323 - Trusting Yourself to Pursue Your Passion with Giovanna Mantilla

Sep 3

323 - Trusting Yourself to Pursue Your Passion with Giovanna Mantilla

Listeners, we are back this week with Giovanna Mantilla

In today's episode, we have a special guest, Giovanna Mantilla, who will be sharing her extraordinary journey as an entrepreneur and advocate for fair trade. Giovanna's story is truly captivating, as she took a leap of faith, leaving behind a high-paying job to find a deeper purpose in life. Join us as we delve into her inspiring tale of traveling through Southeast Asia, forming connections with skilled women artisans, and ultimately founding her business, Lumily. Discover how Giovanna built her brand on fair trade principles and empowered women through transparent and lasting relationships. We'll also explore the challenges she faced along the way and how she stayed true to her values. Stay tuned for an enlightening and thought-provoking conversation that will leave you inspired to make a positive impact. So grab your favorite beverage and let's dive into this remarkable episode of Cafe con Pam!

Lumily was founded by Giovanna after she left her unfulfilling corporate job in San Diego to search for a deeper purpose in life. Her journey through Southeast Asia led her to remarkable women artisans in various villages who inspired her mission to connect these artisans with global markets. The heart of Lumily began in Guatemala, where Giovanna found a community of skilled women artisans who became the cornerstone of her vision to create lasting, positive change in their lives.

During this episode we talked about:

Moving to the US as a child and being the only brown girl in her school
Overcoming being a hardcore people-pleaser
Quitting her corporate to travel the world
The journey to starting her business and the lessons learned in the process
Fair Trade principles and creating connections

Pam:
Hello, everyone. This is Pam de Cafe con Pam, the bilingual podcast that features Latina and people of the global majority who break barriers change lives and make this world a better place. Welcome to episode 323 of Today, we have a conversation with Giovanna Mantilla. Giovanna founded Lumily after she left her on fulfilling corporate job in San Diego to search for a deeper purpose in life. Her journey through Southeast Asia led her to remarkable women artisans in various villages who inspired her mission to connect to them with global markets. The heart of Lumily, her company began in Guatemala, where Giovanna found a community of skilled women artisans who became the cornerstone of her vision to create lasting and positive change. in their lives. And, of course, listeners throughout our conversation, you'll hear much more of the details of how Lumily started and how Gio got the message to basically quit her corporate, well paying job, and move into this thing called entrepreneurship. I really think you'll enjoy this conversation, and I'm hoping that she already said that she'll come back, but let me know if you would like for her to return. And I have so many questions about her business. so many questions about her running a business or starting something that hadn't been necessarily done before in such way, she is doing. And so take a listen and let me know and let me know what you think. Also, it is rare. Actually, I don't know why. We don't have a lot of product based businesses. And so Gio is one, for all of you product based business owners who are always telling me, like, but you always talk about service. Here you go. Here's a product. Y bueno, sin más, here's my conversation with Giovanna. Gio, welcome to Cafe con Pam.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Thank you. Thank you. Estoy super feliz de estar aquí.

Pam:

Like, a long time in the making.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Like, over

Pam:

10

Giovanna Mantilla:

years? I don't even know.

Pam:

I think so. I think so. When I met you, you already had, Lumily pero it was like a baby business.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yes. We were definitely still figuring it out. In fact, we even had a different name. So a lot of things have shifted and changed and yeah, I was still, figuring out if this is gonna work or not. So

Pam:

-- You recently, cuántos años cumplieron?

Giovanna Mantilla:

This year,

Pam:

14

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I can't believe it. I feel like my baby's growing up. Yeah. In in her. It's in high school. Yeah.

Pam:

Okay. But let's rewind and let's explore your story. So the question that we always ask is what is your heritage?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, when I feel like it's a little bit complicated for everyone, but I feel like it's even more for me, at least personally because my parents are and grandparents are from Peru. So mi sangre es peruana, but I was born and raised in Mexico. So I'm I always I'm Mexican, Latina, and, you know, I came to the US when I was 9 too. So Mexican American. I mean, there's just a mix of everything. So I have a a nice mix of the peruana, the Latin American, the Mexican, and American, and I'm a nice mutt like everybody else. Bueno, primero tus papás se fueron de Perú para Mexico city, Cuernavaca. Okay. Y por? There was a lot of, like, just a lot of really negative things going on in Peru at the time with government and and things like that.

Pam:

And so -- Was it like a political climate thing?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Exactly. And so my grandparents kinda took their 5 kids and pulled, you know, just overnight out of the country type of situation into Mexico. Si, si, si, before I was even a thought in my parents' mind. So my mother's family moved to from Peru to my and my father, my mother, were dating at the time, and he followed her right to Mexico too. Para agarrarla. And they married the Mexico, and then we were born and raised in Mexico. So I never knew Peru. Wow. In fact, my mom would cook Peruvian dishes. I always I always find it so she would cook peruvian dishes, but I didn't know they're peruvian dishes. We were in Mexico. So she was cooking ceviches and causas and all these dishes, and I just thought they were Mexican. So it I have this, like, funny funny mix in my Spanish as well.

Pam:

For sure. Si te sale de los dos, de los dos acentos?

Giovanna Mantilla:

It depends on who I'm talking to.

Pam:

Oh, interesting. So They moved to Mexico. You're born in Mexico, and then how did they decide to come to the US?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, another interesting story. My mother and father decided or, well, really, my mother decided to divorce. And my mother's parents were living in LA at the time And so it was kind of another, like, history repeats itself. Right? Ya sabemos, in our family. And so my mother kinda did another pulled another one of those overnight type things, and we left Mexico with 2 suitcases, 3 kids, and just her, and nos vinimos y we never went back. So we were in LA for about 8 months, and it really wasn't working out because We weren't learning any English. Everybody was speaking Spanish, our teachers, our friends, our family, and my mom, you know, left everything to give us this opportunity and to learn. And we live in a in a pretty interesting part of LA where in Baldwin Park in fact, and back back in those days, it just it it just wasn't a good neighborhood to be in. And so she had an aunt that lived in Virginia. and that was really her only choice. And so she moved us from a very Latino centric focused area to a very affluent, very Caucasian, very, very rich area in in, in Northern Virginia, where she had to drive 30 minutes just to take us to school to have a school that would have an ESL program because we spoke no English.

Pam:

Wow. So you're nine years old. How is for nine year old you? navigating those changes.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I mean, I I've spoken to this about this with my brother and sister because I feel like I had, like, a really traumatic experience You know, I'm the middle child, so everything's more traumatic.

