Inspiring Conversations with Jacqueline Aranda of The Rozu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Aranda.

Hi Jacqueline, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I knew I wanted to become a doctor because I wanted to help people, and so the plan my whole life was to go to medical school. I had obtained a bachelor’s degree in public health and even worked as a medical scribe for two years, but that plan reached a halt after I got wrongfully terminated.

Even though I thoroughly explained that it was false, was never late, and never had any write-ups or warnings, I was fired by someone I never met over the phone. I quickly realized this was the corporate world, and that even though it was wrong, nothing could be done about it.

I loved that job very much so I was devastated, but it began a new chapter in my life. In an effort to make some side money I decided to create an Instagram page to sell thrifted clothes since I love thrifting. I decided to name it “The Rozu” which means “The Rose” in Japanese.

I love the Japanese language/culture, and the rose is my family flower. I had zero business experience at the time, but as I began to post content I quickly saw the power social media has for advertising in my business. That’s when I decided to download and use the app that is still growing my business the most to this day, Tiktok.

I started taking marketing seriously and posted consistently every day. As a result, some of my posts went viral and I gained thousands of followers over a couple of weeks. Just as I started to gain traction… COVID hits. Next thing you know everyone in public had to wear masks because of the mask mandate, and I saw an opportunity to create fun handmade masks for people.

With the help of my brother who came back from college, I was able to transition from selling on Instagram to an official website with my business name (www.therozu.com) so that I can sell all over the country. Due to my experience with clothes alterations, I knew how to sew so I decided to make custom masks by sewing on cool designs that people would love to wear out in public.

And they were a hit! Out of nowhere, I was working all day and night keeping up with the high demand. I was able to learn so much about running and maintaining a business during this time, I fell in love with the process of being a business owner.

As the demand for masks went down, I saw an opportunity to incorporate my own interests into my store. I had recently discovered the importance of self-care for myself and I wanted to share with everyone ways they can practice self-care. I knew that I could use my new knowledge of chakra healing, crystal healing, herbal healing, and aromatherapy to create new products and teach people all about self-care.

I started out creating bath bomb bags, then shower steamers, selling crystals, essential oil rollers, and salt soaks! My followers loved it and I started to grow a large following on TikTok thanks to multiple viral videos. Next thing I know I have over 130,000 followers and supporters.

I have been very busy keeping up with the business all on my own, but my goal is to have a retail location in San Antonio by the end of the year and hopefully get some employees. Starting and running a successful business on my own has not only changed my career path, but it has also changed my life and I am forever grateful to be where I am at today.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first year of my business was the most difficult. I remember always stressing about how I can get more sales, just like anybody else does when they sell products. I struggled and barely knew anything about running a business. Weeks would go by without any sales, and when I did get one it was a family celebration!

Our mindset is a powerful tool if you learn how to take control of it. Negative thinking has affected me for as long as I can remember. Thinking that I wasn’t enough, or that I didn’t deserve the good things in my life really put me into a box. Once I started noticing my negative thoughts, I was able to catch and replace them with positive and encouraging ones.

This minor adjustment to my life made a major impact and got me to where I am today. After transitioning to a website and selling all over the country I had to learn a lot about business on my own such as shipping, marketing, product research, licenses, taxes, website development, and more. There’s no better way to learn about business than starting a business!

When my TikTok page started gaining a lot of followers that translated to me getting many orders, and while I was extremely excited about it, going viral also meant working all-nighters to catch up with the demand. It was very overwhelming and tiring at first, but I was just overall so happy and grateful to be doing what I love!

Today my biggest struggle is keeping up with the growth of my business. After needing more space for products, I transitioned from working in my bedroom to my mom’s garage after completely renovating it. I have 30 bath bomb bag themes, over 90 types of crystals, 23 essential oil rollers, 23 salt soaks, and 25 shower steamers.

Today there are over 2,000 different products in my “headquarters” as I call it, so space is one of the struggles I have. That is why a retail location would be ideal by the end of the year.

I am hand-making the products, packaging the orders, running Instagram and Tiktok, keeping up with business finances, and basically anything you can think of for what it takes to maintain a business.

I am very proud of what I am able to accomplish on my own, but I am definitely quickly realizing how getting an employee would not only benefit my business but my mental health as well.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I truly do not think I would be where I am today if the Covid-19 crisis did not happen. It was a crazy time for the world and my business mind bloomed when I saw an opportunity to make masks for people that they would love to wear.

Moreover, during Covid, I was pursuing a master’s degree in surgical technology, all while running my business. School for everyone at the time was rough given the fact that most schools were not prepared for a global pandemic so I focused a lot on my business. I also had this new calling and passion to learn about crystals, herbalism, and aromatherapy, because not only was it interesting, but I knew that I could also help people with this knowledge.

Day by day this calling grew stronger and stronger and it felt wrong to ignore it anymore. After much self-reflection, I decided to drop out of school and pursue my new passions. The craziest thing is that I never really felt scared, I almost felt at peace, like I truly was meant to be on this path.

I feel that the lesson I learned is that life is what you make of it. I know it sounds cliche, but once you start putting passion and energy into something you want to achieve, it feels much easier to accomplish! I am able to do anything I put my mind to as long as my heart, mind, and soul are in it.

Pricing:

• Bath Bomb Bags: $12
• Salt Soaks: $7
• Shower Steamers: $6
• Essential Oil Roller: $11

Contact Info:

• Website: www.therozu.com
• Instagram: @_the_rozu
• Facebook: @therozu