What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
You need patience, optimism, energy, and most of all - money.
What did inspire you to start your business?
My husband and I both wanted to own a business for a long time. Our dream has always been to be our own boss.
How did you finance it?
We financed it with our own money. We both still have full time jobs.
Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
To be honest, it has not made any difference. I think the idea of being less or even more successful because of ones ethnicity is a bit disturbing to me. I would hope that our success will come from hard work, persistence, great quality of the product and excellent customer service.
In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
I read somewhere that 99% of businesses fail within the first five years. I don’t want to be a negative statistic. I keep thinking of that and it is what keeps me going.
What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
By far the biggest challenge has been money, the lack of it.
If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
For us, change came in the beginning. The only thing I would change, but can’t, is the success of our product. That is up to the customer.
What was your childhood ambition?
I remember that I never really wanted to work and most of my family thought I was just lazy. I realized when I grew up that it wasn’t that I did not want to work, I just did not want to work for someone else. So my ambition was to work for myself.
Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Janet and Greta, the Authors of Looney Spoons cookbook, Steve Houle from Parkit360.com and Chris Simpson from CCRkanata.com
For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfast- Most people think better in the mornings. Breakfast is also my favorite meal of the day.
What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Because my husband and I still have full time jobs while trying to make our business a success, we have no time to take long vacations.
What is your favorite quote?
”Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who initiate.” Susan RoAne (author of How to Work a Room)
Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Sometimes it is because people are more comfortable being in status quo, but in order to stand out you must be unconventional.
Biggest mistake made?
Not pricing our product correctly.
Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
I consider my husband more of the innovator and I go a long with his ideas because I think he is a genius.
About the Company:
TOLETTA is the world's first premium brand of purse sized travel packs of paper toilet seat covers. Tissues are flushable and made from large sheets of 3ply toilet paper. Each seat cover is 20% larger and 42% thicker than other brands. A percentage of the proceeds is donated to social causes (pink for breast cancer and blue for child poverty). TOLETTA was created for the purpose of helping women feel pretty even in a not so glamorous situation like a public bathroom. Since its inception, TOLETTA has sold over 30,000 packs and is available in 10 countries.
For more information visit: http://www.toletta.com/
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