We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabriella Varela a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriella, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Coming up with the name of my company was difficult, I wanted a name that was uncommon but yet related to me. Elephants have always been my favorite animal but I couldn’t name my boutique “Elephant” so I decided to look up Elephant in different languages and found Olifant which sounded so classy and resembled what I stood for. The origin of the word Olifant is Dutch. Many ask me what does Olifant mean? Olifant in the Dutch languages means Elephant which resembles luck, wisdom, and protection.

Gabriella, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Gaby, I am 27 years old, a fiance, and a mother to two beautiful children. When I was pregnant with my son my dream was to open a baby/toddler clothing boutique but I was just not fully sure when it was the right time. After my son, I waited a couple of years to then have my daughter and once she entered this world something told me it was time to open my clothing boutique. I have always been extremely picky with what type of clothes my children wear. I love neutral colors and clothes that are different from the usual clothes you see in stores. Opening my boutique has not been all rainbows and butterflies, this comes with a lot of research, discipline, and commitment. You have to learn what rules and regulations need to be followed in your state to correctly run a business, you need to research different wholesalers to make sure you purchase the exact quality of clothes you want to sell but I am extremely grateful to have gotten this far and can’t wait to expand my boutique.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What I think has helped me build my reputation within my market is the quality of the clothing I sell and the style of the clothing. As I mentioned previously I am extremely picky with what I put on my children so that also makes me picky with the type of clothing I sell. I don’t just purchase any clothing I purchase clothes that I feel other mamas would fall in love with and put on their kids but at the same time are fashionable.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building your audience on social media can be a challenge. When trying to build your social media platform make sure to do research. You need to know exactly what type of people you want to reach. Once you figure that out you can begin working on the aesthetics of your page/pictures. You want to make sure what you post is something that will catch the eye of the crowd you are trying to reach. The best advice I can give an upcoming small business is to stay focused and not give up on your dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.Olifantculture.co
• Instagram: Olifant.culture