Best friends create small business amidst pandemic

Productivity varies from person to person. Some people like to read, draw, do sports, or even start their own business. That’s the case for two UTRGV students who have used their free time to create their small business amidst the coronavirus.  

Kazzandra Meza a junior biology major and Lupita Martinez a senior business management major learned to use the current pandemic to their advantage. By having more free time, creativity, and inspiration, they decided to change their lives by starting a business together.  

These two friends met two years ago during UTRGV’S cheerleading tryouts and there was an instant click. Having the same interests and ambitions, these young businesswomen have taken a new step to improve themselves and their community. 

“Ever since we met we would joke around about starting a business together,” Martinez said. “We always kind of had that … thought. We always kind of agreed with each other’s ideas.”  

Although their products vary, their predominant sales come from school tops. Using each other’s creativity to create unique designs, 2TIME has become a successful small business in the RGV.  

However, it didn’t use to be like that before. A year ago, Kazzandra and Lupita had tried opening up an online thrift shop. By picking clothes and reselling them, the shop’s name was 2TIME. It symbolizes a person’s second time using second-hand clothing. 

“When we decided to switch over this new business, we decided to keep the name … because there’s two of us,” Martinez said. “I feel like the name was really catchy and it was true to us because we worked really hard coming up with a logo, coming up with a name. You know there’s two of us as we are always going to be together.” 

Their business’s goal is to create a positive shopping environment for women in the community. They are proud to be part of the Latina community and they want girls to be creative and fearless through fashion and clothing. They are focused on finding products for their customers and not customers for their products.   

“I think spirit connection is … close to us because I feel like in this area … we don’t see a lot of school pride,” Meza said. “So, when we put out these shirts, everybody was buying them and we were like wow, like people really are interested … they want to show their school pride.” 

Martinez and Meza said that the quarantine has inspired them to be more creative since they have more free time to be risky. They say that when designing a shirt, they both combine their ideas and creativity to create something unique.  

The two friends also try their best to accommodate their customers ‘ needs as they believe that customer service is an essential part of growing a business. They like to have a friendship with their customers and support them in any way they can, they take an extra step by rarely denying a request from their customers.  

“We try to accommodate as much as we can, and we want to keep our customers happy,” said Meza. “I’ve learned that it’s very important to take care of our customers and it’s very efficient.”  

Martinez and Meza say that 2TIME has very unique designs and that they like for their customers to feel comfortable with what they wear. They believe that customers can see their hard work through their designs and that’s why people like to buy with them. 

As they started with their business, their lives have changed. Between work, school, and managing their business, Martinez and Meza have been awfully busy. However, they are very grateful for the number of orders they receive.  

By opening their business, they have realized that there’s a lot that goes into opening up a small business such as customer service, marketing, selling, and product design. Even when they have difficulties, they learned to overcome them and learn from their mistakes.  

“If you are going to start a business it should be something that you love, that you are passionate about,” said Martinez. “We love working and we love giving, we like our community to be unique.” 

They say that supporting small businesses is important and they encourage everyone to support their local businesses.  

“Supporting a small business … is the best way to go because you are building relationships,” said Martinez. “You are helping people in your community sustain themselves.” 

Now they encourage other young entrepreneurs who will want to start their own business.  

“Try to be genuine and authentic … that’s the best advice I could give,” said Meza. “Try to have a vision, a vision for the people that you are selling.” 

2TIME has the long–term dream of one day opening their physical store but as of now they will like to collaborate with local stores and keep reaching out to as many people as they can.  

For more information about 2TIME visit their Instagram @2_timee or visit their webpage at www.2time.shop.