A few weeks ago, as I sipped my tea, I chatted with Mayra Betances. Mayra was in her home with her three kids and husband. Currently, she has her own business and just started a nonprofit. But what I automatically liked about Mayra was her warmth and flexibility. Sit back, enjoy your favorite beverage and get to know one amazing woman.

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Epifania: Okay, why D&E Papel? Why stationary? It is such a niche.

Mayra: It is a niche. I was creating parties for children. I would bring the makeup, cards, games, etc., I wanted to do it all. But then I found it was too much. I was going to school, I had my kids.  I had to refuse some parties. Then I realized I really enjoyed creating the paper activities. So then I thought to myself, I’ll just do the paper stuff.

Epifania: You started this by designing your children’s birthday parties. What is your number one tip when it comes to planning a children’s birthday party?

Mayra: It’s all about the theme. Once you pick a theme, stick to it and not try to evolve into multiple themes. But if you have different themes, be strategic about it. Recently I worked on a party for siblings. One kid loves Cinderella and the other Minecraft. I just made an invitation with Cinderella shoes and the Dinosaur from Minecraft. Instead of favors, opt to hire a lady that does jewelry. She can create a bracelet for the girls and key chains for the boys. It’s worth the extra money and you can save the hassle of packing up the favors.

Epifania: Your first website was on Etsy. How did Etsy help you? 

Mayra: I opened up three shops on Etsy. I learned it and got really comfortable with it. Etsy is known as a cookie cutter store. I learned the formatting from Etsy: where to put the title, description, etc. So once I open up my own store on Storenvy, I kept that same formatting. Storenvy requires you to drive your own traffic, unlike Etsy, which everyone knows about. Which was fine with me because I’m fortunate to have a base clientele.

Epifania: We all have those moments where the creative energy is not there. Nothing is working out. How do you fight those moments? 

Mayra: Well, first off, those moments happen often. If you have the time, take a nap or just walk away from the problem. I remember at 2 am, the god damn ribbon wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. So I pushed it away, walked away and finished it the next morning. And it worked. But there are sometimes when you are on a deadline and don’t have time to take a nap. So for those moments, walk away for a minute, grab some wine and get back to work. 

Epifania: Now you have three adorable children. Do they ever help you with your creations?

Mayra: Oh yes. My children are 16,10 and 8. My daughter helps the most, maybe because of its craft stuff and it’s “girly.” She helps me pick colors. Diego, my middle one, I think he is going to be my manager one day. {I giggle at this} No seriously, he’ll come downstairs and see that I am just relaxing. He’ll ask about the business and if we have any orders. My eldest, he’s a teenager, does his own stuff but will help out when I ask.

Epifania: Now you have a nonprofit called Create Happy Moments. Why the nonprofit? What made you want to donate costumes? 

Mayra: I am a native of the Dominican Republic and we celebrate our carnival and Independence Day by dressing up in costume; it is a tradition. I am one in seven and we made our own costumes. It was so much fun. Over the years with my kids, I saw so many costumes around Halloween. I wondered if I can (could) ask people to donate their costumes. Then I can give the Dominican Republic kids a moment of happiness by providing a costume for them to enjoy the festivities. It has become an educational cultural exchange. The U.S., kids learn about the Dominican Republic culture and the Dominican Republic kids learn about Halloween. The next steps are to introduce it to different US classrooms. They can adopt a class in the Dominican Republic for this special project and of course, we count on dedicated Board Members who have poured their heart into this.

Epifania: That is awesome. I’ve worked in the nonprofit sector for a few years. I love seeing nonprofits focusing on one specific cause instead of trying to save the world. 

Mayra: I agree. People come up to me and ask me why I don’t do this in other countries.  I have a lot of plans but I want to focus on the mission.

Epifania: There is an image out there, that women have to give up their careers or their home life. That they can’t really be happy. You have a family, a business, and a nonprofit. How do you balance it all?

Mayra: To be honest, I don’t believe in balance, I believe integration. So if my kids have homework then I’ll help, then I’ll go back to the orders. You take things as they come.  Once I looked at it as integration, then I stopped hustling to balanced everything.

Epifania: You’ve recently moved to Ohio and grew up in New Jersey. How do you network in these different communities?

Mayra: I first arrived in New Jersey when I was 12 years old. I was born in the Dominican Republic. I am fortunate to have an outgoing personality. I love to meet people. I signed up for different events and keep in touch with the different people I meet. You need to keep it genuine and really take an interest in what all your peers are about. You need to build trust and have that personal touch.

Epifania: Finally, what will you tell other female entrepreneurs?: 

Mayra: I would tell them, be so good at what you do that it blows your mind! You have to believe in what you do. Whatever it is. Don’t do it because it’s a trend. It won’t work out for you. Don’t wait until you are ready ‘cause readiness may never come. I once read somewhere, that “If you are not embarrassed by your first product, you launched too late.” Don’t wait and be a perfectionist. If you try, and you don’t sell, well, then you learned from experience. When I first started out, I didn’t know how to use WordPress and now I do. Finally,  there is the psychological effect when you invest your own money. Invest in your business.

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As our conversation ended, I was empowered by Mayra’s ability to acknowledge her strengths and weakness. I can’t wait to see what she would do next.

 

Editor’s Note:  Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti and the Carnival celebrates culture and traditions brought by the Spaniards. There are multiple festivals such as Carnival celebrations in the Dominican Republic in February. There are other festivals leading up to Easter Sunday as well as ones celebrating their African heritage and their independence from Spain.