Rising Stars: Meet Paulina Lainez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulina Lainez.

Hi Paulina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to look for custom gold hoop earrings for myself but I wanted to make sure to support a small business and avoid purchasing from a big-box retailer. Seeing a lack of representation in the market, I taught myself how to wire letters to create my own custom hoop earrings. Like many folks during the pandemic, I was able to start teaching from home and so I had time to search for a creative outlet. This just felt like the perfect opportunity. As a Latina, accessories are one way I can celebrate my culture on a daily basis. After months of practice, I decided to start selling those custom hoop earrings in hopes of finding others who felt the same and so Eres Una Maravilla was born. Our brand name is Spanish for “you are a marvel.” My intention with this small business is to make the Latinx community feel seen and celebrated. My husband, Alvaro, and I now run the business together and we create one-of-a-kind 3D printed, polymer clay, and wire jewelry that feature symbols, traditions, and icons from Latinx cultura. We also sell crochet hoop earrings that my mom makes in Los Angeles. Each collection is inspired by memories of our childhood and our first-generation experience.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Being a small business owner is a stressful job. You have to be the designer, shipping manager, customer service representative, content creator, website designer, maker and so much more! When something doesn’t go as planned, there is no one else to blame but you and that mindset can become very exhausting. We constantly remind ourselves that every business has their own journey. As long as we stay focused on our mission to celebrate our culture, it’s easier to overcome the failures that we experience.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started Eres Una Maravilla because I couldn’t find earrings and accessories that helped me celebrate my culture the way I wanted. I felt like I saw a lot of the same symbols and ideas and I know that being Latinx is more than that. With each collection, I set out to celebrate and highlight the complexities of the Latinx community by creating items that I haven’t seen before. In order to do this, my husband helped me expand into other mediums including 3D-printed earrings and accessories. He encouraged me to purchase our first 3D printer and taught me how to design 3D-printed earrings and cutters for polymer clay. This allowed me to offer one-of-a-kind earrings and accessories that can’t be found anywhere else. Within one year, we have expanded our production and now own five 3D printers! All of our items are made from our home and we are so proud of that!

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson we’ve learned is that failure is merely redirection. We were taught that failure was the end of the road. If you weren’t good at something, it was best to let it go. We just celebrated our two years anniversary of the business on November 20th, 2022 and we are just now getting comfortable with failure. As small business owners, we constantly feel like throwing in the towel and doing something else. Instead of doing that we have learned to be critical about our experiences and ask questions like “where did we go wrong with this design? Why didn’t people connect with this item? How can we change it to make it better?” Doing this has allowed us to do better for our customers and community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopmaravilla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eres.una.maravilla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eres1maravilla/

Image Credits
Eres Una Maravilla