Marihaze | Dallas, TX
Crafts and Confidence Sparked Marisol Torres Soto’s Business
Marisol Torres Soto can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to own her own business, but entrepreneurship wasn’t a valued path for women in her family. She grew up within traditional gender roles where husbands work outside the home and wives take care of the home. On top of that, her family was low income and there was never any extra money for starting a business. That spark persisted within Marisol, though, and she pursed it despite everything holding her back.
Being a boss
One of the reasons Marisol wanted to start her own business is that she has never envisioned herself being a “follower.” She wanted to be in charge of making products, selling them, and handling all aspects of running a business. She also wants to be the kind of boss employees want to work for. She’ll respect and value her employees, pay them well and give them opportunities to advance.
Challenges
Marisol’s history of challenges is shared by many Sky’s the Limit entrepreneurs. In addition to not feeling like she had the financial resources to be an entrepreneur, Marisol lacked confidence in herself. She’s shy and usually finds it difficult to approach people.
“I have never really truly believed in myself. Therefore I have held back and have become the biggest thing keeping me from reaching my goals.”
The support she has received from Sky’s the Limit motivates Marisol to keep going. Knowing that the Sky’s the Limit community—especially her mentor Thomas Kennedy, founder of Art Eco Village, who gives “awesome tools and tips”—believes in her business vision has given Marisol the confidence to open up her company to customers. Marihaze launched in July 2020, and since then, it has reached several business milestones including designing a product, making a website, and having its first customer.
Blossoming into her true self
Joining Year Up helped Marisol begin to believe in herself, and when it came time to crystalize her entrepreneurship dreams, she knew just where to start. Drawing on her artistic nature, Marisol started Marihaze to make and sell smoking accessories. She always knew that making things with her hands would be the key to her success. Marihaze offers customized pipes, trays, lighters, etc. so that customers can always get exactly what they want—and Marisol gets to make her living doing the “crafty” things she loves.
Independence
For Marisol, owning her own business means someday being dependent only on herself. She wants to be able to do Marihaze full time and have the satisfaction of knowing that she is taking care of herself and her family. Indeed, her goals include being able to pay for her mom’s house and help her dad retire. She wants her parents, who came to the U.S. as immigrants, to be able to rest; after they’ve spent their lives working multiple jobs to support her, she wants to support them. Growing up in that environment has instilled in Marisol a strong work ethic and a desire to be financially independent.
“I want to create a business that can benefit so many people in more than one way, not just its customers but its employees, my family, and most importantly: me.”