Xiomara Rosa-Tedla

Xiomara has known since high school that she wanted to be in business. Her dad is a college professor that teaches political science and her mom is an attorney. So she’d often be in the presence of interesting and diverse conversations when colleagues of her parents would come over. It was during one of those conversations that she began to fall in love with the creative side of business.

All aspects of the creative process captured Xiomara’s attention. From communicating with the consumer to marketing and advertising, Xiomara wanted to know everything. With a seed already planted, she went on to be a business major for undergrad.

 Upon graduating, Xiomara secured a job at an ad agency. She realized that instead of focusing on simply promoting, it was also important to focus on the product and see things from the client perspective. Working in the bay area and being inspired by the owner of the company was an eye-opening experience for Xiomara that influenced her deeply for future endeavors. 

 Xiomara became a buyer for textiles after finishing school, and it was during this time that the idea for UnoEth came about. It started when Xiomara’s dad went to visit family in Ethiopia and came back with a couple of custom leather messenger bags. People kept asking about the bags. They were classic minimalistic bags which were hand made. For months she and her dad kept receiving compliments about the bags.

The excitement around the bags was enough that her dad approached her to start a company that sells the bags. It was a tough decision because Xiomara was working corporate, styling, and preparing to buy a house at the time. She objected initially, but he was consistent and eventually, they started UnoEth. Friends asked for pre-orders, they found an artisan, got samples, and submitted the first purchase order. Her dad went back to Ethiopia and came back with a plethora of suitcases full of bags. A photoshoot and a website later, UnoEth was live.

There was only one problem. Xiomara was still working full time. She was leaving the house at 7:45 am, getting back home at 6, then working on UnoEth from 7-10pm. On weekends, she’d do popups. She worked days straight with no breaks. Eventually, the hard work paid off. Online sales were getting high and local stores started approaching. Things were hectic juggling so much and Xiomara always craved living a life that she designed on her terms. With 6 months of savings, she stepped away from corporate life and hasn’t looked back since. It’s been 3 years.

Xiomara began adjusting to a new lifestyle. With a corporate job, there was a structure. She now had the freedom to create her schedule. She had to give up certain things to be consistent with UnoEth. She learned on the fly that sticking to a budget was a major key. She knew that when you make a decision, the universe will test you to see how bad you want it. So learning importing, trademarking, packaging, and logistics were some of the tests she had to pass to keep the company successful.

One thing Xiomara valued at the time was mentorship. She knew the difficulty of trying to do something alone versus with an experienced guide. Xiomara found it easy to follow in the steps of someone successful. She stressed the importance of having a good mentor to bounce ideas off of or seek counsel. Combined with Xiomara’s tenacity and attention to detail, there is no surprise UnoEth is still thriving.

Today, Xiomara envisions that UnoEth will be a global brand that partners with artisans all over the world. UnoEth will assist in artisans starting or sustaining their businesses

We asked Xiomara what her “why” was. She mentioned that her “why” was her parents. She wants to take care of them the same way they took care of her. Xiomara would love to see UnoEth get to the point where it runs itself. She’d also like to be involved in philanthropy or any other projects that allow her to give back more.

Xiomara was asked if there is any piece of advice she’d give to anyone who’s looking up to her and wants to do similar work. She spoke thoroughly about how fear isn’t real. In the past, she was paralyzed by fear and anxiety. She created false realities in her head because of fear. Xiomara acknowledged that fear becomes the reason why a lot of people don’t go after their dreams. If you want to do something, she suggested writing it down so you can brainstorm and strategize. Xiomara would tell anyone to get through the fear and chase their dreams because they’ll never know what’s on the other side of that fear.