Check Out Jazmin Perea-Perez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmin Perea-Perez

Hi Jazmin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Jazmin and I’d like for you to all know a little about my story of how I started all of this. It was a simple craving I had found on Pinterest: cheesecake stuffed strawberry bites. It’s as good as it sounds, I promise. When I first tried it, that’s when I knew I had to do something with it. With my DACA renewal approaching, I thought it w0uld be a good idea to ”sell’ the strawberry bites. Little did I know that raising money for some important documents ($800+), would have led me to selling more than just strawberry cheesecake bites. I made a post on my personal insta, and when i received positive feedback and several orders later… I decided to create my own business page on Instagram (@strawberryplug_). People I knew from school started following me and the support just kept getting bigger and bigger. I was in shock of the great response I had received but also felt the need to use that platform to let people know the real reason why I started, which was to raise money for my DACA. Everything was going great, I started trying other stuff such as covered chocolate bananas and chocolate covered strawberries and that’s when I realize, that’s what it was; The chocolate covered strawberry! I remember I made my first Instagram post March 23, 2020, and with the success I was having with getting orders in, I decided I was going to sell arrangements for Mother’s Day. Whew, when I tell you, none of us in my family expected what was going to happen next, we were in for a surprise. My husband helped me invest in all my materials, flowers, special boxes, strawberries, chocolate, and more items. My profit for my first Mother’s Day was over $1,500. My goal was to be able to reach my goal for my DACA, but I passed the goal, and that’s when I knew, I had something special in my hands. I wasn’t the best, but I kept getting orders in, trying to improve in the simple drizzle of a chocolate covered strawberry. Seems easy, but I promise it takes practice. As time kept passing by, I kept getting more orders in, people were recommending me to friends and family. One thing most people would tell me was that my strawberries just tasted ”different” but the GOOD different and that’s why it kept bringing them back. I think I’ve had some of the best relati0nships with my customers, from strangers to friends at some point. I get to know people and sort of how they like their strawberries, the decorations on the strawberries and even the packaging of the arrangement. I later on added cake pops, Rice Krispies, pretzels, and even chocolate break-able hearts. But it always comes back to the favorite; the chocolate covered strawberry!

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?
I would definitely say some struggles along the way would be managing my time with my daughter and making my arrangements. It was hard to balance being a mom but also trying to get my arrangements ready for pickup time. She was 5 months old when I first started, so thankfully, customers would work with me and of course they were all understanding of me being a mom. Although I want to give a shoutout to my mom, because she was definitely a HUGE help with my daughter even till this day, she watches her whenever i get an order, especially if they’re big orders. One of my personal struggles, I would also say learning how to invest and make profit, at least for me. It’s embarrassing but I wasn’t the greatest at math in school, so I knew I would struggle with that, but at the end it’s important to have the right people in your circle. I learned from them, and would listen for their advice, it’s always nice to have people motivate you along the way.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My focus is on the chocolate covered strawberry. It’s simple for me. Although I make other arrangements or other treats, my chocolate strawberries are the big hit. Most customers always say, “there’s just something about your strawberries that keeps bringing me back to you”. I think the one thing that sets me apart from others and also the one thing I’m proud of, my chocolate covered strawberries are always freshly made. “What do you mean by that?”, you would ask, but I truly mean freshly made. If you place and order for a certain date, and certain time, I make the arrangement 1-2 hours prior to pick up time. Yes, even if it’s a special occasion like Mother’s Day, I’ve gotten up at 5 am to start with my strawberries. Of course, everyone works different, but I think that’s what definitely sets me apart from others. I personally like my work to show its quality, ALWAYS.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Definitely remaining humble and realizing that the sun shines for everyone. You would not believe how many people started their strawberry business a few months after me. Of course, at first, I would be confused and upset but I would sit back and realize my work always showed quality over quantity. Everyone has something that sets them apart, and just how I had my special touch, they also had theirs. I also try to remember everyone has a budget, so my prices are always reasonable and very well affordable for the quality of work I give.

Pricing:

• Chocolate covered strawberry (Dozen)- $40
• Cake pops (dozen) -$40

Contact Info:

• Instagram: strawberryplug_
• Facebook: Strawberry Plug

Image Credits
this is all my work, some posted on my business page, @strawberryplug_