We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gelsandra Guzman and Valerie Diaz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gelsandra and Valerie, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

It went from an idea to an escape to a dream reality. The idea came about in January 2020, and little did we know that a global pandemic was about to hit us, and the world would come to a close.

The concept of Posh Palma Styles brought joy and happy tears to us, with that said, as the world closed in March of 2020, we thought what now? Do we end the dream so quickly? Do we pause? So we decided to reflect together and trust our intuition, let ourselves be guided by what felt good. During these times, there was a need for us, individuals, humans to do more of what we love, since we were home. So we decided to kick off with social media as an escape, a mood board, an inspo to what the real deal would be.

Little did we know, we were visualizing and manifesting via our subconscious. Once social had launched, we started gaining momentum, and being recognized and the buzz was real. Behind the scenes, we started to learn how to actually create, execute and run an online business. We had the opportunity to connect deeply with one another as founders to truly understand the impact that we wanted to create and beyond.

After picking an official launch date, we made sure that we had realistic expectations and goals. Our mentality truly was honing in just doing our very best. A critical factor to always keep in mind is that it does not necessarily need to be perfect. We had a community pre-launching with a physical product. With that being said, it is essential to start nurturing your audience simply with your brand essence and what you bring to the table.

Ever since launch day, we have encountered many roadblocks, but speaking from the bottom of our hearts, there is truly nothing else, we would rather be doing than leading with impact for our jefas. At the moment, we are working on taking our business to another level by collaborating with other designers, creators, and experts within the industry and at the same time, pouring all of our creative juices into an unforgettable collection that speaks culture, impact, and womanhood.

Gelsandra and Valerie, 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?

Posh Palma Styles was founded on June 18th of 2020. In the midst of the pandemic, Valerie and Gelly created an escape, a space to channel our creativity and cultivate a sense of community and belonging when we were all seeing for human connection, confidence boosters, and mental breaks. Our heritage and culture are the inspiration behind our brand. We’re inspired by our travels, art exhibits, restaurants, and elements of nature that we, in turn, interpret into our featured collections. Posh Palma Styles is much more than brands; it’s a community of Jefa’s coming together to initiate a space where women come to escape, uplift, lead and empower one another in the most genuine and humbling of ways.
As founders, we both shared different journeys and stories within the fashion industry and beyond. When we decided to collaborate in bringing together a brand for our community, we knew that our Raices (Our roots) were at the heart of it. We shared an immense passion and desire to create spaces for women that look like us and position ourselves as a go-to destination for authenticity, quality, and impact.
There is no bigger accomplishment for us than seeing your community rocking your handcrafted pieces. Our pieces include everything from skirts to dresses. Behind every piece of clothing, there is a story told, a story of courage, resilience, and hard-work.
At the end of the day, we feel the proudest of the feeling and sensation our customers feel when they rock Posh Palma Styles. We feel proud of the community we have been able to cultivate in the last year and we plan to continue to nurture it this new year.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

We come from a background of resilient women. Looking back at our ancestors, our history, and where we truly came from it is evident that there is a strong line of women who persevere and had managed to overcome adversity. As founders, we have had to unlearn many beliefs that we have carried very near to our hearts for many generations. Our ideology behind the hustle and bustle had to be re-defined. We struggled for almost two years with our internal systems, boundaries, and perception of rest. After many stepbacks, we understand that our company needs us healthy and sane. As simple as that might sound, as a first-time business owner, this can truly get to you. We learned from a mentor of ours, Ada Rojas (Someone whom we have never met in person but who holds a special place in our hearts through her social media presence) that in order for us to achieve our goals, we must hustle in alignment with purpose. At this point of business, we see ourselves as we are, humans above all and we treat ourselves with compassion, kindness, and softness. We allow ourselves to be perfectly imperfect and we embrace the journey for what it is, a fun rollercoaster with ups and downs where we get to enjoy the trip and every step along the way.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Oh this is where our story gets FUN! As co-founders of Posh Palma Styles, before there ever existed a business venture, we were family. Valerie and Gelly are sister-in-laws. Gelly is married to Valerie’s older brother, Gabriel Montesino. Gelly met Val in 2010, and there was a special spark, a sisterhood bond- one that was close, real and authentic. Throughout the years after, we were able to support, build and celebrate each other as we evolved in different stages of life. When the idea of Posh Palma Styles came about, it was music to our ears, we looked at one another and knew that this was the space, the community and the impact we wanted to create. It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows in our entrepreneurial journey together, but we asked ourselves one big question- What is at the root of what we do? Love and intentionality. We are family above all, the love is real, and the love never expires. We are ready to continue to thrive and support one another in our zone of geniuses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://poshpalmastyles.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poshpalmastyles/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poshpalmastyles
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@poshpalmastyles8207

Image Credits
Solo Mio: https://www.instagram.com/solomiophoto/ Misael Bencosme: https://www.instagram.com/misaelbencosme/