Meet Amilcar Cob | Owner & Founder of Cuadernica

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amilcar Cob and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amilcar, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
What started as a game, eventually turned into a business, sometimes when you have certain skills (unknown skills), all it takes is to believe in yourself and harness said abilities that life’s given you.
I was aware of all the factors involved in starting a business. In college, you’re taught the tools and theories, but in real life, it’s a challenge, you learn in every step and misstep. I understood the risks that would represent to take a leap.
Starting a business, is like walking through a path filled with uncertainty and unexpected challenges. Therefore many will attempt to initiate a commerce but only a few will see it through.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What started as a game, eventually turned into a business, sometimes when you have certain skills (unknown skills), all it takes is to believe in yourself and harness said abilities that life’s given you. In my case, during the last few months of college that I found myself needing to generate some extra income to cover the expenses that studying represented
I was aware of all the factors involved in starting a business. In college, you’re taught the tools and theories, but in real life, it’s a challenge, you learn in every step and misstep. I understood the risks that would represent to take a leap.
It wasn’t easy to face obstacles. But when there’s a will, there’s a way, pursuing your passions comes with consequences, but the obtained success is unmatched, especially when you try to enter a competitive market like the notebook market, like in my case. Having to constantly face uncertainty. I wasn’t sure if people would be willing to pay fair prices and that doubt, was quite a challenge. But once you realize that dreams can become true, fear starts to fade, taking risks becomes easier and everything feels more possible and easier.

The key factors to succeed in this tumultuous journey are:
– Discipline, change begins with discipline, waking up early to start your work routine, coming home and dedicating a fixed Schedule to your business, especially to the production process.
– Consistency, beyond discipline, there’s a profound desire to perfect my craft and skills, or at the very least, to achieve excellence.
-Finding the right balance, sometimes when you dive into your role as an entrepreneur, you start setting aside your social and personal life, but as you mature and learn in this process, delegating responsibilities helps you to have more time for yourself.
-Listening to your customers, thanks to them is that I achieved what Cuadernica has become today.

I’d love for people to know that the inspiration behind the notebooks, it’s more deeply connected to my roots. I grew up watching my mother and sisters doing cross-stitch embroidery. I never really had the desire or interest to do what they did — not until years later when I decided to start my own business.
Part of these roots are reflected in the designs of the notebooks, such as the ‘mestizos’ wearing their traditional outfits: The Yucatecan man dressed in white with a straw hat, a bandana tied at the waist, and ‘alpargatas’ (shoes made from cowhide and car tire soles); and the Yucatecan woman in her glamorous ‘hipil,’ covered with colorful embroidered designs. I also incorporate a bit of Yucatán’s native wildlife (birds) into the designs.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Yucatan is a warm land that will welcome you with open arms, a beautiful place filled with culture and history.
In Merida, you can explore the Historic Center, the Cathedral, Paseo de Montejo eating some delicious yucatecan food at the Mayan Gastronomy Museum, shopping crafts and fruit of the region at the Lucas de Gálvez market, watching the traditional Vaquerias and visiting the beautiful parks, such as the Santa Ana and Santiago park.

You can’t leave Yucatan without swimming in the cenotes, as the X’Kekekén or Suytun, visiting Valladolid and Izamal, seeing the stunning Mayan Ruins of Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Aké and Kabah, walking around a hacienda and going to the warm beaches as Chuburná, Sisal and Rio Lagartos or even seeing the flamingos at Celestun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would give recognition to my mother, Manuela Caamal, ever since I was a child, she always encouraged me to pursue the things I loved.
I’m deeply grateful for all the teachings she’s shared with me and my sisters, the traditional cross-stitch work. She taught us how to keep this tradition alive.
I also learnt the value that this arduous and intense labor deserves, changing the mentality of the Yucatecan artisans, motivating them to appreciate the value of the work they do with this type of embroidery.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/cuadernica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuadernica/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuadernica