Today we’d like to introduce you to Ofelia Citlaly Castro Mora
Hi Ofelia Citlaly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In December 2023, I started doing decorations for my family members’ birthdays. I did it as a hobby, and then I found that I really enjoyed doing this type of decoration. While this was happening, I encountered an economic crisis. A friend of mine once asked me if I was capable of making a bouquet of eternal flowers. I had never done anything like that before since all my previous decorations were balloons. I took the challenge without knowing how to make eternal flowers. That night, I challenged myself to do something I had never done before, and I believed in myself. I saw the opportunity to grow both economically and personally, and I took it. I spent all night watching tutorials on how to create an eternal flower bouquet from scratch. My first work wasn’t the best, but it was my best effort. After that first order, I continued to educate myself about eternal flowers and the art of creating them. I also informed myself about business strategies. Along with my brother, we started growing on social media to promote the business. Since then, I have gotten some customers and asked them to promote my business to their relatives. Each bouquet is a challenge that I’m willing to take to fulfill my passion and bring joy to my customers. My strength to achieve has always been my faith. God has driven me through the challenges and the many obstacles I have encountered in growing this business. Being a mother of three and managing the daily struggles of life has not been easy. Only with the help of God have I been able to achieve this tremendous accomplishment in my life.
I chose the name “Balloons By CC” because I initially started by only doing balloons, and my name is Citlaly Castro, so “Balloons By CC” represents my initials.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In this journey, I encountered two main struggles. The lack of customers has been really hard on me. This struggle has come along with a decrease in my motivation. It’s really hard to overcome this—seeing myself working hard on bouquets and balloons, spending nights doing decorations, and not seeing customers come my way. But my faith and trust in God and myself helped me through my tough times when I thought the best option was to quit. Believing and having the mindset that my effort would be rewarded and that God would bless me was what kept me going. Another obstacle I encountered was the daily responsibilities of being a mother. Being a mother of three kids—6, 5, and 2 years old—while growing a business has been a tremendous challenge that I have been able to overcome with discipline, love, and faith.
We’ve been impressed with Balloons By CC, 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?
Balloons By CC is a small business that creates decorations based on balloons and bouquets of eternal and natural flowers. One of the key aspects that sets me apart from other businesses is the quality and diversity of my creations. I give my full potential in every design I create, and I also offer a variety of designs in relation to balloons, eternal flowers, and natural flowers. I want the readers to know that we are a business for the people. We value our customers, and we are willing to give our best effort to them. Every design that is created is a demonstration of our values and our appreciation for our customers.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson that I have learned on this journey is to value the work of small businesses because it is a remarkable effort from regular people.
Pricing:
- Each eternal flowers: $3
- Each extra item (teddy bear, ribbon, chocolates, ect…): $depends
- Balloons decorations: $Price depends on size and budget
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ballonsbycc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561152832092
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ballonsbycc
