Meet Yorleny

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yorleny a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yorleny , 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?
Where do you get your resilience from?

I was thought to work hard and from a young age I have always been very independent. Putting in the work for what I want is very rewarding to me, and growing up in another country gives you a different perspective in life, not to mention that as first-generation immigrants, my parents were and still are the perfect example to follow. Imagine going through a life-changing experience of moving to another country and dealing with that stress and adversities while making sure your family is cared for and not only that but doing it all while not speaking the language and overcoming all of it; doing it all for us?… To me that is the biggest lesson of love, determination, and resilience. Makes me extremely protective and proud of them.

So, to answer your question of where do I get my resilience from? I learned it from my parents. Can resilience be taught or learned? I am not sure if it even makes sense for someone to learn to be resilient, but it is my personal experience and I hope to be able to teach my children too.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself and your business?
I was born and raised in a southern town in Costa Rica and have been living in South Carolina since I was 16 years old. The city life has never been appealing to me, I think it’s safe to say that’s the Costa Rican in me, I love to spend my days outside, doing things with my family or just hanging out at our small farm with my goats or getting creative making soaps!

I handcraft goat’s milk soap, with milk from my own goats, organic oils, natural clays, botanicals and essential oils. I never thought of me being a soap maker, when I started I was only looking into the benefits of essential oils and natural products as a better alternative for my family, because is not only what we consume that matter, what we apply on our skin does too!

To me it is very enjoyable making and using my soaps but what I love is the creative part of it. Funny thing is that I’ve never seen myself as a crafty person, but I love topping my soaps with all sorts of flower petals, seeds, salts and making designs, shapes, and color combinations. It makes for every bar to truly be a unique piece of art and a good subject of conversation with every customer I encounter. I actually encourage my customers to tell me about what they think about my products appreciate their feedback, good or bad- there is always room to improve.

I have been busy lately working with different formulations for a few new products that will be added permanently to my online shop, I am very happy about these because they were created with the sole intent of donating a portion of the proceeds to three special non-profit organizations that are local and support wonderful causes. Parkinson’s Foundation | Defenders for Children | Partners in Animal Care. I want to give back as a way to thank all my customer for choosing me, I want them to know that when they buy from me they are supporting them too. I believe that together we can make a difference.

You will also find direct links to these organizations on my website. Please visit them and see what they stand for.

My soaps are available in a few stores in my area, local markets and festivals or you can purchase directly from my website.

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?
I took a semester class on soap making when I was in high school, it had been several years later when I came across soap making for the second time, I was consumed by it. I read several books, watched numerous videos, and even attended a class in Charlotte but most of the things I know about soap making, I had to learn on my own, so to answer your question, I would say that it is not about a skill, it is about determination and the desire or drive to see an idea or dream come to life. This small thing is becoming something big and it all happened because I did not quit. You make time for the things you want and I wanted this bad enough to make it happen, you can too!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When you’re an entrepreneur you tend to work endless hours and sometimes I’ve felt like reaching a breaking point because I was working too much- not for the lack of help, I just don’t know when to stop. I know me and I love to keep busy, I am always up to something but I have learned that if I begin to feel overwhelmed I peel back, relax and take advantage of it, so I spend extra time with my family doing something we all enjoy everyday, I thank God for my blessings.

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Image Credits
All images belong to Hibiscus Artisan Soaps

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