Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Mejia Cervantes.
Gabriela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a first gen Mexican-American with big dreams, and like so many of us, I felt immense pressure to succeed. I completed my master’s in social work from USC in 2016, and after a year of working in the field, I decided I wanted to explore entrepreneurship. The downside to working a 9-5 is the market cap that exists on how much you can earn based on what everyone else is getting paid, and often times it doesn’t matter how good you are at your job; the people deciding on your wages will refer back to what the market is paying. Entrepreneurship doesn’t have a market cap, and that’s what lead me down the road of the food industry to eventually open Postres Cafe in 2020.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a wild ride to say the least. Nothing prepared me for the struggles of having negative comments from friends and family that I thought would be supportive. The mental health struggles of being first-gen are enough on their own, but adding entrepreneurship to the mix just amplified all of it for me. Being Mexican-American also means that there are certain expectations of me as a woman, mother, daughter, and wife. Being a business owner challenged all of those gender and cultural roles that were being placed on me constantly. My training and education as a social worker actually became a buffer against all of those things, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that I first went the social work route and then became an entrepreneur.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Postres Café represents generational healing, hard work, and community. I’ve incorporated my social work skills with entrepreneurship to create a safe and inviting space for the community to gather, have a great time, and enjoy some good food. I’m most proud of the beautiful community we’ve created around Postres Cafe and the many people that find joy in the relationships they’ve built here. We also host community events that offer education on mental health, culture, and entrepreneurship, and I encourage everyone to check our Instagram account for updates on those events. We try to have them monthly if time allows.
What are your plans for the future?
One of the biggest changes coming up for me is that I’m now going into the tech industry. As a business owner, mother of two, wife, and employer, people often ask how I do everything I do while still keeping my health and family at the forefront. I’ve been planning my meetings, social outings, time with family, and many other things around my menstrual cycle, and it’s been so good on my body and mental health. Once I shared with people that I was using my menstrual cycle to help me be more productive while using the energy naturally available to me instead of working against my cycle, people became very interested and wanted the same for themselves. I began sharing my experiences and resources on social media, and now there’s a whole movement happening around this. As a result, the tech company I’m starting, DIVINX TIMING, is a company to help menstruating women plan their productivity around their menstrual cycle and increase their quality of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.postrescafe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postrescafe
