Magic Is Believing in Yourself and Making It Happen!

Walt Disney had an immense impact on both the entertainment industry and the popular culture of the 20th century, He created the first cartoons with synchronized sound, the first full-length animated feature film and the first theme park.

Disney did not have a happy childhood. He escaped his father’s brutality through drawing. With pen and ink, he created his own fantasy world where people were always happy.

He endured many struggles, beginning with the formation of an animation company in Kansas City in 1921. He made a deal with a distribution company in New York to ship them his cartoons and get paid six months down the road. He ended up being forced to dissolve his company, could not pay his rent and survived by eating dog food and cans of beans.

In 1927, MGM studios told Walt that the idea of a giant mouse on the screen would never work because it would terrify women. Today, Mickey Mouse is his most famous creation and a universally recognized icon. Disney’s magic continues to touch the lives of many generations to come, and is a genuine inspiration to me.

, “I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.”

-Walt Disney

When I was a young girl, I loved to draw. I was raised by an aunt and uncle who believed that children should be seen and not heard, so I spent the majority of my childhood in my room. I especially loved drawing people and animals. One develops an imagination in this environment, and I believe that somehow influenced me today.

I had developed a trademark name and had a manufacturer for my product. I was at a stage of my business that I needed a spokesperson. Not having enough money in my budget to hire one, I decided to create my own.

I envisioned a unique character that would represent the amazing tropical cocktail mix that I developed . . someone interesting and intriguing. That character would tell a story of the development of this product, how its distribution would spread throughout the US and the world. Her story would include traveling and experiences in tropical locales throughout the globe as she promoted her product. I knew that the future of advertising was telling a story!

In June of 2010, I created Senorita Limonita. I sat down at the table and drew her out in black and white. Fit and healthy, she represents a product that contains a plethora of healthy ingredients. Her intriguing and interesting look invites you to take a sip of her delicious drink! I immediately created her very own Facebook page, and she introduced herself as follows: “Hi, my name is Senorita Limonita. I developed the most delicious margarita mix on the planet. I will be sharing it with you soon!”

Early Stage Senorita Limonita

The thing I did not know was what lie ahead and the amazing impact this character would have on my life and the lives of others. I only knew one thing - she was going to make people happy all over the world!

Successful Products Improve People's Lives

If a company wants people to buy their products, they have to be passionate, alive and happy! There is truly no better feeling than improving the quality of people’s lives.

I knew, for a my brand to be successful and to enter a new market that was unfamiliar to me, I needed to offer premium quality and value. I wanted my cocktail mix to stand out and offer a noticeable difference to any other cocktail mix out there. My goal is to be an established player. I knew I had something, and it was going to be BIG. I knew there would be challenges, and to learn from them and continue to improve the product would be the difference between success and failure for me.

My next task was to find a manufacturer for my product. Not many stories about amazing products come out of Arizona, so I wanted to create one! My goal was to find a local company that could produce Senorita Limonita in the sunshine state!

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it” - Amelia Earhart

My first approach was with a national craft juice company in Tempe. Prior to my appointment, I sat outside in my car and watched several of the ingredients of my formula arrive by the truckload. Because of their fresh juices, I learned their products were required to be refrigerated. Knowing that cocktail mixes are not purchased in the refrigerated section of stores, I knew that was not going to work for me. Regardless, they were extremely helpful to me. As a registered FDA facility, they tested the acid level on the formula and said it was very well balanced -clearly the reason that it does not give consumers heartburn! They informed me that you cannot advertise a product as healthy because their is no real proof, but you can say that it is a healthy blend of sugar and acidity.

My next approach was to a private label co-packer and distributor of all natural, organic and kosher certified items in Phoenix. The owner seemed eager and anxious to be a part of the process, but he kept referring all communications to a salesman who would never return my phone call. My business advisers have told me NEVER pay for the development of a formula up front, and they refused to move forward unless I paid a sizeable amount of money to start formulation.

Having not found a manufacturer in my home state, I turned to the internet. My first run of product was made by a beverage development company in California. I must confess that, when you develop a product in your kitchen, it is WAY different than how it is made for mass production. The process begins with sending a sample to the manufacturer, they reverse engineer it, produce a sample in the chemical lab, and send it to you. They felt confident they could duplicate it in one or two attempts, but it was twelve, and took a total of four months to get it right!

