money and pass my time away at home once I clocked out from my day job at that time.
Another reason for starting my brand was due to the fact that I found myself changing who I was just so that people would accept and like me. And that is not what or who I wanted to be. Once Soy Como Soy started up, I began finding myself in my own little world….enjoying the things that I enjoyed doing- which meant me being alone a lot of the time. And believe me; I did not mind that at all. It allowed me to focus on what I needed to get done in order to get my small business up and running. I did a lot of research on what it took to start up a small business in Arizona. LLC’s, TPT’s and accounts with merchandise businesses so that I can immediately get up and running. I was so proud to be able to do this…I had and still have lots of dedication towards my business.
After a hard days work, I still go to my tiny studio at the Grand Arthaus in Downtown Phoenix, AZ and work on any and all ideas that come to mind. I’ve recently been able to get up and running as a verified merchant on Pinterest and starting to focus on selling on TikTok Shop. With the help of Javier Cordova (elspawk) we have gotten some good ideas out for up and coming merchandise, stickers, events and more.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The 3 most important qualities that were most impactful to me are:
* Resilience- I had to understand that my brand was not going to be accepted or tailored to everyone.
* Determination- No matter how hard things got, I was always determined to get things done right.
* Perseverance- I made the decision to attend Small Business Entrepreneurship courses at our local college and received my certificate despite the early mornings at work and long nights afterwards at school.

The 3 most important skills:
* Work Ethic- I am the type of person that has to finish what I started and it has to be done correctly. I am a firm believer that if I work hard for something- then I know in my heart that I gave it my all.
* Organization- I have to be one step ahead and being organized had a lot to do with me being able to accomplish finishing school and having a successful business.
*Tenacious- Although I would highly benefit from my business being a bit more profitable; I am one that never gives up. I am a very analytical person, I think and research a lot about what can help my business become better.

Advice for those who are just starting on their journey… I would have to say: do your research if you are trying to start a small business. Sign up for classes/ webinars/ Meetups/ online courses/ listen to successful entrepreneurs on YouTube before you go to bed at night (absorb some of that knowledge) When you feel stressed or overwhelmed- it is ok to take a step back and re-evaluate your business. One thing I have learned is that if your business can overcome it’s first year and still remain standing- then you are doing something right. Stay focused, educate yourself and elevate your train of thought.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

My number one obstacle at the moment I would say is finding new ways of bringing in new clients hence the start-up of my TikTop Shop and becoming a verified Pinterest Merchant. I depended a lot on Instagram/ Facebook and X as a means for promoting my brand and merchandise but it only lasted for a while. Pinterest offers free advertisement and takes no percentage off of your sales as they direct clients to your initial webpage which is a plus. However, TikTop shop is something that I am still trying to educate myself on. I have yet to take any marketing or advertisement courses but those are next on the list once my Small Business Accounting course are done.

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