We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rosie Perez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rosie, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I think for me personally, I gain resilience from self reflection, always trying to remain optimistic, making adjustments when needed & self care. I’ve faced some hard times over the past couple of years, both personal & professionally and I think making adjustments in life really plays a factor in resilience. I always try to be open to being flexible in the things that I’m working on. Also, allowing myself small breaks so that “burn out” doesn’t happen is crucial. I’ve learned that the hard way. For me, all the things I just listed above all tie in together and make for a strong mindset. There will definitely be times when things don’t go according to plan but with a strong mindset, I feel like resilience will always follow. As you may notice, the word “Moxie” is included in a couple of my business names, and it stands for “confidence & determination”. There will always be obstacles along the way but I’m always determined to reach my goals!
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?
I’m a mom of two, Hunter and Dax. My daughter Hunter was really the whole motivation to get started on my first small business. When she was 4 years old I started making leather hair bows as a means to extra income and also a creative outlet for me. This lead to making leather earrings soon after. I started out a little slow but then decided to get serious about few months in. That being said, Leather+Moxie was born in September of 2017. It became pretty successful pretty fast. A few years later I decided to take a break from the jewelry business and pursue another one of my passions, which is baking.
Being the creative person that I am, I can’t sit still for long. In May of 2022 “Moxie Cookie Co.” was formed. MCC is all about taking my passion for baking fresh treats and sharing it with the world or at least my small community! From drop cookies to brownies, to brownie slabs, to homemade candies. I absolutely LOVE to bake. Baking has always been a passion of mine and being able to share that with others has always brought me so much happiness.
About a year ago I decided to take a hiatus due to starting a full-time job in content marketing. Since then, my life has changed quite a bit and I can happily announce that I’m returning to baking again as a side hustle in addition to my full time job. “Sugar Rose Bakehouse” will be launching soon! Cookies, brownie slabs and Bundt cakes are among the delicious desserts I’ll be making.
The name is a combination from mine & my grandma’s name. I was named after my grandma, Rosie and “Sugar” is a nickname that was given to her because she was so sweet. Unfortunately I never had the chance to meet because she passed away years before I was born. So this name is definitely personal to me and close to my heart.
All that being said, my determination and attention to detail with both businesses is what I pride myself in! Quality work, great customer service and a great relationship with all of my supporters/customers I think definitely makes all the difference. I love what I do and I just always hope that shows through in my work and my appreciation for my amazing supporters. I really am truly grateful for all of the opportunities that have come my way over the past few years. And I still have so much more that I’d love to pursue.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’d have to say motivation, not being afraid of facing obstacles and believing in myself are three of the top qualities that helped in the beginning and have carried me to where I am today. To anyone who’s getting started, my advice would be to definitely not lose that drive or determination. If it’s something you’re truly passionate about, never give up on it. When I first started out, and even now, I have moments where I’m definitely hard on myself but at the same time, the confidence I have in myself motivates me to succeed. I think anyone who has the guts to go after their passion, definitely possesses confidence. Deciding to start is the first step. Once you’ve done that, never stop believing that you have what it takes. That spark & motivation will carry you through. We are capable of so many great things if we just believe in ourselves. All this being said, early on I also had the mindset that no matter what obstacles came my way, I wouldn’t let it keep me down. I’d allow myself time to stop and rest but then bounce back, ten times better with a better game plan. These qualities have really shaped my mindset and have had a positive impact on my work and work ethic. No matter what I find myself doing professionally, training my mind to think this way will always be impactful with how successful I become.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always about collaborating with others! The small business community has really helped get me to where I am today. From jewelry makers to bakers, partnering with others who share the same interests and passions as me excites me. I also work as a content creator, so collaborating with creatives in general is really something I would be interested in as well.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Leatherandmoxie
- Facebook: Moxie Cookie Co.
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-dirzanowski-5910a7280
