From a Daughter’s Tutu to a Thriving Enterprise

By R. Gabriel Villalobos

What began eight years ago as a mother’s mission to satisfy a “very girly” daughter’s love for custom tutus and bows has blossomed into a full-fledged, in-house apparel business serving schools, teams, and individuals across the community.

Jessica Ontiveros, the founder and creative force behind the custom print shop, Custom Chaos, started her venture as a hobby to keep her daughter, Joselyn, happy. When her youngest son started school, she faced a choice.

“Instead of going out and getting a job and having to take days off to be with my kids, I decided to expand my hobby,” Ontiveros said. “It was just to keep myself busy while my youngest was at school. And it just kind of grew from there.”

That growth has been steady and organic. From those first sparkly creations, demand expanded as Joselyn’s friends and teachers took notice. “I’ll always be grateful to her teachers who…really told me, ‘You’re really good; you can keep going,’” Ontiveros recalled. “They are actually the ones who pushed me to expand.”

Today, Custom Chaos specializes in “everything custom,” producing spirit wear, fan gear, and personalized items using sublimation, direct-to-film (DTF) printing, and specialty vinyls—all designed and printed in-house at her shop located off South Spencer Street.

The business is a classic example of modern, home-grown entrepreneurship. Ontiveros taught herself the necessary skills largely through online tutorials. “My daughter would show me stuff that she wanted…and I would YouTube it and figure out how to do it,” she said.

While she is an approved vendor for Carlsbad Schools, her work is often event-driven, creating custom shirts for homecoming, student council projects, and fan groups. One of her popular original designs merges the iconic Caveman and Cavegirl mascots with the Zia sun symbol, a nod to local pride that resonates with teachers and parents.

“The concept has been around…but I get a lot of teachers who don’t want just the caveman or the cavegirl. They want them together,” she explained. “So, that’s what worked for me.”

For Ontiveros, the joy of the business remains in the “print-on-demand” model and the creative collaboration with customers. “I just like doing print on demand,” she said. “That’s what I enjoy is bringing to life somebody’s idea and making it custom for them.”

This focus on personalized service, coupled with word-of-mouth referrals, has fueled consistent annual growth. Despite what she describes as a “curveball” at the start of 2026, her primary business goal remains to expand her physical workspace from its current 18-by-30-foot footprint to a shop at least double the size to accommodate the increasing volume of orders.

“My business continues to grow every year,” Ontiveros confirmed, noting that order levels so far this year are tracking ahead of the same period last year.

It remains very much a family affair. Her niece helps regularly, and other family members step up during busy periods to manage the influx of custom requests. This setup allows Ontiveros to maintain the flexible, home-based model that inspired the venture.

Reflecting on the journey from a kitchen-table craft to a thriving small business, Ontiveros admits the reality sometimes still feels surreal. “I don’t really think that there was just one time that really hit me that yeah, this is real,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, sometimes I don’t know if it… I still think it isn’t real.”

For now, she continues to do what she does best: transforming blank garments into one-of-a-kind items for a community that, much like her daughter years ago, appreciates something made just for them.