Meet Medjoy Astudillo of With Love & Petals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Medjoy Astudillo.

Medjoy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was one of those girls who didn’t want fresh flowers at her wedding and was searching for other options. I stumbled upon paper flowers and fell in love. I studied them and practiced every night after work. I got to a point where I was confident about the style and look and was ready to fully kick the fresh flower idea to the curb. I made everything at my wedding- my bouquets, my centerpieces, the boutonnières anything that needed flowers, I made. Making paper flowers made me happy and I did not want to stop. That’s when I started With Love & Petals.

Since then, I dedicated myself to help design paper flowers for many couples for their special occasions and home decor in all parts of the US. With Love & Petals grew into something I’ve never expected it to be- it was kind of like a happy accident you could say, and I honestly didn’t think there would be a great demand for my items. I just kept making paper flowers in a little office of mine, and then this little hobby grew into something I could support my family on. I was able to quit my full-time job and focused on developing WL&P.

Since then, I’ve worked with New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journals Best Selling Authors, international photographers, and professional classical musicians. What I love most about my company is that I do not only provide our customers with paper flowers, but I provide them with lasting memories that will continue to touch their lives for years to come. Everything in my shop is truly handmade. I cut every petal and assemble each flower using my own two hands.

Every product that I make is 100% made with love, every petal that I put together to make a paper flower is made with love, and that’s how I got the name With Love & Petals. Making paper flowers started as a hobby and now I’m doing things I never thought I’d be doing. Turning a hobby into a profession is something you only dream about, and I am lucky enough to be living the dream.

Has it been a smooth road?
WL&P started as a hobby of mine, and with time I unexpectedly found myself having to make small business moves. I started With Love & Petals with no knowledge of how to run a business. I did not take any business classes, had no management experience, and I was also the only employee, so I knew I had to develop a system and use my time wisely. I read business books on small startups and how to run a small business.

I used a lot of online sources to help me develop my skills and how to get my small business noticed on the Etsy platform. I learned to run lean, and know my audience, focus on taking better photos and most importantly manage my time. Something I quickly noticed I had to tackle and perfect. Managing my time was the bigger obstacle I had to face.

When I first started my business, I was newly married and had a full-time job. Juggling everything at that time wasn’t too much of a challenge. I worked my day job in the morning, maintained my small business at night and had time to spend with friends and family. As I started getting more orders, I had to make sacrifices.

A few years down the line, I became a mother to two beautiful Children. With the arrival of my little ones, juggling my time became difficult. I then had a day job, had to manage my quickly growing small business and raise two kids. I felt the growing pains and needed help.

My husband helped me cut flowers, send out packages and scheduled all my orders as they came in until I’ve reached the point where I could make WL&P my full-time job.

There were times I wanted to quit because it was too much for one person to handle at times. But one thing that kept me going was something my husband would always tell me “growing pains are the best kind of pains and we will work it out.”

Today, WL&P is still running strong and growing consistently and am now in the process of hiring employees.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the With Love & Petals story. Tell us more about the business.
With Love & Petals has played a memorable role in providing paper flowers for individuals who want an alternative for fresh flowers at their wedding. We specialize in making paper flowers using your favorite books, cardstock and even sentimental pieces like your love letters and make them into beautiful pieces that will last a lifetime. We are known mostly for our unique take on handmade book page flowers that can be made to match in any color of your choice and in any book of your choice. We are very proud that all of our items are completely handmade.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
With the way WL&P is now, I can only see it growing and working through all the growing pains it will face. In the years to come, we will be hiring more staff, working on creating new designs, new flowers, collaborating with other businesses and hopefully seeing our products in stores.

In the years to come, we plan on developing paper flower tutorials and classes where anyone who is interested can learn the craft and also develop a love for making paper flowers.

 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/withloveandpetals
• Email: withloveandpetals@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withloveandpetals
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/withlovenpetals

Image Credit:
Identical Love, Photography West CA, With Love & Petals, High Caliber Imagery

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