Pam:

Of course, you feel it the most.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I just feel it the most. Yeah. My sister was really young at the time. My brother was just strong and a bit older. So for me, it was it was traumatizing. I didn't speak any English. I didn't want to learn English. I wanted to go home to my dad, you know, and I set my foot down and said, I will not speak any English. It took me a long time to well, it took actually my mom's move to Virginia where I have no choice. to really embrace the move and embrace the culture and embrace my new life. But I I will say I had my ESL teacher, Miss Dee, I will never forget her. she really changed everything for me. In fact, I wanted to be a teacher because of her, but she was just wonderful and loving and caring, and she just taught me so much, and taught me to learn and love English and reading, and she just changed the trajectory of my life. I swear. So I'm forever thankful to her, and I hope she hears this.

Pam:

Yes. Yay for awesome mentors and teachers that see many times what we don't yet. You know?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Pam:

So when you say you've had this conversation with your siblings, they didn't experience it as much as you did. They were like, oh, we just moved.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. We moved. well, my brother my brother is, yeah, he's, I think, a guy a few words when he comes to that type of thing and My sister is five years younger. So, you know, she was four years old. It I'm sure it was traumatic in a different way for her. It was just, you know, it was different. So Yeah. And I feel things really deeply. yeah. Yeah. I'm I have my sensitive soul, so I felt all the things times 10, I feel like.

Pam:

Did you talk about it with your mom during that time, or was it just an act of rebellion of, like, I don't wanna learn English. Was that your way of of kind of like showing that you weren't happy.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. No. We didn't, you know, we didn't talk about things like a good Lepingap family, you know. No way. I

Pam:

didn't have it yet over

Giovanna Mantilla:

it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, no, it really talk much about it that I can remember. I mean, maybe who knows? You know, I'm one of those people that, don't have many memories at a young age up until, like,

Pam:

10, 11.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Like, where did they go? What traumatized me? Who knows what happened? And I don't have too many memories. So I do remember, like, my own feelings and all that stuff, but I don't remember much. Let's make this a therapy session.

Pam:

Well, in in EFT, we call those trauma capsules. Yeah. Yep. I've heard. So it's literally the time and space when your brain is like, you know what? This hurts so much. We're just gonna block it. Yeah. Because we don't need to feel it again.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes sometimes things come up, and I'm like, did I see that in a movie, or was that my life? Was that where is this coming from? And I'm pretty sure it's my life that just, like, starting to come out as I'm doing a lot of healing and self work and reparenting and all the things that we're all doing these days. You know? So my Wow. So, no, we didn't talk much about it. Just kinda dealt with it and, yeah, here we are.

Pam:

Here we are. Now looking back, what was the hardest thing? Was it assimilating? Was it learning the language? Was it the move? What do you think was, like, the hardest for you?

Giovanna Mantilla:

you know, I was young enough where, like, learning the language was easy, you know, and miss Dee, I will keep saying her name because she was just fantastic. She really, you know, I went in from, I think it was a 2nd grade level English to 7th grade level, which is when I graduated from with her in a year. you know, so I I test that to her wonderful teaching. And, also, I was young, and my brain just took it all in. Right?

Pam:

So I think that while that was hard,

Giovanna Mantilla:

I think really it was assimilating to the culture, you know, and also we were very poor. We were living in a very affluent area. And so it was just a smack in the face where I just I was by far the only brown girl. I I mean, you know, and the only Latino. There was a lot of Asian, all kinds of people from India and all kind all over Asia there wasn't many Latinos there at the time. Now it's very different in Virginia, but, yeah, I felt really lonely. And, I didn't really feel like I I fit in, so I kinda dove into sports, which really saved me. So I was I was a little athlete and a little, jock my my whole second part of my life growing up there. So

Pam:

-- What was your sport? Anything.

Giovanna Mantilla:

I mean, I I was I did gymnastics up until I was, like, thirteen. And then any sport that was put in front of me I loved, and I seemed to be okay at because I had done gymnastics competitively for pretty much my whole life. So if somebody can teach it, I could do it. And I was like, oh, this is great. And I didn't really have speak very well, and I didn't have to really fit in because we were wearing uniforms. And so, like, I never thought about that. But, yeah, you know, I just, all of a sudden, could excel, and

Pam:

-- You are one of them? Mhmm. Oh my gosh. Yes. This happens at Cafe con Pam.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Like, writing notes, excuse me. Let me tell my therapist that later.

Pam:

For sure. And I think it's really interesting how without knowing because our little bodies when we're young, we'll do what we can to cope and to to be safe. And so it sounds like for you, what felt the safest was to in a way, assimilate through wearing a uniform and choosing a sport or an activity that didn't require you to speak. Because you you had to prove yourself in different ways.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yes, Pam. Yes.

Pam:

It's just what I'm hearing.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Wow. That's so true. Yeah. Yeah. And, I mean, and this went on through almost through college. You know? so yeah. I mean, even even after I felt comfortable on, you know, I assimilated, like, you know, this was definitely that was definitely my strength. I didn't love school. I didn't love learning. You know, I was a great student. I had good grades, but I didn't love it. I love the sport and love, like, the team. So interesting.

Pam:

Yeah. I know. How would you decide to go to college? Is that a thing that was always in you?

Giovanna Mantilla:

No. Well, not it wasn't, like, ingrained in me. You know, I was just always a good little soldier, Again, middle child, and I just always wanted to please and be really a good person in society. So I always followed all the rules. And please note that I'm saying in the past because while I still follow rules, I just have learned to to to not be so people pleasing, I think, which is what I which which is what I was doing back then. But, no, I was a good little soldier. I always And so I I just knew I I needed to get good grades and do community service and volunteer and blah blah blah and and go to college and get a good job and get a 401 k and floss my teeth you know, and do all the things I was supposed to do. And so I did them because I was supposed to do them. You know, eventually, I thought, you know, I would I would get married and have children and buy house, you know, and do all those things. And that's, you know, as you know, as my friend, you know, I did not follow that path that was about the time where I realized I didn't have to follow this this very specific path that I had that nobody told me to follow. I just started following it. I don't know for some of the things.

Pam:

What did you study?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Consumer Studies, business in Spanish. En español, o sea, seguía que no quería hablar inglés. Is that my Spanish classes in college were by far the hardest classes I ever took. Wow. because remember, I left when I was 9. So all of a sudden, I had to read, like, novels and do and I was like, back then, you you you couldn't just look up a a word and there's me with the dictionary every 3rd word looking things up. So they were by far my hardest classes, but challenged accepted and I minored in in that. So that was, that was good.

Pam:

Why business?

