How Mija Échele Ganas Came to Be

By Sophia Navarro

“Mija Échale Ganas” are words of encouragement most daughters hear from their parents in Mexican-American households. Leslie Aguilera, a University of Texas student, decided to convert these words into a whole brand.

Aguilera was in her junior year of college when she decided to make her own coffee cup. She used her Cricut machine to print out the saying “Mija Échale Ganas” onto a clear glass cup with a lid. After the cup made an appearance during one of her classes, friends of her’s began to ask her where she got it. And that’s were the idea behind the brand “Mija Échale Ganas” came about.

Hand crafting and designing every cup, Aguilera began to sell them on Etsy and at local Austin markets, such as Frida Friday’s. But then her friend told her about an even bigger opportunity and she applied to be part of the Student Business Empowerment Initiative at the University Co-Op.

The initiative partners with the University Co-Op to support and amplify student-owned businesses and artists by offering them a chance to sell their wares in the store. After applying, Aguilera was one of the few business who won and now has her goods sold at the Co-Op.

After thelaunch, her products sold out almost immediately and she quickly had to restock. Currently her products are still on display inside the store.