We recently connected with Joel & Aida Vélez and have shared our conversation below.
Joel & Aida, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
It is not easy. Controlling our thoughts especially the negative ones was not an easy task for me. Our small business got started from a time of deep despair, loss and grief due to the loss of our dog DaVinci. On 2022 we lost Davinci due to cancer. After being with us for 14 years, he decided that his fight against the cancer was over. To say that this was one of the hardest times for our family would be an understatement. This is a time where I found myself unmotivated and stopped 3D printing all together. It wasn’t until I saw an old picture of Davinci that I felt inspired and called to use my 3D printer once again to make something special for my wife and family— a Lithophane Night Light. I remember my wife’s face light up as I showed her the night light. She was so excited she immediately decided to share it on social media and needless to say, that’s how our business got started. From something sad, came something so beautiful; this is how I got through one of the darkest times of my life, I essentially used that sadness to make something come alive.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
We are a family owned small business based in Miami, FL operating since November 2022. Our small business started like a hobby making products for our home especially a 3d printed night light with my dogs picture and others with our family and it wasn’t until we started to post our products on social media that friends and family began to send messages to us asking if we could create some products for Christmas presents . At the end of November we had tons of orders people sending pictures to us to make something special for their families . We started to make Christmas ornaments, bells, night lights, lamps all 3d printed with peoples pictures. December was a great month for us in sales and we were so grateful with people’s support, messages and recommendations that we made the decision to take this “hobby” seriously, therefore creating our small business now known as Be 3D Print Shop LLC. Our small business started with our 3d printed personalized night lights and night lamps; people send their own photo and we create what they want with our 3d printer. As of today, we offer a variety of personalized 3d printed products: laser cut wooden lamps, night lights, laser cut earrings and engraving services not only for regular customers, but for small business owners as well. We enjoy taking part of vendor events to promote, help and display our products/services.
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 would say that the first three qualities that were the most impactful in our journey would be: perseverance, dedication and a passion/love for what we do. Our advice for people who are just starting out on their journey would be to believe in themselves and to persist with their vision and goals.
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?
We are looking to to connect, collaborate and work with businesses, stores, sponsors, places and events to display our products, share the meaning behind what we do and grow our business more. We enjoy connecting with people and we are looking to help others on their business journey as well. If you are interested, you can contact us on our website under business inquiries.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://be3dprintshop.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/be3dprintshop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be3DPrintShop
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@be3dprintshop?_t=8ejif6Q5B8N&_r=1
