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

Hi Daniel, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Entering the world of business was not something I thought would happen. I come from Guatemala City, and I was an immigrant that came to the states in 1997. At that time, I had merely $20 in my pocket. Over the years, I would use my established skills as a jeweler to obtain jobs from several famous jewelry stores, such as Helzberg Diamonds. This would continue until one day, my cousin Juan bought me a ticket to go to the 2019 Dallas Start Up Week Convention. This event would go on to change my life forever. None other than Mark Cuban was attending said convention, and his speech really resonated with me. It gave me the motivation and inspiration to create my business only 5 months after the convention, so on August 1st, 2019, Greenleaf Jewelers was open for business. It’s an unreal feeling that it has already been 5 years in business. We have gone through so much within those years, but we have endured through it all, thanks to the inspirational words of a successful entrepreneur and our will and motivation to keep going. I can’t help but wonder, how many other people did Mark Cuban inspire that day? How many people have started their own venture into the world of business? One day is all it can take to change someone’s life, and I thank Mark Cuban for giving me the inspiration to change mine.

What should our readers know about your business?
Greenleaf Jewelers is a Jewelry store located in the Town East Mall in Mesquite. What I feel separates us from others is that we are both a jewelry retail store and a wholesaler at the same time. This put us in a unique position compared to other stores at the mall that allows us to gain and create faster and better connections with every store in the mall to some degree. With the knowledge I possessed, we not only could repair jewelry items without the need of hiring someone else or sending it somewhere to be fixed, but we could even create whole jewelry pieces in house. Despite this, however, making a name for yourself in a mall with big brand jewelry stores such as Paramount Jewelers and Kay Jewelers is no easy feat. With enough time and work, our reputation slowly began to rise, both with our customers and with our neighboring stores. If there’s anything to take from this story, it’s to never underestimate the power of connections and a little bit of honest work, as it can take you a long way.

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.
Admittingly, I spent a lot of time at work, which leaves me with very little time to go out and enjoy the city. When I do go to places to eat and to have fun, typically they’re more reserved and niche places, not really places that most people would consider amazing or that beautiful. That being said, we love simple to go places such as Tuckers, their breakfast foods all are special, I can’t ever decide easily on an item. If I were to pick a place to visit, I often prefer hanging out in my home with friends, however if I had to take them anywhere, I would take them to the Reunion Tower in Downtown Dallas. You only need to go there once, its unique but elegant experience will stick with you forever.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate all of my efforts to my family and everyone who supported me throughout my journey. Above all else, I want to thank my father, who taught me everything I know, from two generations before me. Without him, I would still be struggling to this day, but he guided me not only through the world of jewelry, but assisted me in my own business too, before his unfortunate passing.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenleafjewelers?igsh=cW9saXhkOG1uaDJ6&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Greenleaf-Jewelers/61556709330335/?mibextid=LQQJ4d&rdid=uWP0TZjqtDqGaqeu&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2FTJfDXCNWVR4v3ZjS%2F%3Fmibextid%3DLQQJ4d

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.