Today we’d like to introduce you to Arelí Villaseñor.
Hi Arelí, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
In 2017 I decided to take one of the boldest steps of my life and become a missionary in Haiti. While living there for two months I became close friends with a Haitian woman named Yvane who is one of many single mothers in Haiti. We both had a passion to not only start our own business one day but to help Haitians and their economy. While living in Haiti I could not help but notice the beautiful art that Haitian men were selling on the streets. You can say that my creativity and boldness to launch my own business increased while living there.
Before coming back to the U.S.A. Yvane and I agreed to be business partners. For several years Yvane and I kept in touch through facetime and prayed for each other’s vision for our future businesses. We did not yet have clarity of what our business would be, but we only knew that we wanted to take a percentage of our profits to help Haitian single mothers kickstart their business.
Eager to start my business and help Yvane kickstart hers, I launched my handmade jewelry shop Yadàsah (which means handmade in Hebrew) on March 1st of 2021. That same summer Yvane and I were able to raise over 1.3K to open up her beauty salon in Port-au-Prince! Currently, I am working on launching a denim clothing line featuring artwork by Haitian artists. Meanwhile, Yvane’s business is growing in Haiti and gathering other Haitian women for employment at her beauty salon.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At times insecurity and comparison got the best of me. It is important as entrepreneurs and artists to keep looking ahead; no looking to the right or left. Comparison kills creativity. At times I did not feel my designs were good enough to sell which got me to a freeze point. This is why it took me four years to launch my business. At the same, time I was faced with financial difficulties meanwhile being a full-time student which took all my time. Thankfully, I have gotten around like-minded friends that have called out the gold in me; people that believe in my vision and see the value in my mission. In encourage you to do the same. Whatever the obstacle that you are facing today allow those around you to launch you to the next level of your life.
We’ve been impressed with Yadàsah, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The mission of Yadàsah is to empower people around the world through fashion and art by creating art, supporting artists around the world, and using a percentage of the profits to help kickstart businesses in third-world countries.
One of the biggest issues in Haiti aside from millions of children without a family is rooted from a high rate of single mothers not being able to provide for their children, thus creating an orphan cycle. With your purchase, you are contributing towards reaching a goal to not only help change the lives of men, women, and children but to also take part in uplifting Haiti’s economy. Our hope is to see an increase in trade of goods and services in third-world countries to help grow their gross domestic products.
What makes you happy?
My relationship with God not only makes me happy, but it brings me joy every day. When I face obstacles in life, I lean on a God that is good. Happiness is only temporary, but joy comes from adversary. In my lowest of lowest, Jesus came in to rescue me. Now can be present in my everyday life because my source of joy is constant, and it offers Grace in my mistakes. I need grace for my business!
Allowing God’s presence in my life has allowed me to encounter healing, has given me the strength to keep going, and has opened my eyes to see that no matter what I do or what happens to me, there is a God that created me and loves me. Out of this presence, there is an overflow of friendships, stronger family connection, and growth in my personal life and business.
Contact Info:
- Email: yadasah.co@gmail.com
- Website: www.yadasah.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yadasah.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yadasah.co/
Image Credits
@camillophotography
