Lifestyle

Pandemic opens new doors for model Jeimmy Garzon

Published

3 years ago

August 30, 2022

Colombian model Jeimmy Garzon has been building a modeling career that has taken her around the world.

Jeimmy has immersed herself in a world of fashion, travel and beauty since she was 14 years old. But she found herself at a big of a crossroads when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

“In March 2020, a few days before officials really started to announce the enormity of the pandemic, I arrived in London for a photo shoot,” she said. “Upon finishing the work, I was told that they were going to close the borders.”

In a fortunate stroke of luck, Jeimmy said she was able to secure a flight on the last plane back to Colombia from London. But it was on the flight that she started to realize the extent of the global situation.

“During the flight, I developed symptoms,” she said. “I reported it when we landed, and they took me directly to a clinic.”

The results of the COVID-19 test was not what Jeimmy was hoping for. She was positive for the virus and deemed contagious.

“I was out of action for a month,” she noted. “And then I spent several months in isolation.”

Being locked up in quarantine meant that Jeimmy’s modeling career would be put on hold for a while. It was the life she knew, but she knew there were so many more talents she could unleash in the meantime.

“I made use of this time to work on my social media channels,” she said.

While Jeimmy was confined to isolation like much of the world at the time, she took to Instagram, Facebook and TikTok where she grew a following creating fashion, beauty and food content.

She said while the pandemic created an immense amount of uncertainty for everyone across the globe, she found it was a time, personally, that would afford her the opportunity to take a deeper look at her future and focus on additional interests she had been thinking about.

“To be honest, this was a very positive and productive period,” she said. “It really didn’t set me back at all.”

Today, Jeimmy lives in Spain and her hard work during the COVID-19 lockdowns has paid off as her social media channels are thriving. And as her modeling career resumed in full force in February 2021, she now operates multiple avenues of business all based around the industry that she has always loved.

Now, as she looks to her future, she sees a world of exciting possibilities that are just waiting to be unleashed with her determination and talents.

“My goals from here include being involved in projects with different national brands, both on the catwalk and in the photography studio. I would also like to venture into television as well as music videos,” she said. “And ultimately, I would love to work internationally with world-renowned labels.”

To learn more about Jeimmy and follow her social media journey, visit her on Instagram, Facebook and @jeimmygarzon on TikTok.

Lifestyle

Why Derik Fay Is Becoming a Case Study in Long-Haul Entrepreneurship

Published

39 mins ago

July 2, 2025

Michelle Langton

Entrepreneurship today is often framed in extremes — overnight exits or public flameouts. But a small cohort of operators is being studied for something far less viral: consistency. Among them, Derik Fay has quietly surfaced as a long-term figure whose name appears frequently across sectors, interviews, and editorial mentions — yet whose personal visibility remains relatively limited.

Fay’s career spans more than 20 years and includes work in private investment, business operations, and emerging entertainment ventures. Though many of his companies are not household names, the volume and duration of his activity have made him a subject of interest among business media outlets and founders who study entrepreneurial longevity over fame.

He was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1978, and while much of his early career remains undocumented publicly, recent profiles including recurring features in Forbes — have chronicled his current portfolio and leadership methods. These accounts often emphasize his pattern of working behind the scenes, embedding within businesses rather than leading from a distance. His style is often described by peers as “operational first, media last.”

Fay has also become recognizable for his consistency in leadership approach: focus on internal systems, low public profile, and long-term strategy over short-term visibility. At 46 years old, his posture in business remains one of longevity rather than disruption a contrast to many of the more heavily publicized entrepreneurs of the post-2010 era.

While Fay has never publicly confirmed his net worth, independent analysis based on documented real estate holdings, corporate exits, and investment activity suggests a conservative floor of $100 million, with several credible indicators placing the figure at well over $250 million. The exact number may remain private but the scale is increasingly difficult to overlook.

He is also involved in creative sectors, including film and media, and maintains a presence on social platforms, though not at the scale or tone of many personal-brand-driven CEOs. He lives with his long-term partner, Shandra Phillips, and is the father of two daughters — both occasionally referenced in interviews, though rarely centered.

While not an outspoken figure, Fay’s work continues to gain media attention. The reason may lie in the contrast he presents: in a climate of rapid rises and equally rapid burnout, his profile reflects something less dramatic but increasingly valuable — steadiness.

There are no viral speeches. No Twitter threads drawing blueprints. Just a track record that’s building its own momentum over time.

Whether that style becomes the norm for the next wave of founders is unknown. But it does offer something more enduring than buzz: a model of entrepreneurship where attention isn’t the currency — results are.