Meet Elianet Guerra | Small Business Owner & Teacher

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

Hi Elianet, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance has always been somewhat difficult for me, but I truly believe over the past 2 years I’ve come to master it. I started my small business right after I graduated high school in 2020, and immediately had to juggle college, my job and my small business. At first, it was extremely hard, especially during the holidays when I wanted to craft my heart out but had to be awake at 6 a.m for a shift and by 3 p.m be in a college classroom ready for the days lecture. Eventually, I found that the best way to balance was to switch to online classes and find a career that I truly loved while still it giving me enough time to work on my business. I believe balance should be something that makes you comfortable and makes you happy. I think that people sometimes juggle more than what they’re able to, but with that perfect balance you can truly accomplish anything.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Trying new things is the epitome of what I would label my art. I absolutely love diving into new projects and designs even if I’ve never done them before. Clients always tend to come to me with new ideas, and instead of waving them off because it’s not something I’m used to making, I always tell them the truth and provide them with an excited “I’ll try!”. What I’m most proud of till this day, is my notion to never back down form any project and truly having an open and honest platform with my clients. Being consistent on your platform is something that can help any small business and it’s what truly helped me soar, especially during the COVID era. It wasn’t always easy balancing a business, with school and with work, I do feel like that was my hardest bump only because there was times of doubt. The light at the end of the tunnel was when I changed my profession and it allowed me to make time for all my activities and it was truly like a breath of fresh air. Along the way, the biggest lesson I’ve learned I can relate it to a quote by Abraham Lincoln “Whatever you are, be a good one” which basically means be the best you can do, even when times are rough and you think you are drowning, you need to start swimming and float because you have the biggest potential there is, you just need to find it. If the world of someone can take away something from me, it’s to always be honest with your clients and be open to failure. Sometimes my art doesn’t go the way I’d hope, but I’m always open to fix it and redeem myself because I know I have it in me. Honesty goes a long way and your clients, friends & family will appreciate this especially within todays society. An open platform is a healthy platform.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The sunshine state truly has its name for a reason. If my best friend were visiting Miami I would love for them to feel my Cuban culture as it made me who I am and I’m strongly rooted to it. Residing in Hialeah, I truly believe this is one of the ,soy communal cities Florida has to offer, especially because of the strong rooted culture that surrounds our streets. Some of my favorite spots for food would have to be a signature crisp Cuban pizza from Polo Norte with a chocolate suero to go with, a cheese and guavas sauce combo from Casavana & one of my new favorites would have to be Stephen’s Deli which has the most amazing and flavorful key lime pie. For fun I would always suggest an outdoor activity like bike riding through the sunsets of Hollywood beach, taking a stroll through Zoo Miami admiring our native animals or maybe even some indoor activities such as pool or bowling at BirdBowl, one of our local bowling alleys.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To start off, I am completely grateful to be surrounded by people who always uplift and brighten my surroundings. I would say that the ones who I dedicate this shoutout to is my family and my followers on Instagram. Ever since I started this journey, I had been constantly overflown with love and support from all areas. My dad was one of my first inspirations as he left his job around the same time to pursue his own business, and at his age, it is very risky to do that, but he showed me that there is no age to follow and accomplish your dreams. My Instagram platform is another place that I am forever grateful for, as it help me build a community of amazing and creative clients that let me use my gift to create whatever it is they want.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyyByElianet?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplyy.crafts/?hl=en

Image Credits
Lorena Pita & family (big group picture rocking my shirts)