Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciza Lopez.
Hi Ciza, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hi, my name is Ciza Lopez & I’m the owner & creator of Ciza’s Custom Designs.
So it all started because of my name, Ciza. I was looking on Pinterest one day for personalized things because I wanted my name on anything at that point! Then I came across a custom tumbler and it was love at first sight! I clicked on the picture and after multiple clicks I landed on YouTube watching a Tutorial on tumblers! It really caught my attention and for a few days, that’s all I could watch! I started looking into what I needed to make myself one! So that weekend my husband took me to Michaels and I got a cup, glitters, modpodge, and some epoxy! Went on Amazon got my PPE & Cup turner!
After my first tumbler for myself was done every one I showed it to loved it! Soon my co workers started asking if I could make them a cup and kept encouraging my work. My dad saw this was something that I really enjoyed doing so he bought me my first Cricut Explore Air 2 machine, in Pink of course! He always believed in me and has helped me build my business so much! Anything I needed he was there! The rest is history! I publicly announced Ciza’s Custom Designs would open to the public on May 17, 2020.
The support of friends, family, strangers was amazing! I have been very blessed from day 1, and have stayed very busy ever since. Once I made a TikTok account everything changed! My first crazy video that got me many sales is my Texas Strong Tumbler, that I created when the freeze hit Texas in February 2021. I had to open up an Etsy shop to keep up with orders! It was an amazing experience! Then the Pink Drink snowglobe came around, & quickly became my best seller all summer long! I kept making mini tutorial videos and people loved them and I loved all the glitter I had accumulated over time and most of the time I would mix them to get a certain color I needed and so I began looking and looking everywhere to start getting my own glitter. That is when my Glitter Line came to life! I launched my Glitter Line & my website on the same day.
My very first Glitter order April 25, 2021. I have received tremendous support on my glitter line and It has been so fun creating mixes and seeing what goes together to create a beautiful color. My next viral TikTok video was my Halloween Snowglobe Collection. That made my Instagram grow tremendously & my Tiktok! With over 15K followers on Instagram & over 65K on TikTok, it’s been a roller coaster of a ride! As a small business owner, we all want to go viral or have our small businesses succeed, I don’t regret not one thing but I will tell you this… the pressure of going viral or have your business booming is no joke! I learned that very quickly. I have a full time job plus my small business & I am exhausted! My amazing cousins have been helping me when they aren’t in college and man has that been a huge a help! I don’t think I would have done without their help at all! It has been extremely hard to handle high volume orders and manage your home your personal life and my job. With this being said, I wouldn’t change this for the world! I love creating, making videos, teaching others… which is how my YouTube Chanel was born! So after all my hard work sleepless nights and the sacrifices i have had to make it all is starting to come together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, the struggles! One of the biggest obstacles for me was learning how to balance my life. If it wasn’t for my family that has supported me from day 1, especially my cousins Jay & Alex that have helped me get work out when I had been behind, I wouldn’t have made it. I wake up at 6am to get ready for work… I don’t typically get home until 6-7pm depending on how late I get out. By the time I get home first thing I do is try to figure out what I’ll be doing for dinner, by the time I’m done and finished its 8-9pm… I start working on orders and I typically don’t t go to bed until 1:30-2am every day..
Nothing I do is simple and easy to where I can accomplish a whole lot in 2 hrs. which by then would be 10pm which was my old bedtime. My weekends I was always working, I basically didn’t have a life. I had to learn to put boundaries like every other business has. An opening time and a closing time. Which was and is still hard for me because all I can think of is answering messages, preparing orders for shipment, and in my eyes, if I take a day off I get set back in my timeline. So mentally that was definitely hard to manage. Not spending as much time with my husband who is my best friend, but my family as well. Every time they asked me I was always working!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business specializes in Custom Tumblers, Glitter for tumblers and DIY projects, & My newly Launched Rhinestone Line! You can buy one of my tumblers or get some of the most important supplies you will need to create your DIY project or tumbler! Also, subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to learn and get inspired just like I did!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
There’s a couple people that I follow on Instagram that give you nothing but positive vibes and motivation and they always pull me through when I’m thinking of giving up or just tired! Simple words can have a big impact on your mindset!
Contact Info:
- Email: Cizas.customdesigns@gmail.com
- Website: Cizascustomdesigns.Com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cizas_custom_designs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cizascustomdesignstudio/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCEcFG-uzCElZpLZ4F3wkCLQ
Image Credits
Vania Fuentes
Ciza Lopez
