Mexican Environment is a e-commerce of corporate gifts with Mexican crafts. At first Norma Hernández’s idea was to sell to the general public. However, it was the companies that she became interested in. This is how this entrepreneur began to design together with the artisans what the companies asked of her.
This store on-line It has already been on the market for more than 10 years. Initially, Norma began to work with artisans from the State of Mexico and Nayarit since her grandmothers were from there. What this entrepreneur did was start talking about her idea to the artisans and showed them her website with photos from the Internet.
Once he had purchased the pieces to deliver to clients, he began taking his own photos and putting together his catalog. At the moment, Mexican atmosphere works with 38 families throughout the Republic. Many of these artisans migrate to Mexico City and buying and selling is easier.
“My e-commerce I started it with zero investment. I used a free platform and tools to set up my store on-line the best that could be done. Until we were able to migrate to a platform dedicated as is to electronic commerce,” says Norma Hernández, founder and CEO of Ambiente Mexicano.
Mexican Environmental Policies: corporate gifts with crafts
Mexican Environment, corporate gifts with Mexican crafts, has been in operation for 11 years. At the beginning they had a purchase order policy that they have since removed because the business was on the verge of going bankrupt because of it; because they promised to do everything and in the end it was the payment. On one occasion they had a loss on an order for 300 custom bearings that was canceled on the day of shipment.
Now they also have a policy that all samples are billed as sales if the client does not return the prototype within a week. Norma Hernández has also faced haggling from companies and the lack of ethics of some of them when they send them to place orders with personalized and well-made samples that other artisans have already made.
“Our star product is a box decorated with amate paper and hand-painted. Bring an alebrije, a miniature tequila and some chocolates. Through a QR code we explain the history of the product to customers. Furthermore, our packaging is made so that it does not end up in the trash, but rather so that it can be used later,” he explains.
This businesswoman was on the eighth season of Shark Tank Mexico and this is how the deal with Amaury VergaraCEO of Omnilife and Alejandro LitchiPresident of NICE: $250,000 pesos for 12.5% of the company Ambiente Mexicano; plus $250,000 credit.
3 lessons of success
Norma Hernández applies the saying “jumped goat, paid goat”, that is, pay the artisans in cash. He also doesn’t bargain with them because they have spent a lot of time perfecting a technique. It also settles accounts with its suppliers so that they do not lose. “I told them: If you had charged me so much, I would have lost so much. It’s like you take that amount of money and burn it”.
This entrepreneur is strict with her artisans in the sense that they have to comply with everything. It has several suppliers of the same product in case one fails. But if one of them turns out badly once or twice, he removes them from the list and continues looking for more people who do things well and take their work seriously.
These are your keys to success.
1.- Have a job and at the same time work on making your e-commerce
Sometimes the first two years you don’t sell anything and you are tempted to throw in the towel. But if you start a business and at the same time you are working for someone else, you will gain the strength to make your online store in the free time you have. You have to be committed though. If not, it will never pull. You have to keep in mind that it is not going to work the first time.
2.- Don’t marry your idea
You must be open and flexible that, if your idea doesn’t work, another one may work; or that you have to modify it thinking about your client because many times it happens that you want to sell what you like and you don’t think about people. Do market research, even if it is small, to see how much you can market a product or service.
3.- Respect your company’s money
Because sometimes you can take payments from clients as they come. However, it is little by little when you begin to cover everything you need for the operation of your business. Then, you can start earning a small salary. But don’t take your company into your piggy bank because you’re going to blow it up.
Finally, this entrepreneur expresses that unfortunately there are people who despise humble, indigenous people and any other human being who is in a disadvantaged situation, whether ethnic, social or economic. Even companies that claim to be socially responsible are not respectful of the work of artisans.