Meet Miné Esen of Anatolia Arts in Erie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miné Esen.

Miné, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am originally a software engineer, however, I am also a born entrepreneur. When I was a little kid, when my friends were playing with their dolls, I would buy things (could be sweaters, hair accessories, handbags, jewelry, etc.) from wholesalers and sell them on busy streets without my parents’ knowledge. Selling things on the street was not allowed by the government, so as soon as I see a police officer, I would grab my products and run :). For a kid to do that was unheard of. I had clients who looked for me on the streets. I had followers.

Then my brother and I manufactured women handbags and sold them at international trade shows. Even though I loved what I was doing, I wanted to have a college degree and had to quit my job.

After university, I decided to come to the U.S. to learn English and go to graduate school. When I got to Denver, I had only three cents in my pocket. I worked as a nanny for a few years and did a lot of odd jobs, too. With a little bit saved money and the help of a wonderful family whom I call “my American family”, I was able to finance my graduate school and studied Industrial and Systems Engineering here in Colorado. Following graduation, I started working as a software engineer at a large financial information company. I loved being in tech but I also love sales, being in front of customers. This burning desire to be in sales pushed me to open up my own business. That’s when Anatolia Arts became a reality. Anatolia Arts offers handcrafted, sterling silver, designer jewelry and we have retail and wholesale options. We have about 12 designers and they are all specialized in different techniques in jewelry making. It’s been less than two years and our products are already offered in seven states, from Florida to California. Operating my own business has been a treacherous journey, however, it is certainly fulfilling.

Has it been a smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is never a smooth road. I struggled a lot and still am. I don’t think it will ever stop. I started Anatolia Arts with very little capital. I knew I could sell anything but I didn’t know how to operate a business, including bookkeeping, photoshop, social media, photography, negotiation, customer service, etc.. There is just so much one person can do, but when you have limited capital, you HAVE to do everything on your own. Did I do a perfect job on all of them? Definitely not! But I tried and I think, I did fairly a good job on all of them. However, I found myself working at least 90 hours a week. I burnt out and started having nervous breakdowns. I had to re-evaluate my priorities and how I do business. Now, I still work quite a lot, however, I work smarter which helps me accomplish much more and I make sure to schedule off days. It is a work in progress and I am getting better and better at it with the help of my partner, Chris.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Anatolia Arts offers handcrafted, sterling silver, designer jewelry with deep historical and cultural heritage that resonates Byzantine, Ottoman and Istanbul today. We have 12 designers who are highly skilled and specialized in different jewelry making techniques. I am very proud of how quickly my team and I scaled up our business. In less than two years, our wholesale business expanded to seven states and we now have ongoing wholesale customers from Florida to California.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Denver has an amazing tribe of women entrepreneurs. When I am stuck, there is always someone I know that I can turn to. Aside from entrepreneurship, I love the 300 day sunshine we are getting here. As a Mediterranean woman, I am fueled by the sun. It would have been perfect if we had an ocean as well. 🙂

Contact Info:

• Address: Address 1:
  2745 Blue Sky Circle
  Unit 1-208
  Erie, CO 80516Address 2:
  15130 Chimney Rock Rd.
  Nathrop, CO 81236
• Website: anatoliaarts.com
• Phone: 7209856684
• Email: anatolia@anatoliaarts.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnatoliaArts
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatoliaarts

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