After the political and economic crisis of 2013, Alejandra Chahwan had to leave Venezuela because she felt unsafe working as a lawyer and politician. Her little brother, Abelardo, who had relocated to Panama City to study communications, pushed her to leave.
“You believe that everything is perfect in Venezuela but you can’t do anything to change it,” said Abelardo. “Come to Panama and you can start making better money here.”
Until then, she had been comfortable in Caracas and terrified of failing. She had no knowledge of the culture outside the country and had to start over twice without any money.
Her dream was to become a politician and end corruption in her country. She never imagined she would be running a successful floral business in Miami, as she does today.
Chahwan was born March 23, 1988, in Caracas to Syrian parents. Her father, Elias Khale, is Syrian and her mother, Najida, is Syrian-Venezuelan.
She attended Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, a Catholic private school for women, while creating bracelets, necklaces, earrings and chokers in her free time.
After taking an entry-level career test in high school, Chahwan decided to become a lawyer. Her parents disapproved of this because of political corruption in Venezuela.
Nevertheless, Chahwan was passionate about law because she thought she could make a difference in the nation.
She was finally admitted to the Universidad de Carabobo, a public university in Venezuela, after two failed attempts in passing the entry exam.
“It was important for me to remain strong and never lose faith in myself and my goals,” said Chahwan. “Three months of my tuition was paid by my mom because she saw how passionate I was about law.”
During her time in law school, Chahwan earned more than 20 certifications in government, law, and Congress. In her second year of law school, she decided to become a politician.
She interned with Justice First, a political party. In the 2013 presidential election, Henriques Capriles ran against Nicolas Maduro. She hoped that Justice First, Capriles’ party, would win, so she could serve as a member of the state Congress for two years, but the party – and Capriles – failed, leaving her depressed and frustrated.
So she began making bracelets, earrings and necklaces. As she grew older, she became interested in floral design.
That was when her floral business, “Sugar,” first took root in Venezuela. But it would soon move abroad.
“The only money I had was $100, which I thought was a lot,” said Chahwan.
Her brother advised her to leave the country. Outside of troubled Venezuela, the business – and her life might be better, he said. “But living in a country like Venezuela made it difficult to expand my business.”
Chahwan moved to Panama City in 2015, but her brother soon left there for Miami. She accepted a job as an assistant at a furniture store and was swamped with responsibilities such as finding new locations for the business and managing the employees. But she longed to make her floral hobby her career again because that was what made her truly happy.
“It showed me another way to see life,” said Chahwan. “I always thought that work was boring, but when you do what you love it’s not boring anymore.”
She slowly started to create floral arrangements. It became even more interesting when her boss paid her $50 for a floral that was a gift to his wife.
She applied for a talent visa in 2018 and eventually received it, eventually renting a house in Allapattah.
“It was really hard for me to live in Miami because I was in a hard depression,” she said. “It was only because of my talent visa that I stayed here.”
As a result of the success her brother had online with comedy videos, Chahwan started experimenting on social media. In 2019, she began blogging about her daily activities, fashion and lifestyle in Miami. But she really focused on her floral business, Sugar Collections.
“I received two contracts from clients during the pandemic, but both were canceled,” said Chahwan. “My business started picking up after the quarantine was over, and I did a wedding for 10 guests. I was able to capitalize on the fact that wedding floral shops were not open at that time.”
In 2022, she worked at six weddings. The floral business earned more than $100,000 that year, and she currently has over 72,000 followers on Instagram.
“She serves as an example to other women by persevering and pursuing her goals,” said Naomi Leon, an influencer and friend of Chahwan. “Additionally, getting to know new people, amazing women with unique stories, makes you understand that we are not alone. Alejandra’s events have given me the opportunity to meet great friends.”
Nowadays, she also organizes multiple events to celebrate women and bring the community together. She hosts two main events every year: Galentine’s and Women’s Day. The events keep growing, and she enjoys the fact that women build long-lasting relationships and network.
“Alejandra unites women from different demographics, different styles, with different careers,” said Daniela Labory, a friend of Chahwan and an influencer. “As well as motivating them to keep going forward and fight for their dreams, her love is always unconditional and she strives to help others in any way she can.”
Chahwan hopes to have something unique and exclusive to her brand in the future. She believes that people can achieve whatever they desire.
“I would not have changed anything in my life,” said Chahwan. “I am proud of my determination, and my strength is that I always go through things but gain resilience from it.”
