Meet Bre Statuto | Social Media Creator & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bre Statuto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bre, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from a very small rural town outside of Gettysburg, PA. Like, literally the middle of nowhere. It’s a place filled with a lot of cornfields and football lovers, and some of the most hard-working, wonderful people you’ll ever meet. Both sides of my family have been in the area for generations and I’m one of few that decided to leave to pursue a career you can’t really have in a remote location. My parents are two of the hardest working teachers and they instilled a “give it your all” attitude in me from a really young age. So I was raised to give 100% no matter what I was doing – whether it’s in sports, earning a 4.0 GPA in college, or striving to be the best Analyst or Associate in my class as a full-time investment banker. I attribute my drive for success entirely to my surroundings growing up and the determination that both of my parents have and encouraged me to endeavor to have as well.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m currently a Senior Associate in Debt Capital Markets so I help large companies issue bonds when they need funds. When the pandemic first hit I found myself with a lot of free time and wanted to do something (virtually) with my nights and weekends. I’m always looking to learn new skills and I realized I knew NOTHING about social media marketing or graphic designing, so I decided to take up Instagram and started @business.belle. A few months in and I was learning something new every day, but I was still trying to carve out my “niche” so I started a small business, The Casual Bee Boutique, to share my story as a small business owner on my account and encourage other young women to work hard and make their dreams come true. Over a year later and I’ve had the opportunity to represent and work with some of my favorite brands on my @business.belle page and @thecasualbeeboutique has turned into a space where I can work with other creators to curate their own collections in my shop.

In case it’s not obvious, social media and investment banking don’t really go hand-in-hand. It was not easy and I still have plenty of days where I’m frustrated as can be and get down. There are so many challenges and roadblocks when it comes to creative work like social media and graphic designing, but a whole different set of challenges arise when I’m trying to put my investment banking career and have limited time to bring my creative ideas to life. It’s a lot of pressure sometimes, but at the end of the day I try to focus on asking myself two things: 1) am I learning? And 2) am I having fun doing it? As long as the answer to both of those is yes, I will continue to make it work!

When in doubt, remember that “if you can dream it, you can do it” – Walt Disney

Despite the challenges, I’ve made incredible friendships along the way and have come a long way with my designing skills and social media marketing and I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I like to give my friends and family the local’s guide! So while we will stop by South Beach for an evening beach walk or early morning coffee, we’re going to hit more of the Wynwood, Coconut Grove, and Key Biscayne gems instead. My husband and I live in Brickell and I think it’s the best place to live in Miami! But here are some of my must-do’s while visiting some of the less-touristy areas of Miami:

Grab a Greek salad from Meraki (Coconut Grove)
Coconut Grove has so many wonderful gems! Some of our favorites are the secret garden restaurant Peacock Garden, the hip and trendy Indian Bombay Darbar (which we have delivered to Brickell at least once a week!), and of course the sugary goodness of Salt and Straw. But our go-to is always Meraki, a quaint Greek restaurant that transports you to the Mediterranean with the most reliable Greek menu. It’s an absolute must!

Soak up some sun at Crandon Park (Key Biscayne)
When you’re looking for a family-friendly, chill day on the beach, we like to skip South Beach and head the opposite direction to Crandon Park. It’s a beautiful state park lined with a more locals beach. My favorite thing to do is get there in the morning and grab a good spot, and then stay and enjoy lunch and refreshments on the beach from Open Seas Café!

Picnic in Brickell
Brickell Key is my favorite place in all of Miami! One of my favorite things to do is pack a few snacks and walk to the other side of Brickell Key, hang my feet over the edge of the wall so they’re dangling just above the rocks in the water, and soak in the best people watching you’ll find on the Bay. It’s where all of the boat traffic goes by so you can watch all of the party-goers, fishermen, and day sailors passing by.

Grab a Baby Yoda Beer and the best burger in town in Wynwood
I’m a big Disney and Star Wars fan so J. Wakefield Brewing is one of my absolute favorite spots. The larger-than-life Darth Vader mural is enough to make the slightest of Star Wars fans geek out, and the beer they brew is straight up GOOD. A trip to Wyndwood is never complete without savoring some of the local art and enjoying the fig jelly burger from Kush.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In addition to my parents, my husband deserves the biggest shout out in the world! Some of my biggest successes have been his ideas and he is the most supportive, loving husband there is. He helps me take a lot of photos for my site and is always putting up with me disappearing for weekend trips to Orlando to get content with my social media friends!

Website: businessbellebre.com

Instagram: @business.belle