Giovanna Mantilla:

You know, I changed my major quite a few times because I'm sagittarius and, I get bored really easily. But, you know, my brother was in business. My whole family, honestly, my 100% of my mother's side of my family, which huge are entrepreneurs, which is insane. A 100%. And I think that while I never wanted to have my own business, the university knew that I was going to. And so I just thought business, it'll be good for, I don't know, anything I wanna do and, you know, I decided not to be a teacher in college, and so I just went for business.

Pam:

I feel like every business major says that, like, you know, if you study business, It will help you for something. Every business major is like -- Yeah. Yeah.

Giovanna Mantilla:

and it it's kind of true. I mean, I really wish these days I would have paid more attention as I started my own business. And I was like, oh my gosh. I remember in accounting where you had to do it, but, you know, it's it's laid the foundation that it needed to and but honestly in the end, I just wanted to get a degree and get out of there and start my life. You know? And

Pam:

did you go to school in ver in Virginia?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Virginia Tech.

Pam:

Nice. And you stay there. So, like, once you move to Virginia, you stuck with it.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Well, I couldn't afford to go out of state. Virginia was definitely not my place, but, I couldn't afford to go to state and I got a small scholarship and my brother was going Virginia Tech at the time. So I had the support system. I had never done anything by myself. He campaigned for me to go there, and I went there, and it and it was great and But the moment I was old and have graduated and could, I left. I never went back.

Pam:

Where'd you go?

Giovanna Mantilla:

I was en route to California, but little that I know, I fell in love and I went to Ohio for 3 years. That's very different. Very, very different. from California. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It would there were so many things that, you know, I'm Again, I'm a sagittarius and I fell in love and I followed my heart and it was it was a great time. It's been, at 26 I was like, okay, time for California and and I came to San Diego. And

Pam:

--

Giovanna Mantilla:

Why San Diego? my my best friend was living here temporarily. Heather? Heather. Yes.

Pam:

I remember Heather. Yes.

Giovanna Mantilla:

So Heather was living here temporarily. She was about to leave to go back to Virginia and kinda wasn't ready to. And I was like, we will wait. say for, like, 6 months so that I can go out there and just check it out, and then we'll go somewhere else. You know? And then I never left, and she stayed a few years and

Pam:

And she went back to Virginia.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Mhmm. Yeah. Her sister had had kids, had twins, and she was ready to go back home. So still trying to get her to come back here.

Pam:

You land in California. You land with your friend. She was your only person in California.

Giovanna Mantilla:

She was my only person, and I I very quickly made friends. I mean, I was 26. I joined every sports league going back to the sports thing. This is so crazy. I just never made that connection before, but I joined the bobby sports, whatever. And I was like, softball. It was like football. Everything. You know? And I made a really core group of beautiful, wonderful friends that I'm still friends with now. That was 19 years ago. So so, yeah, I went back to my, I guess, what, my comfort zone -- Right.

Pam:

--

Giovanna Mantilla:

and made some friends that way, and she stayed. I don't you know, I don't know. Maybe, like, 6 years. And so by that point, we had our core group of people and Yeah. I mean, I missed her, but yeah. Yeah.

Pam:

And at this point, you're working at a corporation?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I'm I'm working corp job. So I I was working at Sempra Energy and working in human resources of all things. I've never really done that before, and I you know, there we go with the business background, you know, as I had that.

Pam:

I can pick you anywhere.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. And with human resources, they can they can teach you. So So, yeah, so I did that for, 5 years 5 years and then realized corporate. At that point, I've been working in the corporate world for almost 12 years, and it was one job after the other that just didn't fit.

Pam:

Were you a jumper?

Giovanna Mantilla:

No. No. I'm I'm loyal to a fault. Every job that I had had in the past only reason I left is because I was either moving or, like, you know, the the company, like, shut down or so I I just I'm I'm pretty loyal. So at Sempra, that was really the the only job that I have ever left because I was going to make a huge change. and it was terrifying. But but, yeah, no, I was I was with them for 5 years.

Pam:

How long did it take you to make that decision to leave? Because you were gonna make this radical change.

Giovanna Mantilla:

The decision actually happened like this. when I knew I knew I knew that I wasn't happy and I knew that it didn't fit. All the 5 years I knew that it didn't fit. Well, really, I was there for about four and a half years. I went to Thailand to visit my brother who lived in the north of Thailand, and I had this, I don't know. It seemed like a movie. It can't even believe it happened to me, but I had this moment. I had this, like, beautiful rainstorm come out with and all this stuff happened where I just knew that my life had to change right then and there. And, I mean, I knew it right then. And that, of course, it had been building in my subconscious in my mind and my thoughts. I've never spoken it out loud, but that moment, like, changed everything. And so it solidified it. And I was like, what do I need to do to change my life starting today? And so I did. I mean, it took about, I think, like, 8 months once I came home to, you know, kinda sell everything and change my life and and save as much money as I could because I was making a great salary, and I was just kinda spending it like, you know.

Pam:

Yeah. I mean, you didn't need to save. You were young.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, so, yeah, I, I saved money. I got vested, which was key. And -- Yeah. I was like, when is that happening? And the next thing I submitted my resignation letter, then I was gone.

Pam:

we're gonna break down the steps. because when I quit my job, I quit it without a plan, and it was like, no saving, like, literally, no savings. So you did it better.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Not much. But I did have the support of my mother, so that's that really made the all the difference. Yeah. Yeah.

Pam:

That's that's really good. So for those people who are thinking like, I've been at this company for so long, I'm miserable. I think it's time for change. So you had been thinking perhaps, like, maybe not super clear, but you already knew that it was time for you to make a change. You go to Thailand. You get this rainfall on you, and it's like the final message that's like this has to happen.

Giovanna Mantilla:

there's something more, like, that moment. Yeah. It was like, there's this world out here. Right. Yeah. So you

Pam:

come back and you're, like, this seed has been planted. What's the first step you take? So you check to see when you're vested.

