Hidden Gems: Meet Carla Figáro of Dragonfly Esscentuals

Hi Carla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is too long to include but I’ll give you the gist of it while keeping it as brief as possible. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, I spent my younger years on the East Coast cities of Brooklyn and Brockton perspectively.

I was into the arts and creative activities as soon as grade school.

After graduating high school I served a term during Desert Storm in the USAF where I found and cultivated my culinary skills.

After leaving the service I moved to California to pursue a music career.

Though I performed successfully for many years, the music business did not pan out.

After many years of trying to find myself, I realized that some of my greatest gifts lie in my pursuit of wellness. Hence the birth of Dragonfly Esscentuals LLC., a plant-based luxury line of skincare, bath and body products.

As a person with a plethora of sensitivities, I mostly made my personal care products.

Due to struggles with fibromyalgia in 2012, I needed to think of a way to make income that would not put such a physical strain on my body.

Creating my own line of natural skincare made sense.

After several years of researching ingredients and formulas, I started creating my own formulations.

I had several formulas but wanted things to be oh so perfect before launching.

My Aunt Madeline told me to stop waiting for the perfect everything and just launch or I would launch perfectly nothing.

So in April 2018, I started with my deodorant and beard serum.

Things were beginning to take off but then COVID came along.

Since I was making everything out of my kitchen I didn’t want to take chances so stopped production.

I used the shutdown as an opportunity and pursued a certification and diploma in aromatherapy.

I decided to move to Georgia and relaunched the line in 2021.

Product is currently available to purchase online and at Zinah Artistic Retail in Atlanta.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t believe in smooth roads. Obstacles are the tools that help you supersede your trajectories. So yes, there were and are obstacles.

COVID being a huge one.

Sometimes it’s the finances, sometimes life and sometimes simply myself but Spirit chose to give me a tenacity that sees failures as learning opportunities and challenges as windows to growth.

I fall, sometimes many more times than I would like but that encourages me to keep going.

My Aunt helped me see that searching for perfection can often hinder your growth and block your destination.

Right now, I’m being mindful but I’m going for it full steam ahead.

There are great things on the horizon for me and I intend to push anything standing in my way to the side.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Dragonfly Esscentuals, LLC?
I wear many hats and am skilled at so very many things. At the end of the day, I’m an entrepreneur.