"If it flows it goes, it grows"
Gassantphoto
Gassantphoto
Written by: Jacqueline Wernet
As cliché as it may sound, things will get better. I am a firm believer that what you are going through is a challenge that you have to overcome to make you a strong and brave woman, and you have to learn from this challenge so that you can be prepared for the best and the blessings that life has planned for you. I know it's not easy, every day may be worse, but know that every day is a new day to start over. I want to emphasize that you are not alone, there is someone next to you who wants to listen to you and is ready to help you.
I started my career as an entrepreneur in 2016 when we opened our first pop-up store in our living room. In 2021 we celebrated our anniversary where we launched our first collection of stationery and the first collection in Papiamento. I enjoy spending my free time at the beach reading or journaling, cooking and baking for my friends and family. I have a love for creating online content but more importantly storytelling where I create a story around a product, service, or experience, immersing the audience in the story.
INSPIRATION
We decided to open Paper Sisters when we noticed a gap in the stationery products market. After 3 years, we got the opportunity to open our store and since then, all doors have opened for us in due time. Honestly, I didn't think I would be doing this full-time, but I am happy to have the opportunity to do so. The biggest challenge I had to face was finding people that you can trust to work with long-term.
QUALITIES
Personally, I have a passion for what I do, and the messages I bring to our audience I also do with passion, at times when I feel demotivated and uninterested, this passion is what pushes me and motivates me. Determination and the desire to learn from the challenges you encounter and understand that these challenges have come to teach you to grow and flourish.
HOW DO YOU INSPIRE?
I like to read self-help books, follow accounts on social media that teach me something new, and I like to have people around me where I can express myself comfortably, without getting judged and getting feedback, brainstorming with them, and vice versa, where I also do my best to be there for them when they need me. In the end, I do my best to make sure that the messages that I publish on Paper Sisters are to inspire our followers.
WHAT MAKES YOU, A WOMAN WHO INSPIRES?
Thanks to the platform that I created with Paper Sisters, I can say that we reach an audience where we inspire them either through our products, the messages linked to our collections, and the stories that we share through our stories. All of these, we aim to be inspiring, motivating, and empowering. Personally, I try to be open with our clients, so they can also feel comfortable and know they are not alone. I am open to sharing the challenges we have gone through not only as entrepreneurs but also personally, so that our clients/followers know that they are not the only ones going through this.
BALANCE
This is a lesson I had to learn last year where I realized I didn't have a balance between the two. But after almost getting a burn out, I went to a life coach who helped me, not only balance the two, but also learn to know myself better and work more effectively, set boundaries in my work life and better plan my projects, what is realistic or not. I had to discover what truly fulfills me, so finding my fulfillment because my fulfillment is the driving force behind my motivation, determination and passion for my work. Additionally, a tool I use a lot is my notes app and my Vision Planner.
PROUD ACHIEVEMENT
My proudest achievements are when we launched our "Self Love" themed stationery collection. There we started to focus not only on the importance of having this love for yourself, but also educate others on the topic, the importance of it and how they can practice it. After that, we released our other collections "Grow and Flourish" and "Shine on Your Own," all with the theme of self-improvement and self-love. The feedback we received from our online and store customers is what drives us even further to keep moving forward and work on more collections where they can identify with.
BARRIER
The biggest barrier we can face is insecurity. This can stop us from doing what we really want to do, it limits us to think and dream further but insecurity can also be projected onto others. Through this projection process, other women may not feel safe or open to be out there and share their story to inspire others. I believe we are also lacking empathy with other women, knowing that we are the ones who face the most challenges compared to other people, so I think empathy and compassion should come more into our community.
ANOTHER WOMAN WHO INSPIRE YOU
I follow quite a few small businesses online that are local or in Curacao and internationally that I find inspiring. They all have different lives, challenges, and stories that are vulnerable and open on social media and are honest about how the "perfect" life doesn't exist but "my own personal path" makes it inspirational for me.
AN UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT OF INSPIRATION
I feel every time I share on our social networks our achievements from when we started in our living room to where we are now and everything we have achieved, we inspire others that you can do what you put your mind and heart to, no matter where you started. The biggest achievement I have in my heart is our Papiamento collection, which was the first 366 calendar with 366 phrases and sayings in Papiamento, aimed at inspiring people every day when you turn the page.
WOMEN IN ARUBA
I can give an opinion in the area where I operate, which is as a business owner. I see and admire all the women who have opened their businesses in the short amount of time, and more notably the support you receive from the community. So in that sense, the support of people around you, even strangers, has motivated other women to go ahead and follow their dreams. But at the same time, I find that there is still a lot to be developed, personally I still find that women are being underestimated in negotiating for example, things that I have to deal with or are not taken seriously. Often, a person waits for another "authority figure" to do business with us, thinking that there is someone else above me.
INSPIRE OUR CHILDREN
It starts from a young age and in the way we talk to them and in what tone we talk to them about what they can and cannot do. Creating a "limiting belief" starts from a young age and without realizing it, you plant a seed of insecurity in it. Just focus on motivating children that they can do what they desire, that there are no limits to dreaming and always tell them that you believe in them. The seed that you plant early on is what will be harvested.
Stop waiting for others to light up your life for you, you have to shine on your own.
BENEFIT
The greatest benefit of women being supportive of each other is relatability, to have the feeling of "she is just like me and I can also achieve what she has achieved". To have women who inspire around us works like a community that can continue to inspire future generations to do what they want and like.
Built with Shorthand