The initial formulas sent to me for tasting were cheap and sugary, not at all like the fresh tasting, delicious concoction I had developed in the kitchen. I have had several companies tell me that it’s the hardest formula they have ever reverse engineered, and that’s a good thing for me!

It’s such an amazing cocktail mix, I knew others would try to copy it. Several have tried already with failed attempts. I know my strength - it's my brand - and that one day the Limonita would make people happy all over the world! I can't wait . . .

It Is the Courage to Continue That Counts!

You don’t have to be privileged or have things handed to you to be a success. Hard work, determination, and a positive spirit are the necessary ingredients to bootstrap your way out of poverty, off the streets and into the realm of millionaire or even billionaire.

Many highly successful entrepreneurs go through a personal transformation that involves resilience, drive and motivation that ultimately leads to success beyond their wildest dreams.

We were all somehow affected by The Great Recession. Officially lasting from December 2007-June 2009, it began with the bursting of an 8 trillion dollar housing bubble. Consumer spending and business investment dried up followed by massive job losses.

Many of us were in the “Turn and Burn” home phase. My former husband and I decided to build custom homes and sell them every two years to avoid capital gains. We had no idea how to do so, but we figured it out. The first one was constructed in Carefree, AZ, and things went amazingly well. It is still today a beautifully constructed home.

The second was built in prestigious Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ. It took 1-½ years to go through their strict design review process. Upon approval, we scrambled to build the house in a year, but it became apparent during the construction that it was too late. With the amount of money we were paying in mortgages monthly, we could have traveled the world. Upon completion, we were forced to short sale the home for $250,000 less than it cost to build it!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

-Winston Churchill

Our custom home lot in Cave Creek was foreclosed upon, followed by divorce and bankruptcy. I lived in the Carefree home for a year and a half by myself going a full 2-½ years without making a single mortgage payment. A really nice gentleman from the bank came by occasionally to see how I was doing. There were so many abandoned homes, they preferred that someone was at least in the house taking care of it. I remained there until they kicked me out.

I knew I had to totally re-invent myself. I decided I wasn’t going to work for someone else. I wanted to travel the world - all I needed was a laptop computer.

I figured I needed to create some sort of website to make this happen, and, I began thinking . . . . what was my claim to fame? It was this drink I created. I formed a corporation in April of 2010, and I went to work.

Have Blender, Will Travel!

Years ago, my friends and I were drinking margaritas and EVERYONE was complaining of the same thing - and that was heartburn, including me! I made the decision they tasted so good on a hot Arizona summer that I would create a margarita that did not do that to you.

I diligently spent three and a half months on this project. I blew up three $100 blenders in the process. It was a really fun summer, by the way! :) One day, I ran out of some of the fruits I was experimenting with and used some things I had on hand. I mixed it up, gave it to people to taste and witnessed something I had never seen before!

People’s faces lit up when they drank it - their responses were the same!

“It’s DELICIOUS, SMOOTH, and REFRESHING!”

“I FEEL LIKE I’M ON VACATION!”

“I FEEL LIKE I’M IN THE TROPICS!”

It became my personal claim to fame!

I became very popular at parties and had my blender with me wherever I went! I mixed and served my margarita concoction and listened to people's demands that I market this flavor to stores for all to enjoy. My background is graphic design, sales and marketing. I knew nothing about getting a beverage to market, so I continued to mix drinks and make people happy. Little did I know what the future held for me!

My Story Begins!

Today is a momentous day for me! I very much want to share my amazing journey from the very beginning, but first I want to congratulate Mads Vouzalis of Vouzalis Design for my new website and an outstanding job! In June of 2010, I created the original website myself using templates, but this is the first time I had a professional perform the task. It has been a pleasure to work with him, and I highly recommend his services.

Since the development of Senorita Limonita, I’ve learned about and taken on many areas such as marketing, inventory management, sales, distribution and customer service. I especially love the online world  - it’s set up for success!

Please feel free to check out the site!

http://www.senoritalimonita.com

I also want to congratulate Joe Pier Photography for a tropical and inviting home page photo. It looks especially great on the phone! Like my amazing Tropical Cocktail Mix, it definitely has the wow factor! Countless people are telling me they get thirsty just looking at it!

I am fortunate to have a multitude of positive energy people surrounding me in my journey, and I will sharing my experiences with them all!