Born into a family of micro-entrepreneurs, Madile tells Balai in an interview how she decided to follow in her family's footsteps and start her own business, while at the same time dividing her routine with her work as an engineer at a port company.



The decision came about in December 2022 when the young woman took the initiative to make a centerpiece for her own use, as she has always had a taste for decorative items and has always had a knack for producing them.



Over time, Madile began to consider turning the initiative into a small business and decided to share her work on a profile she created on social media, which is now her main sales and promotion channel.



"After making my centerpiece, I started producing small gifts for some family and friends, and after a while I decided to share the photos of these gifts on a social media profile that I named Flor d' Canela," she says of the name she gave in reference to her peculiar taste for cinnamon, one of the raw materials she used to make her centerpiece.



In January 2023, with her profile active, the self-taught artisan took the risk of making her first ceramic piece, a pendant, as a gift for a friend who had just given birth and, as with her other products, also posted a photo of the piece on social media. She soon began to receive requests for similar pieces.



"The focus of Flor d'Canela is to produce ceramic pieces as well as stationery for gifts, which is why we call it an online gift store," she explains of the type of business she owns and says that all the pieces she produces are her own work.



To live up to the word entrepreneur, Madile personally takes care of all the processes involved in the business, including personalizing the gifts. She says she designs the products herself, and the only process in which she relies on partners is printing.



"In this respect, one of my main goals is to get the resources together to guarantee my own production of personalized diaries and notepads, so I can cut down on the waiting time I spend in stationery stores," she says.



Alongside her handiwork, Madile works as a renewable energy engineer, an aspect that was also influenced by her family background, as her grandfather owned a mechanic's workshop.



"My focus was to pursue a career as a mechanical engineer, but when it came to choosing a course I came across Renewable Energy Engineering and since I've always had a good environmental conscience I decided to study in the area," she explains about the choice she made in 2014 and which today coincides with her new path, since she advocates the practice of recycling in Flor d'Canela's work.



Although she has decided to take a chance on entrepreneurship and because she has only been in business for a year, Madile doesn't rule out the possibility of continuing in her current role, but she does share the intention of hiring third-party services if she opens a physical store, so that she can continue to make her contribution to engineering.



Until then, she continues as an engineer during the day and a micro-entrepreneur after work, since it is at night that she manages to find time to produce the pieces.



As a double-jobbing professional, Madile's watchwords are focus and resilience, as she believes it's necessary to be realistic about the different phases of life and business in order to remain aware of her ability to respond to demands.



This article was originally published on the  Balai Cabo Verde  platform  - Balai .