Giovanna Mantilla:

I actually knew, actually, when I was gonna be vested. Not you know, like I said, I'm loyal to a fault, so I was probably gonna stay there for a really long time, but I just I needed to know these these things. My mind knew before I knew. So I knew the date kinda had to hunker down and I just say, okay, no more frivolous spending. You know, let's sell all these things. What do I need all this work? I'm gonna go travel to the world or go anywhere, move somewhere abroad. Well, I don't need any of the stuff, so I just kinda started selling things. but really, really it was more like getting mentally prepared to quit this job. I mean, thankfully by that point, I was debt free. The only thing I really owed was my car, which I sold very quickly as soon as I came back. And my student loans, which I could defer because I was no longer gonna have a job. So so, yeah, I think it was just the mental, like, the mental piece because, you know, needing the good little soldier that I was. I was used to getting that paycheck and having my insurance and just kind of being really consistent and that was going to end. I remember the call. I mean, to my mom with my decision. I was scared. Very scared. You know, I'm gonna quit this really great job. high paying job with, you know, this great company and to go travel somewhere and change the world I mean, I had no goal. You know, I didn't know what I was going to do, and but she was extremely supportive. She her words were, this is the best decision that you'll ever make, and I support you. Wow. Yeah. So it's, you know, that kinda, like, allowed me to breathe and set the tone. And I I just saved saved some money, not a lot, but just enough to kinda get me to where I want to go. And then I figured I'd just when the money ran out, I was gonna Stop and get a job somewhere. California wasn't going anywhere. I could always go back to Virginia if I wanted to. I mean, you know, I had the support of my family and in in a little bit of money. And so yeah.

Pam:

So you do it. Mom supports. Is she in Virginia still?

Giovanna Mantilla:

choosing Virginia still. Yeah.

Pam:

So you just made the call just to have someone to to, you know, for her to know.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah.

Pam:

But it's not like who's gonna pay your rent? Like, did you have that kind of plan? because if you're gonna travel the world, where's all your San Diego stuff gonna be?

Giovanna Mantilla:

I sold most sold and donated most of it. And then I did have, like, a very, you know, a small amount where, you know, it's my real personal stuff that I wasn't going to get rid of. And I got storage in Tijuana and, you know, cheaper than here. And so I just a teeny tiny storage. My brother was kinda doing the same thing at a time, so we shared one. And I just stored my stuff and I didn't have a rent anymore. I I didn't have a car. I didn't really have anything. So I timed it just right, and you know, I like I said, I got vested and I took right off.

Pam:

Where was your first place that you traveled to?

Giovanna Mantilla:

India. I went with my mom. because after all that, yeah, she she said, well, can I can I come with you? And, you know, you can go off after, you know, the couple months that worked together. And and I said, yes. And this was 14 almost 15 years ago. So if you rewind at that time eat, pray, love had come out just a few years before, and my mom and I had read it together and talked about it extensively and it was just, it was the seed that had implanted for me about just the world being so much bigger than our backyard here and that, you know, we could travel to follow our passion. I mean, as as cheesy as it sounds, that book really, like, gave me confidence that I could do this and my mom too. So she'd never traveled. So we went together. We went to India and went to an Ashram and meditated and you know, and did that whole thing. And and that's where I started actually meeting artisans and watching them make beautiful products. and falling in love with the process of, you know, these women creating the most stunning things and frankly, underselling the their product and their skills and, you know, not telling their stories. I mean, it it all began. It India, even though I couldn't understand a lot, you know, the foundation kind of was being set for my new business. I didn't know it then, but

Pam:

-- For sure. Were you ever scared?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, I was so scared. Yeah. I mean, people are like, you're so brave, you know? Like, I am not brave. You know, I I did something brave, but, yes, I was I was definitely scared. I was in I'd never failed at anything, you know, because I take very calculated risks. And so I was really afraid to fail land on my face come back with my tail between my legs and but I needed to do it. I knew I needed to do it. And there wasn't absolutely no question. It was I could feel it stronger than anything that I ever felt before. I knew that I needed to travel. I needed that I needed it to go, and I didn't know why I just knew that I I needed to do it. But, yeah, it was so scary. Yeah.

Pam:

Let's take a quick coffee break so you can tell us the rest of the story of what happened. Yeah. Gio do you drink coffee now? Si. Are we drinking coffee at 3 pm?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yes. We are. This is I'm, like, I'm, like, that person, you'd probably you'll you'll make fun of me because I made this coffee around 9 AM, but

Pam:

You are like, moms. Yeah. You know, like, the it's their joke in the mom circles, I guess, that they, like, make their coffee at 7 in the morning, and they, like, actually drink it at, like, 4 PM. Mhmm. They finished drinking it at 4 PM. You're one of those.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Literally the same person. yeah, but you know what? The greatest the greatest thing I ever bought myself. I'm not even exaggerating. It's one of those, like, coffee heater things for your desk.

Pam:

Yes.

Giovanna Mantilla:

It's a -- -- life changers. It's the greatest thing ever. So I moved from over here because my background over there was kind of funky, and I was like, oh, my coffee's gonna get cold. And I'm like, this is ridiculous. 2 PM.

Pam:

Like, not finish it. Yes. So you have one cup of coffee that lasts all day. Yeah.

Giovanna Mantilla:

And normally I can't drink past around this time or I can't sleep. So you know, I'm like, I'm on my...

Pam:

Chiqueteándotela, chiquiteándotela. Yeah. Do you have a favorite coffee shop in San Diego or anywhere in the world that you've traveled that you wanna give a shout out

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, yes. Okay. My favorite coffee shop in Guatemala. And I think the world, to be honest, but in Guatemala, it's in a small, town in Lake Atitlán called Panajachel, and this is where my artisans are. So I've been there numerous times, but it's a great coffee shop with fantastic coffee and just such a great vibe, and it's called Cafe Loco. Mhmm. So good. Please go.

Pam:

What makes it special?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Besides the coffee being delicious, it just has a really good vibe. They're super friendly. their story is great. It's like a small little beautiful place and actually one of my favorite places on earth it just makes it that much more magical. So, yeah, it's like an everyday, actually, twice a day. When I'm there, I drink 2 coffees. I never drink 2 coffees, but when I'm there, I drink 2 coffees a day. Nice. Nice.

Pam:

Alright. If you're ever or if you're listening, who knows, you know, from Lake Atitlán, uno nunca sabe where Cafe con Pam listeners are gonna be.

Giovanna Mantilla:

That's right.

Pam:

On my end, I wanna give a shout out to Provecho Café, por Barrio Logan, they are they recently opened a new look at an actual location, and I actually brought them in for my retreat for Illuminate. I bought coffee from them for Saturday morning. And I didn't realize their specialty is cold brew. So they've perfected cold brew. And as someone who's made cold brew numerous times, like, when they say they've perfected cold brew, they really have done a great job because making cold brew is hard. And so they're awesome. I met one of the owners. He's great. And now their location is by, está en Barrio Logan. It's It's them. They're really good, really good. But they also have hot coffee, but their thing is is cold brew. And I'm not a cold brew person. So

Giovanna Mantilla:

I'm not a cold brew person either, and I know that coffee shop and it is fantastic. Total shout out for sure. And I'm gonna try their brew now because I'm kind of afraid of cool brew because I try to make it and it -- It's hard. Right? Like, acid water. And I was like, never again. Yes.

