Angela Ramiscal, a freshman at UT studying finance, has always found joy in making arts and crafts. For her parents’ anniversary last year, she made a floral arrangement. Now, she has her own company, Angelita Blooms LLC.
Angela Ramiscal’s inspiration throughout her entrepreneurial journey has always been her parents. Originally from the Philippines, her parents migrated to America looking to make a name for themselves. Angela Ramiscal’s father worked as a physical therapist before opening up his own gym, F.I.T., in New Jersey.
Seeing her father create his own success inspired Angela Ramiscal to do the same. With the encouragement of her family, friends and her dog Ziggy, she felt she had enough support to start Angelita Blooms LLC.
Lawrence Ramiscal, Angela’s father, explained that a parent’s biggest worry is that their child’s first focus isn’t school. When it comes to his daughter, he said that this is not the case.
“I’m so proud that she can juggle this,” Lawrence Ramiscal said. “We’re very proud of her being able to make sure that even though that plate is full, it’s not spilling out.”
What makes her business unique among other floral arrangements is the personability and hospitality. These two aspects Angela Ramiscal has incorporated into her business are something that she learned from her Filipino culture.
“Filipino culture is very personable and hospitable,” Lawrence Ramiscal said.
Each floral arrangement Angela Ramiscal designs is custom-made, accommodating their requests.
“There’s no one arrangement that she does the same,” Lawrence Ramiscal said.
Angela Ramiscal’s business focuses on three aspects — femininity, diversity and reliability. By incorporating these three aspects into her business, Angela Ramiscal finds that she can run a successful business that not only caters to her customers’ needs but also reflects her personal beliefs and experiences.
Growing up, Angela Ramiscal found herself indulging in femininity, but she found that others took this as a weakness and considered her less intelligent or superficial.
“Femininity doesn’t mean weakness,” Angela Ramiscal said. “A lot of people tend to associate the two, which is why it’s constantly important for me to show that just because I make pretty things or have a pretty page, doesn’t mean I’m any less independent or powerful as a woman or a business owner.”
Diversity to Angela Ramiscal is a big part of her company. Being able to communicate with different communities allows her to grow her outreach while making her customers feel appreciated. Angela Ramiscal speaks three languages — English, Spanish and Filipino — allowing her to communicate with her customers on a personal level.
Diversity for Angela Ramiscal not only means being able to communicate with all of her customers, but also having diversity in her work.
“I try not to limit myself to paper arrangements or the same folding style every single time,” Angela Ramiscal said. “I try to work with new flowers or I try to work with new colors and things like that.”
When it comes to reliability, Angela Ramiscal wants her customers to feel comfortable when requesting a bouquet from beginning to end. Reliability to her also means being affordable.
“I don’t want anybody to feel like they can’t get something pretty if they don’t have a lot of money to pay for it,” Angela Ramiscal said. “I always just tell them, you give me your budget, and I will work with your idea and with what you have.”
Angela Ramiscal is in the process of incorporating a nonprofit branch, Blooming Bright, into her business in hopes of expanding her reach. Blooming Bright will allow her to give back to a community that has shown her an abundance of support throughout her entrepreneurial journey.
Angelita Blooms LLC operates fully online through social media. Order requests are taken through direct messages, where Angela Ramiscal will note specific requests while also bringing her own creativity into the arrangement. When a customer orders their first bouquet, a bracelet and charm are attached. After the first bouquet, a charm will be given to add to the bracelet.
“After you get three charms, you get a discount for your next purchase,” Angela Ramiscal said.
This one-of-a-kind aspect of her business creates loyalty with her customers. Lawrence Ramiscal explains that he notices his daughter’s loyal customers, seeing the same faces coming to pick up their bouquets.
Angela Ramiscal hopes that her business will encourage other students to go out and create something of their own.
“You never know until you try,” Angela Ramiscal said. “I would rather at least try than never know what would have happened.”
