Today we’d like to introduce you to Flavia Gabriel.
Flavia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Brazil, and I had a pretty much normal childhood, I was that type of kid that was always creating, drawing, sewing clothes for my Barbies, painting. Arts have always been my jam! I’m a creative since I was born. I was always dreaming of moving to the United States – more specifically, California. If you ask my mom about it, she’d probably tell you it was an obsession of mine from a very young age.
In 2013, I finally decided to take a leap of faith (after a lot of planning) in turning that dream into a reality and moved to NYC to pursue an education in fashion. Back in Brazil, I graduated from Business School and received a Masters in Marketing, which was one of my greatest achievements. But, I was still feeling like I wasn’t on the right path, I wasn’t fulfilled and happy, that feeling was what pushed me to try a new life in the US. Fashion and anything art related has always had my heart since I absolutely love creating anything and everything!
When I first arrived in NYC to take fashion classes at FIT, I finally found myself back again and I knew that a career in Arts would make me happy. Long story short, the cold weather of NYC pushed me away to sunny Los Angeles! I started working in fashion right after I arrived in LA and I can definitely say I was living my dream life. Not much later… I met my husband and have been here ever since.
Then… In 2015, The Fabulous Planner was born in a completely unexpected way. I bought myself a Louis Vuitton planner and searched all over for inserts that I liked visually and that suited my needs… Nothing was created in a way that caught my eye and would make me want to use this new planner.
What’s a girl to do when that happens? Use her resources and create her own… So that’s what I did! After the first design, I thought to myself, “maybe others would like this, too!” I listed that design on Etsy with zero expectations and the orders started coming. So I kept creating and creating all these new designs and putting more products out there!
Five years later… The Fabulous Planner has evolved into its own business with its own website and a subscription box and it’s the thing that I’m most proud of, especially since I can say I did it all on my own! It’s been my mission these last few years to help others turn their dreams into a reality by giving them the means to plan the life they desire because you don’t just write something in a planner unless you really want it!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I began this journey with one suitcase, not knowing anyone, and not having anywhere to go; I stayed in a hostel for almost two months because I couldn’t find a house that suited me.
Also, in business, I can’t even count how many obstacles I had in this journey especially being from a different country with another language, everything feels a little harder than it seems and not everyone will take you seriously. I always had challenges in my life but I’d rather see them as good opportunities to turn it around and experience a new reality.
Please tell us about The Fabulous Planner. What should we know?
I’m the creator of The Fabulous Planner, an online stationery shop with trendy and fashion inspired stationery. I was lucky enough to be able to mix my love for fashion, art, and paper altogether and make this as my living. We specialize in creating different planners, usually decorated with fashion illustration, some even made by me, and that’s how we stand out from the crowd in the planner world. We were the first ones to start using fashion illustration in the planners, a trend that today is so popular. We don’t carry basic planners, they are all decorated, fashionable, happy, feminine and bold. In other words, they are FABULOUS!
My favorite thing about The Fabulous Planner is not even the sales or how fast we’re growing, but it’s the smile on the face of our customers, it’s seeing them using their planners, creating their goals and achieving them. At the end of the day, we’re turning their dreams into reality by giving them the means to plan for the life they desire.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck, I believe in setting goals and going after what you want. Luck will never knock on your door, but it will definitely show up if you work for it. I do believe in the law of attraction and I’ve seen it work so many times in my life and business, it’s all about creating a plan that aligns with your purpose, believing in it and working for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thefabulousplanner.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefabulousplanner
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefabulousplanner
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