Entrepreneurial Minds checks in on Panama with its thirteenth episode, where we speak with Soledad Duran, an artist and owner of Black Cat Tienda. She runs this art shop together in Bocas Del Toro, with her partner Nicolas Vashe. Soledad shares with us all about working with your business partner who is also your life partner, what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and the process of finding your distinct style. Join us for conversations about choosing your journey, finding a place to start a business, and sharing stories from around the world.
Entrepreneurial Minds checks in on Panama with its thirteenth episode, where we speak with Soledad Duran, an artist and owner of Black Cat Tienda. She runs this art shop together in Bocas Del Toro, with her partner Nicolas Vashe. Soledad shares with us all about working with your business partner who is also your life partner, what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and the process of finding your distinct style. Join us for conversations about choosing your journey, finding a place to start a business, and sharing stories from around the world.
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welcome to entrepreneurial mines. I'm Valerie Donahue and on this podcast will travel around the world to learn everything that we can about individuals, which was too greedy. Businesses from scratch. We'll dive into what drives them. What stops them and would inspire some in order to identify. Are there common factors that unite us as entrepreneurs across continents? Here's your next episode. So we're in a beautiful art shop in Bocas del Toro with Salida Deron, an artist and owner of Black Cat Art Shop, together with her partner, Nikolas Wash. Sorry Dot is originally from Argentina and has been living in Bocas del Toro for eight years. I don't blame you for choosing this beautiful location as your home and thank you so much for having me. So leave that just to start. Can you tell me why did you choose Book us?
spk_1: 0:58
Thank you. Bogus because nickel Nicholas A. Joe's Broca's 10 years ago because he have ah, good friend living here for 20 year, originally from Arkadina also well, he coming to visit her for his friend on in love with the place. Then I am in love with Nica coming for my love
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and what is it like to be an artist here? Invokes the Toto.
spk_1: 1:31
I don't know what what is feeling. Another place because my life are this Is born here really born here? No. I start in Argentina. Study some art classes. But no, I don't have the time to living like our thesis Or take my time for real work like an artist. Just a few Holly's things, but shows more Moya's Mourners. Uh, then I come in here and start toe really life like artists. So it's feel like, uh, new new life
spk_0: 2:13
for me. So tell me a little bit about how you got started. What did it take from when you just moved here and just had it in your mind? You know that you were starting out to having this shop and having s so many pieces.
spk_1: 2:29
The first thing is, when we started magus adoro both working in restaurants. So nothing about art? No, but we working We working for a few years on a then we start to think toe have or own, bro. Shit. So we're thinking okay. Were we feel like artists. So we want to make something with art. No eso, no we need a star because gift shops it's okay for selling some crafting. We kind of crafting. Okay, So I started thinking with what we can do No crafting some clothing than some sticker. Some small things now on E. I have ah like a one year start to paint a painting on. Then Nicole, tell me what? Why? We don't try to sell in your art. Also your artwork, I say no. Nobody wantto buy that Nicosia dry dry on the people started to buy my church a little So I'm so impressing on start painting more and more and more And then it's my life painting on Make the craft on Take my home like a day earlier Now
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when do you feel most inspired to paint and to be creative
spk_1: 4:05
Never know you never know something's coming Leggo the herring You're on the heaven off inspiration And then the inspiration going and you want Thio Sometimes I am so the braces with when I don't have the inspiration with
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me. So where do you think inspiration for creativity comes from?
spk_1: 4:29
From a mind. Okay, I surely do and take the feelings off the people looking the people or not looking. The people take my time with myself by thinking about the society and the people A out to the society. Because here is like we have Ah, because society, Caribbean. But also we have ah mixed phone on the war society and my neighbor My next door deliveries from California The in front I have ah, Russian people a one blogged Spanish people. So we are a big mix so you can see the different off culture and also and the people missed his family. So So really group off friends off for all the life. So coming here to start again on you never know who is that people? What we one is sweet story a visit So you got a machine But you don't know On you see the same people living here every time you It's a small town. So you the people living here always are on the street on you Say hi to the same people maybe every day. So you thinking I know he but you don't know. So you can imagine that is my inspiration.