Pam:

And they have different flavors. which is great. The other thing that I love about Provecho, I'm, you know, I'm a branch strategist. I'm a former branch strategist. So I'm a sucker for good branding, and they have beautiful branding. And so anytime I come across a business that has, like, solid branding. I'm like, look. I don't even care what you do. Well, I do, but in this case, the name is. You know, so I'm like, of course, I'm going to support Alright. Let's go back to the show.

***
Hola manis, by the way, if you are enjoying this conversation, -- and you wanna keep talking about it. If you have some comments and maybe some questions that you have, follow me on social media, and let's keep that conversation going This is your reminder to screenshot and tag me a@cafeconpampodcast on Instagram and Facebook, and let's keep talking about it. Tell me what's resonating. Tell me what isn't. Tell me, what do you wish I asked the guest? This is your chance. And if you're on TikTok, I'm @capacompampod as well. Let's stay connected.

Pam:

So you go to India. When do you realize I want to make a business out of this?

Giovanna Mantilla:

I think my mom realized it before I did. because, you know, I kept buying these beautiful pieces from all of these women, but not only just buying them, I would sit with them, and I would write down in my journal everything they told me from their name to their family to how they learn their craft to you know, why they like doing it to how long it takes to make it. I don't know who I was writing these notes for. I was just so interested, and I would spend forever at, like, one small little stand in this market with, like, thousands of people. And I just kept doing that over and over, and my mom, my mom, suggested it. You know, I've always loved to write, and to tell stories. And so she's like, I think you have a gift for this, and maybe this is what you should do. And maybe continue buying things. And, and when we get home, we'll we'll have a sale with all of our friends, and you can tell all the stories and you know, and you can tell these women's stories and and make them come to life, you know, for our friends and for the people there. And I was like, oh, yeah. That'd be fun. I could do that. I thought it was kinda like a hobby type situation, but she always said I just knew that this was something that you could do. So that's kinda, like, that's kinda where it began. Like, the in small and small pieces.

Pam:

So she planted the seed. You bought some things. Did you actually do what you said? So you bought some things, came back, did the the sale, started making sales, and then, like, trip after trip,

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. We went all over Asia. We traveled for 4 months, to several countries in Asia, and I either these women just kind of we kind of stumbled upon them where I started seeking them out. We went to Cambodia and Vietnam and Thailand and Indonesia and the amount of handmade and beautiful products that these women make in these countries is never ending. And so the trip for me became that. Of course, being with my mom and and it was a trip of a lifetime with my mother. Of course, that was fantastic, but the trip really became, you know, this finding of treasures sitting down and speaking with the women that were making them because they were they're mainly women, and that's really who I was interested in and me just frantically writing everything down that I could and buying whatever I could from them because remember, I didn't have a ton of money, but you know, and I wanted to pay them fairly too. I was I was seeing that they were undervaluing their products. And like I said, that their skill, and and so I would sit down and ask them, well, how much does it cost you to do this and how much does it cost you to buy that? And, well, if you're selling it for this, then how are you paying for that? And, you know, so I was starting to ask all of the you know, and and paying them fair more fairly. So, yes, we we did this in all of these countries, and I just kept sending myself boxes of stuff. It was Christmas when we got home and seeing all of the product and and we tagged it all with, you know, I my mom helped me a lot, and we put the names of every artist in and told their story. We had pictures on the screen of all of them. We made, you know, the IT from India and we made all of these things and we made it an experience and people loved it. Loved it. Loved it. And I was like, Okay. I think I could do this for a living. This, you know, this is fun, and and I can help. And so, I continued on on my own then to Mexico, and that's really where my where my business was was built once I started traveling on my own and doing my own thing.

Pam:

it sounds like it started, like, pretty organic. You know? So when you say when you went to Mexico and then that's when the business actually started, is it because you like, made a business plan? Like, how formal were you?

Giovanna Mantilla:

You would think that since I was a business major, I would have made a business plan, but you know, I was still kind of figuring it out, and I was also still very happy backpacking the world. I wasn't ready to you know, start something huge again. I, you know, it takes me a long time to kind of wrap my head around pretty much anything. So I kind of just stick my toe in a lot of things and just make sure I'm not gonna drown. So I just do things very, like I said, very calculated So I went to Mexico on my own, and that was the first time I'd ever done anything on my own, by the way. I was thirty years old. So like I said, I went to college with my brother. You know, I fell in love and went with this man, and then I went with my best friend to San Diego. So I I'd always just surrounded myself with the a beautiful, wonderful anchor. And so going to Mexico on my own was a big step, and I was growing up at 30. And I think that's that's what made the difference, you know, while I was still wanting to travel and explore and and have all of these experiences, again, I was really seeking that connection with with women and and finding these beautiful products and wanting to tell their story. So, yeah, I kinda traveled through Mexico, doing the same thing, but nothing not in a big scale, and it wasn't until I went from Mexico to Guatemala that I made a hard stop and said this is where I'm going to invest my time, energy, focus, everything. I am gambling at all. I am taking everything I have, and I'm I'm gonna do this because What I realized is that all of those beautiful women that I had met in Asia, and and the ones that I had met throughout Mexico, I was probably never going to see them again. I thought I was making a difference, and I really wasn't. Maybe for the day they could have bought their food, but I wasn't making a lasting difference. And that's what I really was seeking on, from from this trip, from quitting my job, from wanting to see the world that wasn't because I just wanted to be a professional backpacker. I just I wanted to make a difference in somebody's life. One person, that's all. That's all. It would have been fine. So when I did meet that one person in Guatemala and I I went all in that really was, that really was when Lumily was born. truly. What happened? I met this woman, Rosita, in Guatemala, and kind of the same thing as before. I I saw her beading in her very humble home, and I kind of stuck my head in and said, what are you making? And she said, come here, sit down. Let me show you. And she told me her whole entire life story. I was Mantilla writing it down like I always did. And I said, well, show me what what you make. And I said I would like to buy some items for you, and I went back the next day. And, again, the next day, and I learned so much about her and her life and and her struggles and She was just so incredibly talented. Like, she could have been so wealthy if she had the ability to share her story and and sell her directly to this market. I mean, I knew it. And so I was like, well, I've been looking for the one person I can I can help, like, truly help and not even necessarily help, but because it wasn't a handout. It was an investment in her and her family who who worked in the same products. And so I said, this is it. I'm going to do this with her. In fact, I took the rest of the money that I had and placed a pretty large order with her, and we created, you know, some products together and much so that I didn't even have money to get home to sell it.

Pam:

Oh my gosh.

