Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Aguiar.
Hi Diana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my crafting journey in 2019. I have always been a very introverted person who likes to be home 90% of the time. Being out with a lot of people tends to trigger some sort of anxiety. With that being said, I’ve always had a passion of trying Pinterest DIYs and doing things on my own. One day I was talking to my husband, and I mentioned to him about wanting to buy a vinyl cutter because “look at all the things I could make with this!” is what I told him. With his support, I decided to make the purchase. As someone who loves to craft, I knew this would be the perfect outlet for me to put it all in my creations.
I started off doing things for myself and for my best friend, Kal. She would always bring up ideas to me and there I went recreating it on my own and adding my personal touch. I slowly starting posting images to my Facebook of things I had made. From that point forward, I received a lot of praise of my work and had people asking me to create things for them. Hearing from friends of friends was great! I thought to myself, “could I do this? would I be successful?” I second-guessed myself a lot. As someone who had no experience with a small business, I was afraid to fail but I pepped myself and decided to go for it because you never know what the success will be if you don’t try.
I established Simply Crafty Co in January 2020. I was ready! I planned to set up at farmer’s markets, craft fairs, or anywhere I could to get my name out rather than just Instagram and Facebook. Then COVID hit and I was at a standstill. But I didn’t let that push me back from where I wanted to be. I still kept crafting and taking precautionary measures in any orders that needed to be fulfilled. COVID took a little piece of what I dreamed this would be, but I’m not a quitter and I’ll continue to push myself to be successful.
Slowly but surely, what started out as a hobby became a small business. I couldn’t be any more grateful to where I am today. The road is long ahead but dedication and goals will get me there. Many thanks to my husband, family, and best friend Kal to pushing me to be the person I am today!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wish I could say it has, but I’d be lying if I did. Self-doubt had a lot to do with my struggles along with crafters block (yes, that’s a thing). As someone who also works a full-time job, I had to come up with a system to have time to myself as well. With the crafting business being oversaturated, it also makes it difficult to be on top. People also not believing in you makes the journey hard but not impossible. A lot of factors come into play with struggles, but struggles are what keep me going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Simply Crafty specializes in custom-made t-shirts, cups, wine glasses and almost anything my customers can come up with! Anything that has to do with vinyl can be done. I’m mainly proud of the reusable cups I decorate! I love adding personal touches to everything I do.
What sets Simply Crafty apart is I’m a one-woman show. I do all the work and packaging on my own. I always find a way to get everything done in a timely manner. I love to go all out on my packaging because I know the happiness it brings to my customers!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I’d say my favorite childhood memory is being in Colombia with my family and going up the mountains to see the beautiful city of Bogota. As a child, traveling home to family was always a good time. Spending those moments with family were by far my favorite.
Contact Info:
- Email: simplycraftyco_@outlook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplycraftyco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplycraftyco/
