Editor’s note: This story was supposed to be exclusive to our subscribers, but as a contribution to those who aspire to undertake and improve the country’s economy, we offer it open to all our audience.

Steven Lascano took every step in his life very seriously. More than seven years ago, he designed a university project for Marketing international in Guayaquil. And the goal was to choose an Ecuadorian product and give it added value.

Created a business plan that included export citron and toquilla straw hats, the latter an element that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012. Lascano wanted these hats to have a different style and he ordered them to be painted as cherry trees and koi fish, characteristic of Japanese culture.

“The project was successful and my teacher asked me if she could buy me hats, and many of my classmates also wanted to have personalized hats, then I came up with the idea of ​​turning it into a project and With the 800 dollars I saved, I went to Cuenca to buy hats. toquilla straw, and that’s how Solaz started,” says Lascano, 31.

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That first purchase was ideal and caused more optimism in Lascano, but months later there was uncertainty, especially since it was not clear which audience to target. “In the first months, we had a lot of uncertainty because we still didn’t know who (our clients) would be.” However, we had to do a production for the beach and that helped us get leads. Except, We started visiting many fairs or markets in Guayaquil promote yourself and thus, little by little, be exposed”, says Lascano and recalls that his clientele was family, friends and three new customers a month.

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During the first anniversary, they achieved moderate growth because Lascano was still in college. Later, in 2017, he strengthened Solaz’s presence at business fairs and advertising on social networks. This scope made the multinational company get its hat.

“It was for the campaign Marketing, that the customer wore a personalized cap of our brand to purchase the product. We were in all the supermarkets of the national chain and it was a complete hit. More than 1,000 hats were made, although the contract was only for 650, and thus the growth of the brand was exponential,” says Lascano, an international business engineer.

Solaz employs three artists, in charge of capturing the tastes of clients. Photo: Alexandra Casulo.

Thanks to this large income, In 2019, the entrepreneur opened a store north of Guayaquil and already during the pandemic they managed to export. Now the hats are in store in Miami. But then COVID-19 slowed them down. “During the pandemic, we were very affected because our product is not essential, but luxurious. For Mother’s Day (2020), we were able to manage sales within Guayaquil and deliveries to certain cities. There were more than 200 hats that helped us. After the birth, we were able to return to our shop. The sale went little by little, but with a new plan Marketing aimed specifically at foreigners to sell it as souvenir 100% Ecuadorian, sales are back to their equilibrium point,” says Lascano excitedly.

Since then, the business has been maintained and he sells between 300 and 400 hats per month. It has two models: the citron one costs $15 and the personalized one: $25. A Toquilla one costs $40 without a design, and a personalized one costs $55. In addition to their store, they also sell to a cruise ship in the Galapagos and ship up to 150 products without designs every three months.

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Local artists are behind the hats with designs like the Ecuadorian flag, flowers, phrases, names, faces and even pets. They draw and paint the clients’ tastes with a lot of dedication. Sometimes they take an hour or more, depending on the complexity of the design.

“The biggest success of Solaz was the sale of more than 1,500 hats, which made the brand more visible,” says Lascano, who points out that the website www.solazstore.com is also in high demand. “Customers from abroad order us a lot, especially from the United States and Spain. We are thrilled when customers send us photos of their travels and see how our hats travel the world. It fills me with pride because a part of you is someone who uses it, that’s the greatest pleasure an entrepreneur can have”, says the owner of Solaz.

When Lascano looks back on his life seven years ago, those complex moments come to mind. “Entrepreneurship is a big challenge, you have to be constant, knock on many doors, sometimes you hear no or you don’t take the product you want to launch seriously. Now it’s easier because you have social networks, which are very important when it comes to selling and displaying products. In addition, there is an increasing openness towards entrepreneurs with loans and help from some public and private organizations,” says Lascano.

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And with that in mind, he suggests to those who have or don’t have a job to be steady and patient in life. “This is a job that requires dedication, many times there are obstacles, but when we face them the reward is what makes us love this job. And above all, let no one overestimate the capacities you have”, says the young man.

The aspiration of the successful entrepreneur is to add more stores: one more in Guayaquil and the first in Quito. “As we say in the store, no one can leave without a Solaz that represents Ecuadorian art and tradition,” Lascano points out.