Giovanna Mantilla:

So I kinda went all in. And for the first time in my life, I had to ask I was gonna help with my mom. I was like, can you buy me a ticket home? I really need to sell this stuff and figure out how I'm going to, I'm going to market this new business because I'm going I'm doing it. You know? So that's how it started with Rosita14 years ago.

Pam:

Pero bueno, it sounds in theory awesome. But let's, like, open up the curtain a little bit because you have this conversation with you're, like, in the depths of Guatemala. Like, how do you know? You make this big purchase? Did she have the items? Was she going to make them? Like, how do you know that when you were gonna go back? She was gonna be there, you know, like, all those questions.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Well, Pam, I didn't know anything. I...

Pam:

Ignorance is bliss.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, siempre tengo mis angelitos. So I was definitely protected. Because I have heard of horror stories of people taking people's money and but, you know, I took my time, I wasn't in a hurry. I wasn't there for a week and leaving. Like I said, I was kinda backpacking. My goal was to make it all the way to Argentina. Okay? So I made it to Guatemala y ya de ahí no me fui. So I had time to really make a connection with her before I really made that decision. I made a true connection with her. I mean, I stayed I stayed there for 3 months total. Yeah. Yeah. I rented a little casita. It would it was the most peaceful time of my life because if you don't know, Lake Atitlán, stop and google it right now. Look at it. It is magical, wonderful, beautiful, and everyone should go at some point in their lives. And I and I really needed it because I needed grounding and I needed to create the format of, of Lumily what I was doing. I didn't know it. Right? I keep saying that, but it it true. I just I knew that I was making something. I just didn't know what I was making. So so I stayed a long time. I made a real connection with her and her family. and, you know, she introduced me to other artisans. And I think that that's what really made a big difference for me. I truly felt like I was invited into her home and into her family. And so she and I just bonded, and I just kinda went for it. But, yeah, she could have definitely taken my money and ran.

Pam:

Well, it's not even that she was gonna do it, but, like, some, you know, people move and, like, things happen. You know? And the other question is how how did you sell it to her? Because if you didn't have, like, a model, you know, what did you sell to her? Like, I'm investing in you for what?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I mean, I didn't have a model. I didn't have a way to sell it. I mean, I had done the home shows. This was much different that she was doing jewelry. It solely jewelry. And so I knew that I was going to have to sell it in a different way in a much larger scale, right? But you know, I was like, that's a problem for tomorrow. Today, I am here and, and, you know, she showed me what she could make, and I had some ideas and she could make it. If I could dream it up, she could make it. And to me, that was beautiful. I've never considered any type of an artist or creator, but, you know, all of these beautiful creative juices were flowing together with her. And so we kind of created a line of products, a small, very small line of products that we did it. you know, she had her daughter and her cousin and all of these people that that also did beading, and she just kind of oversaw everything. And so we created samples, and I was like, well, let's do this. Like, that's 2020, 2020, you know, or in the end, it was it was quite a few pieces, and I just made the order and I came back 3 months later and to pick it up and just checked that everything was was done, paid them, paid her her the rest of the money, and kinda hauled it home. And I was like, well, now it's time to figure out how to sell this. So but like I said, that was a problem for later.

Pam:

Now the flip side of that question is did you ever doubt yourself because you had put to, like, this investment in someone and you had believed in her and you had, in a way, like, I don't wanna say promise, but maybe promised her, like, we're gonna build something together. Whatever that is, we don't know yet. That's a problem for tomorrow. Did you ever feel like, oh, shit. What did I get myself into, or was it, like, full on trust?

Giovanna Mantilla:

At that moment, I didn't really realize this was gonna be, like, fully ongoing for years and years and years. I'm so glad that it turn to that because I didn't even under I didn't even know the word fair trade at that point. You know? I didn't realize, like, there was a whole organization and, like, mentality of, you know, fair wages and no child labor and all of these things that was already far more advanced than anything I was doing. I was already following half of the rules without really knowing it. You know? So for me, it was let me help you and place this really big order that can make a serious impact in your life to better your life, your children's life, you know, your family lives and and let's hope that I can sell all of this, but I could come back and maybe buy more. That that, you know, that was kind of the conversation that we had. And I really didn't see it past that. You know? I hope that I could make a difference in her life, and we were gonna see what happened. Because if came back and I couldn't sell any of it and I ended up, you know, I don't know, giving it away to all my friends. Who knows? I could have always just gotten a job here and continued on with my life. Right? But I really didn't want to do that. I really wanted to be able to come back and and and do it again, but I wasn't sure, and I definitely didn't promise.

Pam:

So many questions so little time who are running out of time. What happened? What just happened? So it's been 14 years. We started with Rosita. How many artesanas do we have now?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Over 200.

Pam: Wow. And what's the thing that you're the most proud of right now of what you've accomplished.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, you know, we've really, like I said, I didn't know, uh-uh, about fair trade and what it really meant when I was starting this. I soon I found out very soon, after I got home and I wanted to make sure that you know, I was telling the story correctly and paying her a way that she should have been paid and fairly and etcetera. And so once I figured that out, I really dock it to that. there has been so many through the years. There's been a lot of ups and downs, and I certainly was on the verge of of not making it for a few years there, you know, especially at the beginning. And I could have diverted from, you know, those core principles that I had for myself and then that I promised that I would, continue as a fair trade company, and I never did. And it would have been much easier too. You know, I could have bought things from China and sold them. I could have not paid as fairly as I did. You know, I could have not given the small loans that we did to the artisan. through the years, like, even though I was, like, barely gonna make rent, you know, and I could have done those things, but, no, I I think that that's what I'm most proud of. I mean, I stuck to my guns when it came to that. I think that that is the most important piece of what Lumily stands for is, you know, supporting women paying them fairly, really having long term relationships that are lasting and and transparent. And they know that they can depend on me just like, I depend on them. No. And, and I've made these beautiful friendships of all of these artisans around the world, you know, and and it really all is because I really kind of stuck to that to those principles that I created the company without really knowing it.

