We recently connected with Gbale Allen and have shared our conversation below.
Gbale, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In 2019, I was an actress working for a local theater company and also working acquisitions at a property investment company. Both jobs were somewhat flexible, as I worked around 20 hours a week for the investment company and acted in the evenings for one to two shows a season. My husband, Julian Allen, had handled all our living expenses since the beginning of our marriage, but by then we had two children, Neema, 10, and Nasir, 7, who were 6 and 3 at the time. As you can imagine, money started getting tight. I knew that the next year, when my 3-year-old would turn 4 and start preschool, I could work full-time, help my husband, and potentially start acquiring a lifestyle we wanted our children to experience.
Quick backstory: my husband and I met in Japan, and our dream is to take our children to the city where we met all those many years ago.
Anyway, I didn’t know how I was going to make enough money to meet our financial goals as a couple. I really liked the investment company—it taught me how to run a business, from finding clients to marketing strategies, building systems and some business lingo. However, I only worked 20 hours and wasn’t very confident in the field, although I loved my day-to-day tasks. On the other hand, there was theater, which was my passion. So much so that I’m still fighting to pay back the loan for my degree. But I wasn’t making much, and the workload was sporadic.
So, I started planning for the year to come and decided I would request more hours at the investment company and start acting less until I got a big break in the industry. In 2020, surprisingly I was approached by Children’s Theater of Charlotte to do a reading for a show they were considering. My wish came true! I was employed by the company for a short run and was looking forward to auditions for the upcoming seasons. Things were looking up, and then the pandemic happened… everything I had been working towards just stopped, and I was left feeling lost and angry. But with therapy and a beautiful, supportive village around me, I was able to work towards a new future— one that I would have to create because my skills were not essential during the pandemic and thereafter.
Most of my friends and I became stay-at-home moms looking for something to do. This was an experience of a life time because we got to fantasize about our dream lives. Before we knew it, we all applied for EINs. I was already a content creator, so I started leaning into TikTok trends and instagram posts about my life, including my motherhood journey, wife hood, and love for the arts. My husband and I got to vacation like we dreamed— nationally. By 2021, I decided to focus on swimwear. Why you might ask? Because many of my mommy friends, including myself, wanted to wear alluring swimsuits but felt self-conscious about our busts and other areas that had changed since motherhood. It was a small need but a need nonetheless. I would spend hours looking for and trying on different swimsuits, talking with vendors in the US, China, Bali and Italy, and asking my peers’ opinions until I found quality swimwear that was beautiful and made you feel confident.
The business was doing ok, but I knew I had to start somewhere. I challenged myself to be the creative director of the company and shot all my looks with a concept and vision. I enjoyed it so much that I put on my first fashion show by 2023, a year after having my third child, Nova, 2. It sold out, and that was all the confirmation I needed. Fast forward to now: Gbalewood Swim is now Gbalewood Boutique, where the mission still stands. We are the one-stop shop for the mommy that’s still a hottie. We now provide dresses, swimwear, and more. We have a rental process in the works for those who just need a look for a special occasion, so you get the look without the commitment of paying full price for what would be worn for a few hours of your life.
And the birth of Gbalewood Creative House is here, and I’m so excited to see where this goes. The Creative House provides creative direction for anything in the creative and communal spaces, from photo shoots, music videos, and promotional projects to parties and charity events. If you’re looking for community, please join my book club, The Pretty Little Housewife Book Club, which is a budding group of reading accountability partners. We should be able to come together and enjoy literature like we do anything else. And if you’re a party animal, we got that covered too—come to one of my BRWNSUGA & VIBES events. So, I guess, long story short, my business idea came from all the things I enjoyed as a young girl but turned it into a business.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi I’m Gbalewood, aka Gbale Allen! I’m just a pretty little housewife, who happens to be a powerhouse entrepreneur here to add a touch of glamour to your life. With a background as an actress, dancer, stage costume and makeup artist, and a bachelor’s degree in theater, I’ve cultivated a unique blend of skills that make me a top-notch consultant. My experience in theater has honed my eye for detail and creativity. At Gbalewood (Creative House) I offer style consultations, creative direction, and a curated selection of fabulous fashion items with my boutique, Gbalewood Boutique. Enjoy community with me by joining my book club, “The Pretty Little Housewife Book Club” or have an artistic experience at one of my many events with BRWNSUGA & VIBES co-founder by Tnisha “Nina” Powe and myself. Let’s embark on a stylish journey together, making every moment a bit sweeter and a lot more fabulous!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Sure! In 2013, I was a pregnant military wife, an undergrad student, and stress was my middle name. I ended up with a stress induced condition called Bell’s Palsy, which is a type of facial paralysis that occurs on one side of the face. I was on a performance track for my theater degree, so you can imagine how terrified and heartbroken I was when I couldn’t move the right side of my face. This was the first time in my life I had to prove to myself that I will be resilient and overcome. My neurologist said the condition would resolve itself in up to six months. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me; I was left with synkinesis, which is a neurological symptom in which voluntary muscle movement causes simultaneous involuntary contractions in other parts of my face. For example, if I smiled my right eye would close involuntarily, it felt as awkward as it looked. Initially I decided to end my performance track and focus on stage makeup and costume design, which brought me joy and something I was good at, but I felt my true calling was storytelling through acting. So I started researching how to help reverse and retrain my facial muscles. While working through my pain and self-consciousness, I decided to start auditioning again. I’m so glad that I did. By the time I graduate in 2015, I had performed in 4 theater shows, started working for a dinner theater company and had a very booked acting season from 2015-2019. This included many plays, dance performances, music videos and other art mediums. I was able to enjoy my first love again. I still act occasionally, with my most recent project being a sketch comedy YouTube series set to drop in 2025. I also recently started facial balancing treatments with Botox to treat my synkinesis, which is coming along well. Follow my journey through my instagram @gbalewood_.
My hope in sharing this story is that the reader or viewer understands you just have to push through and bet on yourself— you never know what will happen. Just make sure you remember that your self-worth is greater than your obstacles.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
My initial capital came from saving my rideshare earnings. It was during the pandemic, I found myself being a stay-at-home mom with no income, while my husband taking care of all of our living expenses once again. I needed to find revenue to help push the company forward, so I signed up for Amazon Flex and DoorDash and I created a budget goal to start the company with and worked shifts that aligned with my husband’s work schedule. With my savings, I was able to buy my first sample swimsuits, pay for business fees and invest in marketing tools like Canva. This experience really taught me the value of budgeting and how vital it is to push your business forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.gbalewood.com
- Instagram: Gbalewood_, gbalewood_boutique, mommywood_, plh_bookclub, Brwnsuga.vibes
- Facebook: Gbale Allen, Gbalewood
Image Credits
Amathisphotos, Kelsomariclicks, Prkr.Po