spk_0: 6:07
So I know that you were your business partner is also your significant other can you
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tell me
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what it's like to work together? And how do you guys keep your business and your personal lives separate?
spk_1: 6:19
Uh huh. Well, um I don't know if separate, I think is that my my relationship a working best? Because we working together also because we we have a passion. Which air we think black cut for us is like a baby. We don't have babies also, because we don't want kids. Just bets on, um, for us is or or passion really to create a the concept. They are the ideas we working together, toe. I don't know. Last two days, Agos Ah, a girl coming with a lot off. But Chitra by Tito is a small kind of mosquito mosquito here. Andi white people have big problems here on the Gary vehicles. When the Chitra bite you, you have Maybe the problem on your scheme for one week or something like that is very well, So a client coming and she wasa bread ready. They things on the skin for around all the valley. So I say and we're talking about that on I say Okay, you inspire me. I want to make a sticker with something choking with the ci tras like a held He drags on, drawing something somebody with red things on the value. So this great So I called me gone and a I want to do that and he say, Oh, that is a good idea. Yes, so we started. They're working in that stupid idea, but we ensure that a lot is Sometimes we are the dinner together, talking about how is the next idea for something new?
spk_0: 8:30
So what's the secret of of having a successful partnership in relationship to
spk_1: 8:36
the secret? I don't know. It's love, it's always about, and I'm found something for sharing to connect with the other.
spk_0: 8:47
So one thing you have here in the shop is you have some shirts here that have the slogan I'm lazy and I know it. Um, how do you fight the island, Vives, and manage to be a business owner in this place?
spk_1: 9:05
Okay, we're lazy or so we make it. We working hard every day, obviously, or life is about working on the story in the high seas, and it's open every day. So we work in a lot, but a and we don't come into work in the mornings area. Just a take. Think time to relax on home. I'm also we have us load leaving our or back garden in three a slob and see a real one. I magic because it's not mine or shows living there. So we take time on home with or is Lord Lacey life this much again? That's amazing. Maybe if we're living on the city, we need to open the store and every day on the morning, Or or clients waas angry with us when it's different on the tracing. If you're on the make the regular hours, they are angry with you because you have a better life. Maybe you don't deserve my morning, but here it's okay. You can do it.
spk_0: 10:18
So this is your first time running a store and running a business. What lessons have you learned from running this shop?
spk_1: 10:26
I work in and shops at all my life? That is, they're the real thing's Niko Know Nico is the first the time working in a shop. I learned that my husband is a really good is workers. He is the best one on the shop. He have us so good energy with the people if I selling to thing he selling maybe 10 in the same thing. I have experience with the shop on dhe shows. A. I learned about the tourist clients that waas so different because I have to read a client for around the war on DATs mean you don't work just with the same kind off customers. Some cost song tourists is not for my store. They don't understand the concept on some other people. Come in and say wow, that is this New England? Yes, like you. So you don't shy a found your own? A customer's know this
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special How do you promote your work? How do you promote your business?
spk_1: 11:45
Were special wear different our love Um creative. Full color, Full color, That is for me. It's all about like God, if you come into Mr you, you wanna may see your mining full color
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star And do you use any tools or do you do any advertising? Obviously you have. You have the store and that's when people see it. They walk in. Is there a place for people to find you online? Or how do you OK, if you want to grow your business. Are you doing any activity to make it grow? Well,
spk_1: 12:26
we are lazy s. So we're so happy working shows with black cat on a bogus and daughter. But we have obviously instagram a cold for black cut and also for my art. So you can see and showing my return online for Instagram or Facebook.
spk_0: 12:48
What do you see for black cat in five or 10 20 years? What is your But is your goals and your plans?
spk_1: 12:58
I don't have planes for 20 years. I mean, I don't know. Maybe like caddies. I sometimes I dreaming with Europe on dhe, maybe married. It's a nice place to like, if I go nothing in black cats. No, but if I go not thinking me, I can not think in the more years if the president is important No, no, Gino's
spk_0: 13:28
Yeah, I could understand that. Um do you think it takes a particular kind of person to become a business owner?
