Daily Inspiration: Meet Abbie Parra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbie Parra. 

Hi Abbie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
It was never a thought in my head to start any sort of business until maybe 6 months ago. I went to college for microbiology and work full time as a microbiologist for an environmental lab. I loved my job (still do), I was in line for a promotion, I was comfortable with where I was at. As a fun little side hobby, I was bestowed a cutting machine and was instantly hooked. I’ve always been a creative person, be it through painting or drawing, scrapbooking at one point, so on and so forth. I had fallen out of creative anything once I got to college and struggled to pick up any sort of hobby for the first two years after I graduated. A couple months after having my Cricut, I started trying to sell my projects through OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. I quickly realized that those weren’t the outlets I should’ve been going through. My mom at one point had an Etsy shop selling hair bows for softball players and had great success with it. With this in mind, I pulled up my big girl pants and went for it. Thus, AJ and Company Customs was born. I went through all the necessary steps to get me started and I opened my own Etsy shop. Never in a million years did I see myself doing this and never in a billion years did I see it going anywhere but in the short few months that the shop has been active, I’ve seen more success and more support than I could have ever imagined. 

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?
It hasn’t been a smooth road to say the least, it’s been more of a road filled with potholes about every 10 feet. Trial and error is a phrase that I have always lived by and it is even more so the case now. No one is perfect at anything at the start, I don’t care who you are. We are human, and by design we will make mistakes, we will have failures, but it’s a matter of how you handles those mistakes and failures that determines where the road will lead you. I consider myself a self-motivator, I always have been for as long as I can remember. I see a goal and I work towards it. Trials and tribulations are all part of getting to that goal and this is something I always have to remind myself. In this particular venture, I’ve struggled with everything from finding the right materials to getting the right technique to having the finances to be able to fund the things that I need; This list goes on and on. This hasn’t been a smooth Sunday cruise and I don’t know if it ever will be, but that’s okay. I know now the work that goes into this and I’m willing to put in all the necessary effort and if it means hitting a few bumps on the way there, then so be it. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the senior analyst for the microbiology department for an environmental lab here in Phoenix. Our facility primarily focuses on analyzing drinking water and wastewater sources from around the valley, and my department specifically tests for any harmful bacteria that may be present in those sources. I have been with the company for 2 years, going into my third, and have been in the senior analyst position since October of this past year. I am extremely proud of the hard work that I have put in to get myself to where I am in my career, having been the first in my family to graduate college and to be a female in the STEM field. To say I’m grateful for the knowledge and experiences I have gained in the few years since having started my micro career is an understatement. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family and friends near and far deserve so much credit for where this business has gotten in the few months since having started it. They have done nothing but give endless support whether it be getting the word out through social media, placing orders through my shop, showing off all of their AJ and Co apparel or stickers, or whatever it may be. I cannot say thank you enough. 

My boyfriend, Tanner, also deserves more credit than I think I can give him. He has been with me and by my side since day one and shows immense support for me and where this business has taken me. He goes with me (begrudgingly) to markets and to craft stores and helps me get my name out where he can. He makes trips to pick up packages when I can’t and helps me in whatever ways that he can. The patience he has shown through all of this is greater than mine will ever be. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 

Contact Info:

• Email: ajcompanycustoms@gmail.com
• Website: etsy.com/shop/ajandcompanycustoms
• Instagram: instagram.com/ajcompanycustoms