Ana Maria Becerra Hauzeur is quite an amazing entrepreneur and business woman. She is a designer who is revolutionizing the jewelry industry in Latin America with a social purpose. Her company is called Ambeh Jewelry, and what makes it so special is that the pieces are handmade by women head of the family, many of whom have been victims of any type of violence: domestic, sexual, economic, emotional or psychological.
Ana Maria gives them a second chance and encourages them to work at something they love, far from the violent environment in which they used to live. Most of the Ambeh Jewelry pieces are made in their own workshop in Bogota and others in diverse satellite workshops in different cities of Colombia.
Now, the company is one year old and has had a great reception from customers both nationally and internationally. Their designs are characterized for being original, beautiful, of high quality and at incredible prices. In addition, it is a brand with a purpose that to date has released 3 collections!
“During a crisis, a great disappointment in love, I was devastated. One sleepless night I made the decision that I couldn’t go on like this. I took up a project that I had done at the university, modifications were made to it to make it viable and that is how the brand was born. Along the way, I found women with incredible stories that made me focus on helping them and making them believe in themselves again”, Ana Maria shares.
Ambeh Jewelry went on the market in May 2022, having a great reception of people! In fact, it has won prizes and certain recognitions for the work that is done. For example, the European Institute of Design and Buro, a Colombian organization, gave Ana Maria the prize for entrepreneurship with the greatest projection of the market. What’s more, in November they participated in the “She is” world women’s forum, where they also received recognition for the amazing work behind the brand.
“Ambeh is a brand where customers feel empathy, where they have a very important space in the brand. For me the most important thing is the experience that the customer has when buying. Our brand is not only about our jewelry, but about everything behind it”, Ana Maria explains.
She is a determined, hard-working woman with very clear goals. Ana Maria is a designer from the Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, specialist in strategic business management. She has also a master in Advertising Design and Brand Communication. Additionally, she is finishing her MBA in business management fashion companies in Madrid. Without a doubt, Ana Maria is an incredible businesswoman, a loving mom and a passionate fighter for gender equality and women’s rights!
To date, Ambeh has impacted the lives of 23 women, including Ana Maria’s, and hundreds of buyers and happy customers who love their jewels and the great quality they have.
But of course, not everything has been easy on Ana Maria’s journey. She has faced numerous challenges, most notably creating the brand as a divorced mom. Ana Maria had to learn to divide her time between breastfeeding, jewelry design, being in her workshop and sharing quality time with her daughter. But she never gave up, quite the opposite! She worked very hard for her dreams, and now she is a successful entrepreneur with great success and numerous plans for the future.
“If you are thinking of starting your own business… do it! It is not an easy road, but it is gratifying to see how the things you dreamed of or that you previously thought were impossible come true. Don’t give up on the road, persist! Enjoy the road while you get to where you want to go, life is not just about the goal but the path we travel while we reach it”, she advises.
Despite all the work that she has already done, Ana Maria isn’t planning on slowing down any time soon. She describes her next steps below:
“I am working on the expansion of the brand internationally, that is the great challenge for 2023. We have the American market on the horizon, and expansion in Europe and Latin America. We have a great proposal to go to NYC, Las Vegas and Miami to different fashion fairs in the United States and in Madrid. On a personal level, I want to continue growing as a person and being a 100% present mother for Amaia, my daughter. In July we will be in Europe doing some academic studies and looking at strategies to reach new markets by 2024.”
Without a doubt, Ana Maria’s story is a source of hard work and inspiration not only to female entrepreneurs, but to all of us. To find out more about her work, follow her on Instagram here and check out Ambeh’s website here. You can also check Ambeh’s Instagram page here.