spk_1: 13:40
Yes, I think I learned about store. No, when a business is like a start, just okay. I learned a lot on the working always in store and that is my my work. A I don't wantto working in a bank or nothing. And also, uh but I am sure you working in Maya Tellier more than the store. The store worker is my husband. I show my earlier more than this talk
spk_0: 14:19
and tell me a little bit more about that is you sew clothes are
spk_1: 14:23
no es my worker for the sewing clothes? Yeah, a close Yeah, it's a cellular. Sally eyes from here She's really good lady. A stronger woman. Indian woman she six When fi sons on Also three daughters grant guns grandsons on She's the the stronger the boss off the family and she's single off. She had a big history you can imagine on DSO She worked with the widows for a long time. And so, in the clothing for black Cat I designed the styles and she make that possible on dhe she coming work Tow my dear toward three times on the week saying two times in the week
spk_0: 15:28
tell me about the inspiration behind the name Black Cat
spk_1: 15:33
Oh God! Eyes Well, you always tried to find my nicoise a graphic designer So he knows about what names working Waas was not That is they. He's starting to know that. So Black goddess, Easy name to remember that is one of the recent. But then they For me, the most important blackguard is our rocket style cut Were the rugged style people living on the Caribbean. Nice land when everybody's surfing style we're rugged style on dhe also were choking. We want something to choking. No, Like God, all the people say black cat is bad like on we want to change where the rule So were the art of on the Caribbean a Islam. We are the black cat. Good
spk_0: 16:31
luck. Do you have any cats
spk_1: 16:33
at home? No way. Have to Mason. That's my victor. I have a tee. Woah, He's so lovely. It's like a cattles. But my big dog is lovelier so that he hates Freeh. Eight
spk_0: 16:50
eyes. Do you have any, um, young artists or people who want to start a business coming to you and asking you for your advice?
spk_1: 17:05
Cc internally, I think. You know, uh, quite anemic on six.
spk_0: 17:13
So someone has just become trying to become an artist. They're living here in focus, and they want to do what you're doing. Is anyone asking you? How did you do it. Give me some help.
spk_1: 17:26
I think you you need todo whether you and wait, I need my my my work singing lease my guards and something like unit toe Express your personality. If you are artist, you need to make your three a personality. You you know you need to make something different than the other ones. It's just that
spk_0: 17:56
how did you find your style right? Because what you have here, it's It's very particular. You can actually seat years and years of work, and it's it's all different, but you can actually tell that. It's like it's made by one artist. How did? And I think a lot of artists, especially in the beginning, or photographers, anyone doing something in the creative field and especially in the beginning, they have an idea. But it's hard to solidify your style. How did you how what was the evolution? What was How did you get here? To that? It's sold particular. It's super Laser. It's like it's really yours.
spk_1: 18:31
Okay, uh, Nico have a big art personality. He was a musician. You're good enough for a long time on. He have ah, big personality in a style and not also he he was on some magazines in our container for rugged style music and a It was a style for clothing on DDE. So a He had a big personality over Andi. I am I pushing my personality with Nico personality, But I think that there sense yeah, off black cod Is it waas? 70% nickel. Oh, go on then is mired obviously on my paintings is for me But all the concept 70% is speaker
spk_0: 19:34
So how did the work from you know from the beginning off starting black cat to now How did the work changed The style change off of the pieces that you're creating
spk_1: 19:45
when we start which was thinking about the craft thinks store on Also we are thinking selling crafting for other Indian people difficult from Panama Andi we start to thinking how more we can't go on start to put a little more color Little for me It's all about the corner We put more color, color, color and everything happened And when we started like God waas the same size because it's a small show so small but way have a lot of space. No, it's just a few clothes, the fi color clothing. That way, I'm fi beginnings that way. And some grafting that wave through two or three painting for me. That way on for the design of the stickers on now we have, like, 30 the sign off the stickers, All the stories full of things. Yes. Oh, grow a look.
spk_0: 20:50
Yeah. No, it's been my pleasure, Sonny, that Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to meet you. It was a pleasure to interact with your product on. He was just so just even sitting here with you. Like in the style of what it is like. I feel like I'm in an art gallery. I'm really, like, Just like such a good thing. This is just such a good space. And thank you for creating this.
spk_1: 21:11
Oh, give someone. Thank you. Nice to meet you, Olivia.
spk_0: 21:14
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