Lila Limon of Squeeze De Citron: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be thoughtful about your sales channels. We create in-house designs with artisanal products. I’m originally from Mexico and I had to sadly block all my channels from Mexico, along with China and Canada due to the high amount of knock off designs and products.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lila Limon.
Lila Limon is the owner and Creative Director of luxury women’s handbag brand, Squeeze De Citron. The brand fuses together culture and ethnicity in the form of vibrant, sustainable bags that are handwoven by female artisans in Mexico.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business in Mexico, I went to New York to study Fashion Merchandise Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology. A year after I graduated, I met my husband. We had two children and moved to Orlando, FL. I always wanted to be a young mom, because I always knew that I wanted to build something after I had my kids. I didn’t necessarily know what that would be — but it didn’t matter. I had a thirst to create something of my own. My dad inspired that thirst in me. He raised us to be career driven visionaries. So, there I was, in Orlando in 2014, ready to go but frustrated because I was not legally able to work — I am from Mexico City and came to America with the student visa then on my husband’s visa. One day I said to myself, “If I cannot work, then I will create!” And, that is when the lemon seed was planted. From that moment, I began creating charity events to benefit children in need and I shared the beautiful creations of Mexican artisans with our bags.
Squeeze De Citron, or “Squeeze the Lemon”, is based on the principle of taking advantage of every fresh and juicy drop that a lemon, or a life, has to offer. We believe in celebrating a zest for life and adventure. The brand was born in 2015 with me, Lila Limon, serving as Owner and Creative Director. Squeeze features eye-catching, beautifully colored bags that are handmade by Mexican artisans. All of our products create a full circle impact for our seven artisan communities.
Our Core Collection is ethically made and gracefully sourced by Mexican artisans. These bags take 7–10 days to make just one. Our bags are hand woven with 100% PVC recyclable plastic. These bags help to create jobs for artisans. They all work on a fair trade basis.
Our Capsule Collection is ethically made by an older group of Mexican artisans that are in correction centers. These bags help create jobs so that they can support their families. They take 2–3 days to make and are, like the Core Collection, hand woven with 100% PVC recyclable plastic.
Our Lemon Drop Project provides Guatemalan artisans with jobs, which in turn provides them with hope and a better quality of life. They build a sustainable income to continue their studies and provide for their families. They are made of 100% RECYCLED plastic thread and each takes 5–10 hours to make.
After four years of learning the potential of the United States market, I began to sell the bags independently. I decided to create exclusive, in-house designs and color mixtures to appeal to the American market. With my background in fashion, business, and event planning, I began to showcase each of my collections at charity events.
After selling more than 500 bags, I realized the full potential of the U.S. market and launched Squeeze De Citron. My vision is that each bag inspires a happy celebration of culture and ethnicity.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
There are so many interesting stories for me to share but one of my most prominent stories is from when I was a little girl. I used to collect Care Bears and I always found the world of color, texture, and happiness so appealing. I could have never predicted that would translate into Squeeze De Citron, which has all those colors and textures while also having a positive impact with all of our products.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was getting started, I was so excited about my vision. And, it being so colorful and happy, I would share it eagerly with everyone and I trusted that they would all respect my endeavor. But, as everyone could see our growth day by day, we started seeing our in-house designs all over Mexico! And then we started to see local people here in the states trying to copy what we have created.
I know that they say this is a form of flattery, but the reality is that not everyone is ethical. If they see an opportunity, they will take it. So, beware of the copycats. Protect your company. Lesson learned!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have three people in my mind that have been very important throughout my success and each one added in their own way. One is now an angel — my Dad. He always showed us how to have a vision. He taught us that if you have an idea, put it down in writing. And, the only thing that matters when you create that idea is that just one person believes in it. And that one person is you. He inspired me to believe in myself and in whatever my mind is daring me to dream.
The second person is my husband, Chava. He has not only mentored me but also pushed me when I was afraid to move forward. He is my number one supporter. He is always encouraging me and telling me, “You’ve got this!” I’m so grateful because without that backbone I don’t think we would’ve reached where we are today.
The third, is very dear to my heart: the Town of Windermere, FL. I could name so many wonderful ladies that spent days grinding with me, supporting me and the growth of Squeeze De Citron. I am particularly grateful for one special friend and mentor, Debby Heggins. She would spend Sundays teaching me that basics from how to do my taxes to how to use Shopify. Debby shared her time and talent out of the goodness of her heart and that kind of friend is hard to find. I will always be grateful to her and the Windermere Community.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
It is wonderful that times are changing and that women hold more credibility in the business world now. I feel we’ve figured out that we can be stronger when we all stick together, support each other, and continuously empower each other. I feel that business owners should take responsibility to continue to advocate for, to support, and to empower upcoming entrepreneurs. That will help grow the number of women owned businesses. There’s nothing holding us back — it’s just a matter of time. But we’ve figured it out.
