Community Highlights: Meet Maria Cisneros of Teresita linda boutique

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello everyone, my name is María Teresa Cisneros, but since I was a child, they affectionately call me “Mayte.” My business is called “Teresita Linda,” the name arose from my birth name. I come from a small town called Guadalupe Victoria which is located in Durango, Mexico. I was born and raised there. I come from an entrepreneurial family and I have always liked working on my own. My parents taught me to never give up. When I arrived here in the US, I encountered many difficulties such as the language, how fast the days went by, and the huge roads, which were something new to me since I come from a very small town. But still, I wanted to work and do something that would allow me to take care of and raise my two children. It was then that I decided to bring to this beautiful country completely handmade pieces of Mexican culture. That’s how I started my business two years ago.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not easy and there were many times I wanted to give up. I didn’t because I realized that you don’t learn much from success, but you do learn from failures. I wanted my children, husband and family to feel proud of me. That even though my parents are not here with me and I have not seen them in years, I want them to feel proud of having raised a strong woman who, despite the circumstances and adversities, always sees the positive side of everything. It has been a difficult path, but I know that God supports me and guides me. Prayer helps me make good decisions and one of them has been to continue and move forward on this path of entrepreneurship. Above all, I want to give my children the example of struggle and perseverance. On this path of entrepreneurship, I have met incredible people who inspire and motivate me and of course have now become like family.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Teresita linda boutique?
My business is full of creativity and love since the items I sell are handmade by Mexican artisans. I am surprised at the beautiful work they do and I am proud to be able to help Mexican families who live off of  the artisanal trade. My first items for sale were blouses and bags embroidered entirely by hand by Mexican artisans. Then, I started looking for new and different items, also handmade. Currently, my inventory includes hats, bags, handmade accessories, and 925 sterling silver jewelry. I have grown my business and although for now I’m managing it on my business page and pop-ups, I dream of one day being able to open a physical store. I would like to give advice to all readers in general, please fight for your dreams and don’t give up. Get out of your comfort zone, fight for what you want and if you feel afraid it’s okay. Believe me, it’s a good sign that you are alive and can achieve what you want. I feel proud of how my business has grown thanks to the support of my customers and family. I consider myself a creative person, and I have many projects in mind that I will launch in December. The first article was designed and made by me so stay tuned.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
Thanks to my parents and grandparents, I had the best childhood. I have the best memories, but my favorites are the vacations that we did annually as a family to Mazatlan Sinaloa with all my cousins and uncles. Since my mother has 11 siblings, I can tell you that I have a fairly large family.