Bria Davenport was a busy career woman who just couldn’t find enough hours in the day to do everything she wanted. She felt like there were always items left to be crossed off her to-do-list and not enough time to spend with family and friends. She began to develop her own organizational planner, just to help her keep track of everything, when she realized she had a product people needed. Today she runs By Bria Lynn, her company which produces her, ‘Gather Your Life Planner.’ The Durham, North Carolina-based entrepreneur has found that during the pandemic, her planner has an even wider audience; so many women are stuck at home juggling a full time job as well as care-taking for children and family members – she takes pride knowing her planner can help some of these women manage their numerous tasks.
Davenport’s story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:
I am an entrepreneur who has always been trying to keep up with the hustle. It was really hard for me to find ways to make the life I wanted, in the house I wanted, with my friends and family whom I love. I would find myself completely drained trying to keep up with everything plus showing my Instagram audience how to plan. That’s when I came up with this planner out of the blue!
I had no intentions at first of ever selling a planner but I saw a need for one that gives you some direction plus I wanted to create a movement that empowers women to take their time for themselves, to create the life they desire that doesn’t depend on the ‘work or die’ mentality and gives them permission to set boundaries that they deserve.
The Gather Your Life planner helps move you from overwhelm to daily success with five sections that include; a guide to create a weekly block schedule, a guide for how to plan weekly and monthly (with examples), a 12-month weekly planner, a home section and a personal section! The planner is in its second iteration and will help ladies who are balancing all parts of their life.
I want women to stop letting life overwhelm them and start each day, week, and month with a clear plan. I designed my new GYL Planner with detailed sections to track every aspect of your life: recurring tasks and events, personal goals, new ideas, income, bills, projects, meals — even your favorite songs. It’s all about putting a schedule and systems in place that works for you and helps you manage adulting with calm and joy.
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My definition of success is being able to go to bed on time and know, “Dang, I did that!” I love being able to cross things off my to-do list and not go to bed completely exhausted! Thats my definition of success in it’s purest form!
My biggest success to date was being able to sell digital versions of this planner at the height of the pandemic. Though I didn’t sell massive quantities, the fact that women thought enough of the product and me to buy this planner, knowing it could help them sustain themselves during a global pandemic is HUGE!
My dream is to have several lines of organizational supplies for work, home and play! I want to make sure that I am making this happen the smartest way possible with supportive resources. Getting help with manufacturers so I can make sure I am getting the product I want with a minimum quantity that I can sell out of.
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My most important role model currently is Myleik Teele. Watching her excel with her Curlbox brand, making it something so special and different every time amazes me! Her creativity, her drive and her dedication to the process is so inspiring.
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