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

Lett, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

My entrepreneur life started in 2019-2020. When the world stopped and we were forced to stay in our houses. Afraid and living with the unexpected, I was offered a multilevel marketing business model. I cannot lie, at the beginning with all the bonuses and the hype, I did surprisingly good. This being my first business model, I learned a lot and was motivated. After a couple of months, and as I started learning the dark side of this type of model, I was disappointed and left the company. However, I gained a lot of knowledge and my leadership skills were polished. However, my personal value system was in jeopardy and that was one of the main reasons I left. Before continuing my journey, I attended a five-day conference and that is when my mind exploded with new and fresh ideas. It was then that Gaile Headbands and More were born. In the previous article with the Orlando Voyager, you can learn about that chapter of my life. Fast forward to 2022, and after building up an online business, it was time for me to invest in my personal and spiritual development even more. I also made the decision to improve my business.

A little context about me, I have always loved everything about beauty and self-love, since I was a little girl. I recall doing my grandma’s hair and makeup, even giving her manicures and pedicures. Sadly, I did not have anyone growing up leading me and guiding me into a career so I did what I could. I graduated with my GED, earning the highest score of the group for the English and Spanish essay. I felt so proud of myself. As my teenage years passed by and I entered adulthood where I became a mom, all my dreams and desires sat on the back burner. It was not until 2019 when I realized that many people were monetizing their skills and talents, but still I was terrified about it because I thought I was not enough. That multilevel marketing business model I mentioned before helped me regain part of my confidence and my leadership. With Gaile I was successful, I reached my first-ever business goal, and I carry that with pride and joy. Because of Gaile, I was able to meet some of the most amazing local business owners in my area, and even see my closest friends and family members’ businesses grow because of my help and advice. I developed in many areas as an entrepreneur by doing my own marketing and advertising, building my website, and so on. Now, this year was the breakthrough. I prioritized other aspects of my skillset and talents that have been ignored for many years, and I focused on the beauty industry. I became an Eyebrow Designer and a Makeup Artist. Yet focusing on those new skills, I knew it was a higher risk and responsibility for me as a business owner. But I can proudly say that I was up for a good risk. Gaile Enterprises was born and my baby bloomed! Brows & Beauty by Lett is my newest business, where I specialize in microblading, henna brows, and hair and makeup for any occasion. I opened my own studio alongside some other amazing business owners in an all-day spa.

To be clear and honest, behind all the glitz and glam there are a lot of challenges. Most of them come because of the unknown. I did not go to business school, or even earn a degree. But I have faith in myself, and the gifts and talents that God gave me. This has guided me to meet amazing business owners and entrepreneurs that have shared with me some of their knowledge and had helped me to move forward with my business career.

So long story short, I have learned that being authentic in my beliefs, knowing my value, and staying humble, allows me to cross paths with key people who will impact my life for good. The success of my career as businesswoman has been the result of my drive and desire, arduous work, sleepless nights, many efforts, and the help of many people who have contributed their grain of sand, have believed in me, and supported my vision. So, for that I am incredibly grateful.

Lett, 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?

I am a wife and a mom of three. I’m naturally from Puerto Rico, I moved here 9 years ago. My top priority is the well-being of my family, that’s one of the main reasons we moved. I have a full-time job, where I am part of a Marketing and Community Relations team. This has helped me obtain skills and knowledge in the industry and has helped me tremendously develop one of the most important parts of a business, that is outreach through marketing strategies, graphic design, etc. I’ve embarked on a personal healing journey, God being the center of it all, and through my life experiences and testimony, I’m able to reflect and help other women to do the same. Also, I am part of a local women’s group where we encourage each other and offer tools to succeed in life through different topics and events we host. It may sound like a lot, but I love to serve others and give back, even if it is a little, of what I’ve been blessed with.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This is a good one, because from the place where I am standing, I have to unlearn a lot of processes. I come from a very humble background, from a Latino community where the mom was the one who stayed home, raised the kids, did the house chores, and had their voices silenced by their lack of rights. Along with that comes a lot of mental and physical abuse, bad decisions, and generational curses. When I was old and mature enough, I stood firm and said to myself, “My generation will not go through the same situations that I did.” I was a very spoiled little girl; I was the only daughter. Growing up, I had everything I wanted and more. But that came with an extremely high price tag! So, as I built up my own family, I went to therapy seeking God’s truth and promises, and I moved to another country with my family where we started from scratch. Even though that has been one of my most important decisions, sometimes it takes a toll on me by not having our family close by and just depending on each other. However, that has made our relationship stronger than ever.

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

This is a topic that I am deeply passionate about. As the years pass, social media presence is crucial in any business. It is not only opening a Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok account, it is having a branding strategy ready. When I started my business, I let my excitement take the lead, and let my emotions steer my actions. Even though I had a solid structure, I changed my mind several times. A year later, I ended up changing my logo and restructured my branding. This is the most common mistake people make. Developing a brand must be meaningful and a lot of thought needs to be put into it. After that is when a true business vision is launched. Having some artistry, creativity, and discipline are some of the musts to keep a good social media presence. The goal is to have a social media presence that represents us, and anyone who sees it will say, “Oh! this is such-and-such” Also, keep in mind that is one of the areas that receives the greatest investment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/gaileheadbands?fbclid=IwAR3nfvuYgdO3Hvvu2aO7emUedLj97NvsSaNjpA5bfqpxsL0vHKZ6Ks62TrY
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lett.mua/?fbclid=IwAR04Bju4a-FOqFpNWq0XxzsY4OMxHYerW3cklso4zAK8ulcLphZs6_iv4XM
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lett.mua
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/lett.perez.9/