One of the things I am most proud of at Squeeze De Citron is that the company is completely run by women. We’ve learned that we can be extremely productive within our “mommy schedule.” We work 20 hours per week and we get it all done AND we get time with our families. Why a mommy schedule? Because we work 10–3 for four days a week and we get it all done! We’ve learned that finding that work-life balance has a lot of power and keeps us focused, efficient, happy and feeling fulfilled.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
Community! Take the time to get to know your community and get to know your surroundings. It is so powerful because you will meet the amazing women that already surround you. We started by bringing together different entrepreneurs and business owners from our community for our events. We would, and still do, create community events not only for the purpose of making sales, but also to give and share exposure, network, meet new clients, and expand reach. Just because a business is small or just getting started, doesn’t mean they can’t add value and talent to your network. When you give someone an opportunity to collaborate, you support and empower them. That is what we need. And, that is something we can do so easily to “pay it forward” and start a path for the ones that are interested in building their own way.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
I am a mother of two and becoming a founder gives me the flexibility I need to balance my personal professional thirst and caring for my home and family. Becoming a founder allows you to grow as a person and to learn to work with a team. It gives you the power to really make an impact. I hope that, by my example, I inspire other women to know that everything is possible if you put your heart and soul into it.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
There is a myth that founders have powerful personalities — and this usually has a negative connotation. I think a founder or new entrepreneur can have a powerful mind and not necessarily a powerful personality. A founder listens to her inner voice, instinct, guts and brain, and takes risk in what her mind is daring her to dream. That is powerful.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
If you have a thirst to create and the passion to fuel your vision, you can achieve anything your mind dares you to dream. Not everyone has this thirst or passion. Some get excited and maybe even get started — but, as soon as things get hard, which is always does, they give up. Once that passion falls, they really just need to stand back up stronger and give it another try!
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Protect your vision. Sadly, when others see your success, not everyone will feel happy for you. And, it is not uncommon that they might try to “replicate” your vision for themselves. I remind myself now: Although they copy, I create. I wish I knew that earlier. Don’t take anyone lightly. Protect everything you create. I now have individuals sign a Terms and Conditions Agreement to protect SDCs proprietary information when they join our team.
- Be thoughtful about your sales channels. We create in-house designs with artisanal products. I’m originally from Mexico and I had to sadly block all my channels from Mexico, along with China and Canada due to the high amount of knock off designs and products.
- Business costs can be high and unpredictable! For example, shipping costs can be so high, and they fluctuate wildly. Sometimes our shipping cost is higher than our actual product! So, we have learned to be more strategic about our cost structures across product lines.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Because I curate artisanal products, Squeeze De Citron makes full circle impact in everything we do. All our products are made and imported on a fair trade basis. Each weaving style helps groups of artisans. Not only does this provide jobs but also dependable income. We are currently sold out through 2022 so our artisans know that they have work for the entire year. It brings them stability.
Our Lemon Drop Project helps Guatemalan artisans to go back to school. The Lemon Drops are made by young Guatemalan artisans. It is such a beautiful project and creates an incredible impact for these girls to go back and have an education.
The Lemon Drops are 100% recycled plastic and all of our other bags are 100% PVC recyclable plastic. We offer a sustainable program on our website for all of our clients in the United States. When they are done using a bag, they can ship it to us at our cost and we will make sure it is recycled correctly. We will also give them 15% off for a new bag. So we are working towards environmental sustainability, as well.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would create a movement where schools would add more entrepreneurial classes or guidance for kids from a young age. Creativity is a skill and must be nurtured and explored and learned to be used just like math and reading. It could be the “Think Out of the Box 101” movement. Embracing young entrepreneurs!
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would love to have breakfast with Oprah Winfrey! She is just such an inspiration and I love that she is a soul feeder. She shares always wise learnings through her questions when interviewing.
Another person I would love to have breakfast with is Martha Stewart. My friends call me the Mexican Martha Stewart. I love hosting and creating things. I enjoy using my creativity for a nice little setting or an event or really anything. I admire how she goes deep into detail and she appreciates the little things.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Lila Limon of Squeeze De Citron: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.