Former Janitor Now Sells Artistic Custom Dolls Sold Abroad For $500 – $3,500

Noel Cruz’s inspiring business story will remind us how important it is to take a chance on your passion and turn it into a lucrative business. From being a janitor in the US, he is now recognized as one of the most versatile and distinguished repaint artists in the doll community.

Former Janitor Now Sells Artistic Custom Dolls Sold Abroad For $500 - $3,500
Image by Noel Cruz Custom Dolls via Facebook

Noel’s unique business stems from his passion for art. He buys toy store dolls, repaints them, and transforms them into realistic celebrity dolls. Some of his most notable doll creations feature Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson, Audrey Hepburn, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, and more. He also made Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II dolls. For local celebrities, he has already made Liza Soberano, Pia Wurtzbach, and Catriona Gray dolls.

Noel’s artistic dolls have already caught the attention of international media, like the New York Times and the UK Daily Mail. According to the UK Daily Mail, Noel’s dolls usually sell for between $500 and $3,500 at auction. His one-of-a-kind Katniss Everdeen doll was sold for $2,500 on eBay.

In an article on Pep, Noel shared how rewarding it is to have a lucrative business that is based on something that he enjoys doing. “Not only do you get compensated, but even more important are you get compensated significantly by people’s feedback. And to me, that’s very important,” he said.

Noel added how fulfilling it is to see her clients pleased with his creations. He said, “I really take pride in what I do, and you would hope when people finally receive the dolls, matutuwa sila. It’s well worth what they paid for.”

Noel admitted that he didn’t think that having such a unique business that impacts people could even be possible. In an article on Bitag Media, he shared that he grew up in poverty and used his skills in drawing to help support his mother.

“I literally started from nothing, I am thankful I have the passion, because passion is very important, and you have to have the focus, just make it come to your heart. Motivation must be coming from the heart. If you have the drive and desire and passion to do something there is nothing impossible that can be achieved,” he said.

Like Noel, many successful entrepreneurs have followed their passions and made an impressive mark in the business world. Among them is Dennis Uy, who used his passion for electronics to build Converge ICT Solutions, one of the Philippines’ largest operators of high-speed internet.

Sally Mae

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