Conversations with Maria Michael

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Michael

Maria, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be an artist or a writer. Growing up I was constantly drawing, sketching and playing around with a variety of mediums. My favorites being Sharpie drawings and oil pastels. For celebrations and holidays I loved making handmade gifts for friends and family.

In 2020 my father in law passed away from Covid. It wasn’t until his passing that I realized he had taught me so many lessons along the way, the biggest one being to take a chance, life is precious and goes by too fast. It was then that I decided it was time to fulfill a dream of owning my own business and applying my love of art to it.

I began creating a business plan and branding myself. It was important to me that my business encompassed who I am and what my values are. I am proud Michigander (by transplant) and Michigan is my home so I wanted it to be incorporated somehow. Then it clicked- instead of My Roots Creations; I used the abbreviation MI for Michigan, kept the Roots Creations and MIRootsCreations was born. I launched on March 8th of 2021; also International Women’s Day. When asked how I started, I often joke “I’m just a mom with a cricut and a dream”.

Because I started with a Cricut machine and working at our kitchen table. I didn’t have much of a plan nor did I have a settled niche. I wanted to do it all. I started with decals, and once I had taken off with those, I added tumblers. I quickly outgrew our kitchen table and moved into our master bedroom. I got my start selling on Etsy and quickly accelerated to a monthly “Star Seller” status and affiliated for them.

This past August I closed my shop on Etsy and decided to run my own website where in addition to tumblers and decals I now sell apparel, wood burned items and resin art, and more.

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?
Owning a small business is not for the weak. There are struggles, but I feel like the accomplishments along the way outweigh them. You have to have tough skin to deflect the negative reviews and harsh critiques of your work. Taking these and learning from them, are some of the hardest pills to swallow but also allow for growth. Having a drive and ambition to continue even when sales are slow, social media trends are dying, and market fluctuation. There are highs and lows of the “selling season” with incredibly slow periods. That’s when you have to work the hardest, put in the all nighters, promote yourself and your product even more.

For me personally a struggle I have had is having to rebuild an entire social media following because my original Facebook page was hacked and shut down. I had to apply the lessons above; tough skin to rebuild. I like to say the comeback is stronger than setback. Then to maintain a social media following to continue to showcase my products and to promote my business.

Additional struggles along the way have been settling on a niche and branding it. Branding your business and a catchy motto is incredibly important. It is the first impression and one that needs to stick and resonant with your audience/customers. You want to be memorable for them to want to return and be repeat customers for life. It can be hard to learn your audience, but extremely important to do so. It’s important to hear their responses to product launches, sales, and promotional propaganda you share and take them into consideration, often times the customer is actually right and their input can be life changing.

Trying to stay in the know with the ever changing social media trends can be exhausting and confusing but also so worth it in the long run. I recommend to everyone to grow a following on a social media platform, it is the quickest way to share new launches, receive feedback, and grow a community of support.

I am also my harshest critic and have had to learn that my artwork and products are not going to be liked by everyone, and that is OK. I have a niche that works for me. I don’t need to be in competition with anyone but myself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a whole, I specialize in custom and ready to ship sublimation tumblers and vinyl decals. But I also offer wood burned items and resin art by request.

With respect to tumblers, I am most known for my adult themed or snarky tumblers. I am the tumbler maker that won’t say no to any design and enjoy a good laugh. I feel like my openness allows for a comfortable relationships with my customers. They know they face no judgement and I always down for a challenge. I have had a few of these style tumblers go viral on both Facebook and TikTok, making them fan favorites and best sellers.

I am also known for my custom tumblers. I love hearing the stories behind the designs, seeing the pictures, and being a part of creating memories. I also love a good challenge and welcome any design, style, and offer a variety of options when ordering. I like to provide open communication and feedback when designing because I feel like having the opportunity to custom make something is something everyone should be able to do.

I started out doing mainly vinyl decals for cars and I still love doing them. They allow for so much personalization and creativity. My favorite decals are the ones I get to custom create. As an Autism mom, I do a lot of custom Autism awareness decals. These range from awareness to specific medical needs that alert first responders. I offer all of my decals in permanent and removable vinyl so they versatile for indoor or outdoor use. Some of my best selling decals include memorial/tribute, pet mom, mom life inspired, and customized compilations.

I am most proud of the fact that MIRootsCreations has grown to what it has in such a short amount of time. When I launched, I had dreams and goals that I set for myself, and never did I think I would accomplish them as soon as I have. I am proud of my tumbler creations that gone viral on social media and have received badges of “best seller” and/or “fan favorite” while I sold on Etsy. I am incredibly humbled to know that I have sold to every state in the US and to 6 different countries. Individually I am proudest of the dedication and hard work that I have put into growing MIRootsCreations into a household name. Each of these successes remind me why I started and the passion and love I have for my business and its customers.

I feel like what sets me apart from others is a lot of things. But the most important is because of the pride and love I have for my business. I want everyone to be able to shop with me. I know how important gift giving is, or even splurging on yourself, and I want everyone to be able to have that experience. I feel like even though I am not a brick and mortar when you shop with me you get that same experience from start to finish.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Aside from owning MIRootsCreations, I am a mom to four amazing children. I feel like they are important to credit because being a mom has given me skills that I apply daily to running a successful business. They are also the inspiration behind many of my tumblers, decals, etc. They are my number one fans and I am forever grateful for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mirootscustoms.myshopify.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirootscreations1.0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MIRootsCreations2
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mirootscreations