Meet Jessica Munoz | Business Owner/ Creative Artist

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

Hi Jessica, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Never give up on your dreams! As cheesy as it sounds, I believe I was born to be creative. This passion for DIY has been a part of me for so long. Little by little, I would play around with different mediums and was so obsessed with making themed decor. I started daydreaming about making things in college classes and later when I began working 9-5. I would find time during the weekends to get creative and it never seemed like enough time. This passion and dream to keep creating kept growing and I finally decided to listen to what I really wanted, which was to be creative full time.

I can truly say that I’ve never felt so in my element and that I no longer have the Sunday scaries or Monday blues. I am doing what I love on the daily, and it feels so good. Though the highs have been amazing, not every week or month have been profitable and that’s not a great feeling. I’ve definitely felt like giving up a few times, wondering if this is just a silly obsession. When I feel like giving up, it’s my intuition telling me to pivot, to take mistakes as a learning curve, to keep growing and never stop going after what I want. The dream remains: to have financial freedom doing what I love. For me that’s making pretty things daily.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Sips and Soirees specializes in custom laser cut party decor. I like to engulf myself and research a theme before putting my designs together. I want to be able to transport my customers into the fantasy of the theme. I’d like to say that’s what sets me apart. I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to pay my bills with the creative work I do, and that my business is consistently growing. It definitely has not been an easy ride running my business. A big struggle was putting this dream off for years, not listening to my intuition to go after my dreams and lastly deciding to leave my 9 to 5 with no certainty if this would work out for me. Another big struggle has been finding my clientele and finally feeling worthy enough to charge the prices I know my work is worth.
I’d like for others to know that I pour myself into every order. I absolutely love getting to be creative every day and that I see “Sips & Soirees” as the biggest expression of love to myself. I hope I can inspire others to tap into their creativity and talents and to believe in themselves enough to chase after their dreams, as unrealistic as it may seem at first.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s all about the food, handcrafted cocktails, and music! A favorite of mine is “La Cha Cha Cha” for dinner and cocktails, the carnitas are amazing. Another must try, is dinner at “Met Him at a Bar,” you have to try their lemon donuts and the Cacio e Pepe. For cocktails, some of my favorite bars in the city are “The Varnish” and “Apotheke.” Enjoying a concert in the city is always a good time and Karaoke in Little Tokyo is another personal favorite. I recently had the opportunity to watch one of my favorite artists perform at “Verse LA,” an intimate restaurant with amazing food and cocktails. The acoustics in there are insane!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am lucky to say that my family and friends have been supportive along the way. I especially want to dedicate this shoutout to my parents. My dad is a business owner himself and has shared tips and stories on how he grew his business. He is my role model and is the success story I hope to become. I’ve seen him work so hard throughout his life and have also seen how lucrative running a business can be. He’s really given me the perspective that if he can do it, then I can do it too! I’d also like to shoutout my mom. She is so selfless and will be my helping hands when I cannot manually produce more on my own. Thank you mom & dad, ILY!!!

Instagram: Instagram.com/sipsandsoirees

Other: New business venture: Instagram.com/sipsandsoirees_weddings