Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Tello
Jacob, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first found my passion for crochet last year in July when videos of people crocheting kept showing up on my feed. I found it interesting how someone could make something so beautiful with a hook and yarn. I was amazed that I wanted to learn for myself. I begged my mom to buy me a beginners kit and, after a couple of tries, she gave in. I immediately fell in love with crochet and wanted to see what else I could make. Crochet quickly turned into a hobby for me and the more I crocheted the more I improved. Once my summer was over and I entered my eight grade year, I was surprised when I saw my art teacher crocheting in class. I remember feeling thrilled that I had someone to share my passion with. My art teacher gave me lots of advice and helped me improve tremendously. Once I improved to a point where my projects looked decent, friends and family suggested that I should start selling my creations. I wondered if people would actually buy something that I made, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone. At first, my mom promoted my plushies on her social media and I started taking any custom orders. Eventually, I created a social media page to promote my creations even further. Fast forward to today, I now have my very own small business which I will try to continue to grow. I couldn’t be in the position I am without the help of my mom and my art teacher Mrs. Mathys; I’m forever grateful for them.
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?
I don’t think starting a small business will ever be an easy journey. For me, it’s been challenging trying to balance my personal life, school, and completing orders after a long day. I have also had several occasions with potential customers not understanding the prices, the amount of labor, and the strain it causes on my wrist and neck in order to create something by hand. Which in turn leads to them turning down their order. I am also aware that life will find more challenges for me as I get older, however, if I want to reach my goals I have to try my best to push past these obstacles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My business revolves around my crocheted items, I specialize in crocheted plushies made from chunky plush yarn however, I offer small wearables such as beanies as well. I’m known for my adorable plushies which can range in sizes from 4-15 inches tall. I feel what sets me apart from others is that I offer my customers the ability of custom orders through a direct message on my Instagram which many other crochet businesses do not offer. This allows my customers to have full control on how they want their finished order to look like.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising that people who know me from my small business might not know about me is that I play the violin. It’s my third year in an orchestra and I’ve skipped a couple of years to be in higher ranked classes. There are some days where there is before/after school rehearsal and that also makes it challenging for me to balance my life, school, and my small business.
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