Cruz does not only design clothes in her boutique, but at the same time she was starting to produce hot pepper products and jewelry such as earrings, rings and necklaces using products found on Tinian.
Inspired by the positive feedback from her products, Cruz ventured into developing more products using the island’s resources. As Tinian’s hot peppers became popular all over the globe, the demand for it went up and Cruz decided to quit her job at the bank. The economic crunch affected the sales at Cruz’s boutique so that she was forced to close it and concentrate on her hot pepper and gift and souvenir items business.
Cruz made the right decision. From a small shop in 1992, Cruz expanded and maintained her own pepper farms to keep up with the increasing demand in the market.
Susan’s Creations now carries the coconut soap with loofah; coconut soap with coconut oil, the best seller in all retail outlets; lemon grass soap; Chamorro Asiga, available in cherry, lemon, mango and tamarind flavors; gift items such as bumper stickers and magnets advertising the Tinian hot pepper; souvenir items from World War II such as the vintage Coca Cola bottle, local pieces of jewelry such as the Bojobo earrings and necklace; and the popular sea-glass necklace, a by-product of trash from the sea since the war years.
Susan’s Tinian Hot Pepper, available in powder form, has been making its way from the local shelves to different destinations all over the world.
Business secret
Cruz shares one business technique with other entrepreneurs who want to be successful in their different industries: product packaging and labeling.
“No matter how excellent your products are, if you don’t know how to present them with the right package and label, you cannot expect success,” Cruz said.
Over the years, she underwent several trial and errors as she experimented with packaging and labeling, from bottles to boxes for all her products before she finally found the designs that would attract the most number of customers.
“When you put your name on your product and you put your product on the shelves, make sure that you catch the attention of customers within the first two minutes, otherwise, you have lost them as customers,” Cruz said.
As much as possible, Cruz wants to make use of local products found on Tinian. Using resources indigenous to Tinian and fashioning them into a thing of beauty has helped Cruz and her staff put Tinian on the map, not only for its role in ending World War II but in making a name for the island as a place where trash becomes treasures in the form of high quality souvenir and gift items at reasonable prices.
For more information, visit www.susanscreations.com or email [email protected].
