Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Villanueva.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It all started around 3 AM in the morning, a couple weeks postpartum of having my beautiful daughter. I look at my husband & said I’m going to start a boutique. He said go back to sleep & we will talk tomorrow. Tomorrow came & by the time he woke up, I had already made a Facebook group & had a name! I was fully invested in this; I had zero want to go back to work; I wanted to be home with my daughter! I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this for the entire first year. I had zero help; I had no idea what in the world I was going. Many & I say many sleepless nights, between being a wife, being a mom & constantly pushing my business, I had no time for sleep!
Fast forward to 2019, my husband and I started going to church; my business was there, I was content. Well, that day in church, my lord & savior pulled me strong! I opened up; I laid everything at his feet! & when I say doors immediately started opening, I’m not even lying! Within 3 weeks, I had the keys to my first storefront! 3 months after opening up, I had an amazing opportunity to buy another storefront! Things started growing, not only my faith but my business, my baby business; this was flourishing into something way more than I ever intended. The pandemic hit & many days were dark, days my faith slipped, but one thing I knew I couldn’t let slip was my brand! Why? Because my baby girl was watching me. My faith slipped, my mental health slipped, my sanity, my love for things all fell apart! One lonely night in my living room, I screamed out! I pleaded for his help! I knew everything was in his timing not mine! Time went by & things all went back to how they were; I see it as God showed me if I don’t give him any time, he can easily take it all away from me! Fast forward to 2023 & my faith is bigger than ever; I do everything in my life & my business to glorify God! We are servants here! I’ve had an amazing opportunity come along for my husband and I to do! We can’t wait to announce it next month! My brand has become everything I’ve ever pictured; we are unique, we are affordable, we are all-size inclusive, & I love making woman feel absolutely beautiful!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh my, smooth road, ABSOLUTELY NOT! I look back of the past 6 years & sometimes I think, oh what did I get myself into! I have never been good with overstimulation, & when I say being a full-time child of god, full-time wife, full-time mother, & a full-time boutique owner it definitely makes me overstimulated ALL the time!
The economy is against us small business owners, & that is a struggle! Things are changing every year. Sadly, we will never know the world again to be what it was before Covid, but sadly is since Covid we will have an amazing year and think that our road is headed back in the correct direction, but then the following year, things change drastically! & that’s where learning what works best, what is selling best, and what’s everyone’s money situation like is the hardest! I will never sit here & portray that things are so easy and paint this glorious picture because not everything is beautiful in this world! I say all the time it’s a Dog-Eat-Dog world!
Many people are the first to down us, small business owners, attack us, and belittle us! & the reasoning we hear the most is because we aren’t as fast as Walmart or Amazon.
Honestly, that stings so much; every small business owner is pushing hard 7 days a week, 24 hours a day! We never have an off button; many of us are a 1 woman show behind the scenes! A small business owner can mess up 1 time & we are blasted for everyone to see, but a big chain store will mess up repeatedly & not once do we see a bad post of them.
My words to everyone is be kind. You can never go wrong being a kind person!
We’ve been impressed with The Gypsy Buffalo, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Gypsy Buffalo is a quirky unique all size inclusive boutique! We specialize in finding today’s latest fashion pieces for a very affordable price! Growing up, I never could affordable the latest trends, so that was my promise when I started this; & that was to be affordable! We are always known for being so helpful! We have spent a hours with customers making sure when they left our store, they feel absolutely beautiful! This is our goal for each person that walks in! We as woman are body positive people!
One thing I would tell everyone that has never heard about my brand is we will always go above & beyond to make sure our customers are happy! You are beautiful & wonderfully made! So, no matter if you are trying to purchase a T-shirt or a blouse, we will always make sure you are happy in your items! We are home of where the wild ones shop!
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
Crazy, I know, but I personally don’t believe in luck! I believe I am a very blessed person to be where I am! But having what I have did not come easy; blood, sweat, tears, and prayer is what got me where I am today! But I stay humbled knowing at any point it can be taken away from me! So, I never take things for granted!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheGypsyBuffalo.com
Image Credits
Morgan Villanueva
Isabella Figueroa
