Meet Brandi Soto | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandi Soto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It started as BeautyBee House but with hashtags and my main focus being clay earrings, it evolved into Clay Caviar by BBH. I use to be a cake decorator and I was booked and busy. Then in 2017 I became very sick in August, it wasn’t until November that they finally figured out that I had Multiple Sclerosis. I tried continuing the cake thing for about a year but I couldn’t keep up and being on a time schedule while trying to figure out how to live with my “new normal” body was a lot. A few years went by and I learned more about my illness and how to manage flair ups. I started to get that crave again to be creative, I just had to find a new way to let it out. Also I didn’t want it to be a small thing I wanted it to be a business. I knew one day it would be hard for me to get up a continue working my regular full time job. I wanted to love it and grow it. As I’m thinking of all of this I founded clay and that is how this dream grew into a business. I was able to work at my own pace, it took my mind off all the pain I was in, and gave me a reason to get out of bed. I am just in awe of how far I have come since starting. It is a passion that continues to burn inside of me to keep going because I truly love what I do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Polymer Clay Earrings, after a year of getting into the businesses I started to feel like more and more people were starting to pick it up. So at a market there is always a few of us clay earring makers around, you start to notice that it feels like a washed out scene. My motto has always been “Style Your Soul”, and I have never made the “traditional clay earrings”. You know were they all look the same, boho style, earth tones, though those and beautiful and what grabbed my interest when I first started, I knew I what to be different. I don’t plan, I just start creating with one main color and go from there. There are times when I am working with a slab of clay and I’m not feeling it anymore, I walk away from it. It might be a few days until I touch it again, it has to speak to me the whole time I am creating those earrings. So my pieces most the time are not recreated. It’s art on your ears. So for all the clay earring makers out there, go for it. How boring would the world be if there were only 50, 100, 200 painters in the world. You are your own artist and stand out in your own unique way, Let’s wear art on our ears.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would start in my home town of Terrell and go visit Hams Orchard. They have the best peach ice cream and the grown everything they sale right there. Next my favorite bakery in town is Whisked Away Bake House, you will fall in love with her croissants, coffee and delicious cookies. Then into the city head to Dallas West Village. Easy to walk around with fun shopping and great places to eat. Of course we have to find a farmers market and go support our makers, a favorite one is the Dallas Farmers market. There is so much to do in Dallas, just drive and you will find something fun today.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First my husband because he never question my sanity when supplies started coming in and when I would come up with a display design then ask him to build it just the way it looked “in my head”. Hahaha Next is my mom, my market encourager and supporter. She has been at every market since I started. When I felt discourage with all the ups and downs of figuring out how to set up for a market, she has been there through it all. Still to this day she is my market peace of mind. We just flow together. Next would be Rosa with Dallas Millennial Market, her expectations she places on herself and her events allowed me to grow as a business. I have evolved in so many different ways since I started with her. The business insights she shares along with the over the top planning she puts into her events with her amazing sister by her side, you can’t help but to be challenged and show up the next time in some way better than the last. Every opportunity is a learning experience it’s all in how you look at it and what you are willing to take from that experience. Last is Bre with “The Bre Creative”. When I was second guessing my rebranding and the do’s and don’ts, it was her and her knowledge that encouraged me to go for it. I think it was Saturday at around 10pm I sent her quick DM to see what she thought. Her response, “I’ve had a few glasses of wine, out with some friends let me look at this tomorrow. I’m thinking Monday is when she would have answered me the first time, it was the best laugh. She is just that amazing and a beautiful soul. She gave my the key points to be able to keep my current logo while bringing in a new name for my earrings. There are so many that have touched this business in some way that I am so thankful for.

Website: https://claycaviar.com/

Instagram: @claycaviar

Facebook: @BeautyBHouse

Image Credits
Dallas Millennial Market My Mom, Jeanette