Pam:

I know. So awesome. if you were to start all over, what are the three things that you would do? Knowing what you know now, 14 years later.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Well, Well, I'm a product based business. Right? We sell jewelry, accessories, home decor, things like that. So I think that I would really hyper focus my product line to what I loved and just kept it smaller. I kinda went really broad at the beginning, and I never knew how to scale it back to this day. That's still a struggle. So if if somebody's starting a product based business, I would start not necessarily it has to be small, but it just focused, you know, whether it's a collection, things that make sense together. So I think that that's really important I would also say that the moment that you can hire somebody, they should be the person that complements you in the most opposite way. So, you know, my first couple of hires were just like me, and we got nothing done because we all wanted to do the same thing. You know? They were fantastic. They were getting incredible help, but but really, I should have I looked for those people that love doing systems and accounting and, you know, organization in a different way I love you know, the artists and relationships and product creation and the selling of the product because I know the story behind it. I don't like to do, you know, accounting and inventory and organizing the warehouse, you know, So, yeah, so I think just surrounding yourself with people that really, complement that part of you that just isn't what you what what you love in our your your actually there to do. Right? You said 3 things. It's a tough one because I would say branding is super important. and you know, you know, how important that is, but also accounting. My accounting was a disaster for many years, and it took a long time to kind of bounce back from that. So if you're not good with numbers, that that would have been my that would have been probably something that I could have done way better ahead of time that we could have done I think way better at the beginning if we have our our numbers, in order. So -- The branding, ma'am, branding is so important.

Pam:

Branding is important, but I I will say as someone who's so passionate about a good brand, if your numbers are not right, you don't have a brand. So I'm with you on the numbers. I think it's important for people to have a very clear understanding of where the numbers are. And in fact, I mean, recently, I did it a class yesterday on product market fit. And during the class, I said, because I can count the numbers, I know that I didn't have product market fit for one of my products. And so I decided to close it because it was an easy to it was hard emotionally because I was attached to the people and that humans were in the program. And from a numbers perspective, from a practicality kind of standpoint, it was very simple because from the number, like, the churn rate the revenue. There was no profit. Like, I was funding the program for years. And so, you know, it's it's an easy decision, hence, why the numbers are so important.

Giovanna Mantilla:

The numbers don't lie. And, you know, in your mind, you're like, oh, but I love this product so much and you look at the numbers and you're like, we've sold 8 and then, you know...

Pam:

But nobody wants it!

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Numbers are so important. you know, and and it's a hard reality sometimes because the numbers don't lie, and so I think that that's a a key factor. If you can if I could start again, I would definitely start with with having that as a foundation, you know, smaller product line, really, you know, and and and that accounting piece. Yeah. It was a hindrance for us.

Pam:

For sure. And I see it a lot with so many business owners because they don't consider themselves a business for a long time. Mhmm. And so they're like, I went You know, I just drop whatever coins come to my to my personal account, but, you know, church and state y'all, church and state.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yes. Yep.

Pam:

From the beginning, have a separate business account. Even if you only have $50, you know, it doesn't that gives you clarity, and that means that you're taking your business serious.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Which then just everything grows from there.

Pam:

The last three questions. What's your remedio?

Giovanna Mantilla:

My remedio. Oh, yes. Okay. This might be TMI. But for all the girllies and, well, and the boys out there too that, you know, don't go to the bathroom very well or consistently. This is my grandmother's remedy, and it is amazing, and it actually tastes good. And I do it every single day. Dos cucharaditas de flaxseeds, in a cup, at night, and a prune.

Pam:

A prune.

Giovanna Mantilla:

If you really like them, and then you just fill it with water and you leave it soaking overnight, y en la mañana medio limón, half a lime, like, stir it up, eat the prune, drink it down, and, santo remedio.

Pam:

Pero hasta suena rico, you know, like, It tastes good. Yeah.

Giovanna Mantilla:

It's good.

Pam:

That's a new one.

Giovanna Mantilla: It's good. The lime, like, yeah, and the flaxseeds are like little escobitas, you know, they just, like, clean everything along the way. And so, highly recommend.

Pam:

Alright. Alright. Listeners, let us know if you try it. And do you have a quote or mantra that you live by?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yes. well, you know what? They they kinda changed through time. And depending on what I'm going through in my life, but right now I have it like an every mirror and really everywhere, around my house, but it says "show me how good it can get".

Pam:

I love it. Because it puts this trust in in whatever is to come that it's it's gonna be good.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. And, you know, and I'm open to it all, and I'm open to how everything good that can come. And and I know that it's coming. And, yeah, I say it all the time. It's it's beautiful.

Pam:

I love it. And do you have a productivity tip trick or tool that you wanna share with us?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, 100%. I think that if I would have been able do this at the beginning of my business. I think this this also would have made a huge difference, a project management system. There's so many out there. I use Asana. There's Monday. There's all these different ones, but it is now my brain. It is my biz, all of my employees, right, but, you know, it is the most fantastic thing, whether you're a one person show or tienes 10 empleados, o 50, it doesn't matter I think a project management system is so key to kinda keep things rolling and and communication flowing and, yeah. We could not live without it in Lumily.

Pam:

Nice. And you use Asana, I use Notion.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Mhmm. Also good.

Pam:

So I agree. Pick 1, run with it. Use it. Make sure that you use it because there's one thing is having it and another is, you know, actually using it.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. We're we we have a role in at Lumily. All of, you know, we have a lot of employees that are virtual. It's in, you know, with COVID, everybody kinda works all over. But our rule is you start the day, you say hello to the team and and you open your Asana and you figure out, hey, what's my day look like? And and that's how that's how you know what you're doing that thing. You know, I even do it as the as the owner, everybody does it because without it, you're you're just lost, you know, and there's no we're, you know, we're not working together. So that one's huge for us.

Pam:

I love that. What we do is we call it a scrum, a Monday scrum, which is it's not a meeting because when I when I was in corporate, we had a scrum, and it was like, 10 minute meeting where we would it was like a standing meeting and people and I'm like, we don't need to talk to each other. And so what we do is we just share what are our top priorities for the week. In our Scrum channel. And then somebody can be like, oh, I actually can support with this or, like, I could go in and be like, no, this is no longer a priority. -- shift it down because this other thing is more important, but it out it also has helped us stay on track with a lot of things.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. I like that.

Pam:

I'm Sagittarius rising, so I change my mind all the time. And I have ADHD and, you know, all the things. So

Giovanna Mantilla:

Girl, we're like twins.

Pam:

I hear you. I hear you. Okay. Tell us all the places and spaces where we can find you.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Okay. Well, our website is, shoplumily.com. It's Lumily, and all of the social media channels were Lumily Fairtrade on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, all over, so.

Pam:

-- Nice. Let's do some quick rapid fires. Cool?

Giovanna Mantilla: Yeah.

Pam:

Alright. What's the biggest success you're still celebrating?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Okay. The first thing that came to my mind is, we signed Disney as a as a customer years ago, and that was that changed the trajectory of our business. Yeah.

Pam:

That's awesome! What's a lesson you're still learning?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, to delegate. You know, I didn't realize I was a control freak until I started a business and then, you know, it's hard to let go of your baby. And, also, it's the thing that has allowed us to grow.

Pam:

For sure. Yeah. For sure. Do you have an "I made it" moment?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Can I say Disney again? No. I'm just kidding.

