Entrepreneurship at ASFM

Arnulfo Treviño, Valeria Quintana, Raquel Jaime and Daniel Mota are young examples of how a small idea can turn into a life-changing project.

Arnulfo Treviño - Nuttvia

Arnulfo Treviño, a senior commonly referred to as ‘Iracheta’ and rarely by his original name, has unexpectedly discovered a healthier alternative to the famous hazelnut spread, Nutella.

His journey began with Instagram’s explore. During the summer of 2017, Treviño stumbled upon the product that could become the new Nutella. “I was browsing Instagram when I found Nuttvia. What struck me the most was the difference of sugar level it has compared to Nutella” (97 percent less). After a period of research and realizing that the product was then unattainable in Mexico, Fufo made it his mission to bring it to his community.

“I showed my dad the product and he concurred that it was interesting and worth investigating. An aunt bought me a jar of Nuttvia from overseas and after tasting it I knew that it had the potential to be a hit domestically.”

After contacting the company via email expressing his interest in exporting Nuttvia to Mexico, they agreed that the product would succeed in the country. After several negotiations, the owners were invited to evaluate the market opportunity. “The heads of the product came in November and I gave them a tour of the city, focusing on the supermarkets where it could be sold,” Arnulfo mentioned. “The Australians had a positive impression to the extent where they wanted to expand not only in Monterrey but in all of Mexico.”

Following the approval from executives, Arnulfo sought to investigate potential business associates and points of sale. “After struggling with a first associate, @gus.marcos, a local blogger with great connections in social media contacted us and was interested in becoming a partner.” Gustavo Marcos, who is married to Andy Benavides’s cousin, another famous “influencer”, induced other bloggers from cities like San Luis and Ciudad Victoria who also wanted to sell Nuttvia.

Treviño commented on what the next steps are: “Our focus is to expand and sell the different Nuttvia products on distinct supermarkets all around the country. For now, we sell at One Gym, Super Mode, HEB, Soriana, and Super Roma,” Treviño commented.

With three months of sales, Arnulfo’s discovery  is currently sold in San Luis, Torreon, Saltillo, Ciudad Victoria, Villahermosa, León, and Monterrey.

Valeria Quintana - xile.chile

Valeria Quintana, 11th grader, launched her business Xile.Chile in February, 2018. It all started in her friend’s kitchen where they were brainstorming different ways in which they could become financially independent. “We wanted to gain money and to create something different.” After long conversations, they decided Skittles with chile was something they wanted to try out. “The next day we went to HEB and tried different ways in which we could make the chile stick, but it took a very long time. After four weeks of prototypes, we found the correct combination.”

The junior stated that what excited her was to share the idea with her community. “Watching people’s positive reaction towards the product is very satisfying.” Valeria has big dreams for the future, she plans on continuing this business and adding more products.

Daniel Mota - Mous Cases

10th grader Daniel Mota inaugurated his iPhone case business on September of 2017. “I was on Instagram, saw an ad, and started investigating if anyone in Monterrey was selling them.”

He contacted Mous Cases, a startup based in London, via email. They produce the covers, which are later shipped to Mexico. He claims nothing inspired him, he simply saw an opportunity to make money and took it. Mota expressed that his father was a huge help in the process of setting up the company. “In the future, I want to keep expanding [the business], I already have a solid base in Monterrey, but I want to keep growing in other places as well.” He acknowledges that businesses like iPhone covers are temporary and thrive only when they are trending. His mentality is not to sell and stop working when the cases are sold out, but rather continue this project and see what he can make of it.

Raquel Jaime - Ink.

Raquel Jaime, 10th grader, began her own calligraphy and design business, (ink.), last month. Her story, however, began on December of 2017, barely a year before she began elaborating her business. She first stumbled upon calligraphy while browsing Instagram explore and became interested in the various designs that appeared. For more inspiration, she further explored this trend on other platforms such as Pinterest and Youtube. One day during class, she copied down a design that she liked, and after receiving compliments for her work, she continued practicing during and after school. Raquel later bought a calligraphy kit and other tools from Target, which taught her the proper way to write her creative handwriting. “My tools evolved from a simple ink pen, to a professional calligraphy pen, which took me some time to get used to,” she shared.

After receiving encouragement from friends and family, she began to see a business opportunity from her passion. Raquel’s proposal took around six months to be put into action. “I began with the Instagram and its layout, as well as the logo. Afterward, I began posting pictures of past projects that I had made, and before I knew it, people began asking me for orders.” Raquel also shared that although her creations are not time consuming, they do require dedication and skill which are hard to obtain. “I begin by looking at designs according to what the buyer asked me to do. I show my design to the buyer and make any final adjustments. I then trace it in pencil, and later in a professional pen. When I am done, I deliver the product.”

Raquel plans to expand her business in the future to include more products and be able to reach more audiences.

It is safe to say that the future of ASFM is in good hands. Bright minds with creative ideas roam these hallways every day with hunger for success. This shows the involvement in the community and the general trend of students who want to innovate and create their own products.