A version of this story was originally published in wevonline.org.
Mina Wilcox comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her grandfather was a printmaker, and her parents ran a restaurant in Japan. So, with her husband’s encouragement of her artistic abilities, and despite the challenges of having English as her second language, she decided to open her own business in 2014. Art Mina features her beautiful hand-printed artwork on California Eco-Friendly items. She sells everything from clothing and cotton bags to kitchen tea towels.
In 2017, Mina came to Women’s Economic Ventures for the Smart Entrepreneurial Training class. There, she learned that “business means making a profit. It is not a bad thing”. She has since used other WEV resources like their Consulting programs. “WEV is always a gentle ally of my company,” she says.
Mina’s business primarily began with selling her products at farmers’ markets in her community. But eventually she hired an SEO specialist to allow her to get orders online. As for the future of her business? Mina is taking things day by day and enjoying the journey. She said, “Dig forward little by little every day. Emotions are a compass. Go towards fun and excitement.”
Last month, Art Mina was formally incorporated. “It had been my goal since I learned about S-Corp in WEV’s SET class in 2017,” shared Mina.