We had the good fortune of connecting with Dina Cintura and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Dina, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The single most important decision I made that greatly contributed to the success of my now established woman owned and operated business, was to completely trust in my tenacity and my ability to fully commit without fear or shame at potential failure. In the first year of business I felt as though I was walking a tight rope with no safety net. It was terrifying at times. But the terror bled in to excitement, which in turn bled in to routine, which then turned to a shade of my new normal.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a worker. I started working when I was 14 years old with a fake id to say I was 16! I left home at such an early age and pursued a life full of art and adventure. I lived in the bright and colorful shadow of society. I refused to conform to the shape of the average American woman. I zigzagged the country like a demented nascar driver going from farm job to farm job. These temporary gigs are not easy and very unwanted jobs in the eyes of most. Around the time I was 30 I decided to become a structural welder. I did that. I worked in a steel mill with big smelly rascist old men. It was horrible but thank goodness temporary. This was my gateway to the shiny world of professionalism. Working at the steel mill I learned so much about hand shaking and navigating all these beaurocratic seas I never thought I would find myself in. The steelworkers union gave me a new take on life. It let me be a working part of society for the first time. I stepped in to the light and I liked it. After some years of that I decided to start a business. I really wanted to find a compromise between being myself, being financially stable and doing something remotely artful.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shout out to Danil Khutorianskii. He immigrated from Russia around 10 years ago. He started out selling mattresses on craigslist and is now the owner of a very well known, highly regarded sign shop. He is the definition of a self made man. He basically taught me how to be an American! I am forever grateful to him for his companionship, humor and love.
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