Pam:

I was thinking that actually.

Giovanna Mantilla:

I had another moment in Thailand, years after I started the business, and I was, you know, working from a beautiful coffee shop surrounded by, you know, nature and very close to my artisans. And I was working on my computer and making sales and I just had this moment of, oh my gosh, I I created this, and it's working. And I'm employing all of these women and and I'm living a life that I love and I'm enjoying my job and, you know, life is good. I made it. Yeah. Yeah. That was it.

Pam:

What's something you've been putting off for months?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Rebranding.

Pam:

Vicks or té de manzanilla?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Té de manzanilla.

Pam:

What is love?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, just a warm deep feeling of safety and, like, just like a warm cup of tea, you know, that just makes you feel good. Yeah. Mhmm.

Pam:

Joy or peace?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Peace. Which will bring joy.

Pam:

Discipline or habits?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Habits.

Pam:

They didn't think I could *blank*, but I did.

Giovanna Mantilla:

They didn't think I could succeed, to be honest. Yeah. But I did.

Pam:

Yay. Give me *blank*, and I will *blank*.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Give me time, and I'll continue to empower women.

Pam:

And what if I told you have time?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Oh, don't make me cry, Pam. Well, dang, then I'm doing it.

Pam:

Alright.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah.

Pam:

What's stopping you now?

Giovanna Mantilla:

You know, It's been 14 years, so I still absolutely love this. I'm still really motivated. there's nothing else I want to do with this. Honestly. But I think that I think I'm getting in my own way sometimes, you know, to do the thing, the bigger task that I need to do because I love doing the smaller tasks that I need to do. Yeah. So I'm I'm getting in my own way and in in that way, but I'm working on it.

Pam:

I mean, acknowledgment is the first step. If I give you a magic wand, what would you fix in your business?

Giovanna Mantilla:

Our inventory.

Pam:

The biggest nightmare of every product based business.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. Can I have that wand, please? Yeah. That's that's for sure our biggest challenge.

Pam:

Yes. I --

Giovanna Mantilla:

We have a lot of it. A lot of it.

Pam:

Yeah. I've been to your -- Do you still have your warehouse? Where I went years ago?

Giovanna Mantilla:

No, new one. Same in city in City Heights as well, but, down the street. bigger and way more organized because I'm no longer, in charge of it. But, yes. Yeah. And we have a lot of inventory. So --

Pam:

I mean, it was a lot then. if you said it's bigger, definitely a lot.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it it's because we're working with so many more artisans and everything, but, you know, the challenge is to have to tell the story for so many products with so many people behind it. So...

Pam:

-- Oof. Well, Gio, thank you so much for coming to Cafe con Pam. This was awesome.

Giovanna Mantilla:

This is great. I can't wait to come back soon.

Pam:

Yeah. And we'll talk all things business because I have so many questions about business, like so many I wouldn't get to, but we needed to explore your story first.

Giovanna Mantilla:

Stay shining.

Pam:

Alright. Listeners. That was the conversation that I had with Gio. Like I share at the beginning, creo que sí nos faltó tiempo, we definitely need to bring her back and ask even more questions about her running her business. When I have so many questions, like, so many questions, but I needed to kinda like give the foundation as, you know, in good Cafe con Pam format, give the foundation of her. Maybe we can do a bonus episode. I don't know. Let me think about it. Tell me. Tell me your thoughts. Screenshot and tag me. This is the opportunity for you to tell me all the things about the episode, what came out of it, how do you feel, etcetera, etcetera. I love getting your tags on social because You know, I always tell you this, but it just kind of reinforces that somebody's listening on the other side. Please do tag us on all the places and spaces. Make sure to follow Cafe con Pam podcast on your favorite podcasting app. The 2 most popular ones are Apple Podcasts and Spotify, whatever other ones you choose to listen to, follow, subscribe, add us to the list, whatever. Or you can also download the Latina Podcasters Network app to make sure that you get access to so many other awesome podcasters that are part of that network. And listeners, of course, this is the time when I ask you to leave a rating review, comment, many stars, all the stars that you can leave us because it does, help. I mean, there's so much conversation around this. I know. So people say, it doesn't matter. We could argue that these are vanity metrics. And the reason why I push reviews so much is because 87% of the population looks at reviews before making a decision. And so -- adding just a little bit of thoughts, you know, telling me what you think about the episode or what you think about the show overall Lumily helps other people kinda like get an understanding about what to expect from the show. So I really appreciate you taking the time to drop the stars and leave your comments because it does help. Listeners, let's stay connected, follow @cafeconpam on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out Discord We have a discord server is super fun, but I really wanna talk to you today because if you're listening before 5th September, if you're listening when the episode drops, We are having a free challenge. This is a 5 day free challenge for change. As you know, I have been sharing a lot about all the different shifts and changes that I'm doing with Cafe con Pam and with my business, and I'm tapping all the time. And so I was like, you know what? Why not? because sharing is caring, why not do a quick, easy? I wanna make sure that it's easy for you 5 day challenge to embrace change. This is all based on the different shifts that we are all experiencing in different ways, but changes change. Change is inevitable. And so we're gonna be tapping on Instagram because it's the easiest way to get you to a place. You have the app. You're always on there. So you know, you just have to hop on to our broadcast channel. So we do have a broadcast channel called the 5 day tabbing challenge in my profile on Instagram at graphic on podcast, and you join it. There's a way to sign up to get text messages and reminders. If you want, Otherwise, you can just do it all on Instagram. I wanna make it the easiest for you. So, you know, so you don't have to think about it too much because I would rather make it easier for you so you can tag and really experience the power of tapping than create this extravagant program that requires you to sign in and remember passwords and enter emails, I just wanna make it, like, easy for you to to access this. So do join us, even if you're thinking about it, even if you do if you're like, what is tapping? I have no idea, which if you listen to Cafe con Pam, maybe this is your first time listening to us. I don't know. Check it out. And you can join through Instagram, or you can also go to cafeconpam.com. We do have a calendar of events, and that's where you can sign up for the reminders. Again, the easiest is just to go to Instagram. Y pues ya, listeners. Thank you so, so much for being here. I so appreciate your time, your ears. I really hope you enjoyed this interview. Do tell me your thoughts. If you listen on Spotify, I'm dropping questions from time to time. Typically it's the same question that I drop, but sometimes, you know, I drop some polls. and some surveys that you can answer. So do participate in those because it's super fun to see your answers. I mean, I don't I don't know who answers them. I just know the answer that comes. When it comes to the surveys. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day. Talk to you next week. Y como siempre, stay shining!