The Mentor Files

Listen in as Alexa talks about the secret to keeping a good work life balance as an entrepreneur, and how she became the serial entrepreneur she is today.

"Inspired Capital helps pay it forward to entrepreneurs who want to build great things in the future." - Alexa Von Tobel.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/81

Listen in to learn how Lauren Bush Lauren started FEED and worked with multiple different partners to help fight against world hunger and poverty.

"With all these amazing results from school feeding, how can I build something that will support that?" - Lauren Bush Lauren.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/80

Listen in the learn how Sarah Jones Simmer has created and sustained such an incredible culture both in the Bumble team and in their customer base.

"We're showing what is possible for a company that puts women in the driver's seat and puts kindness as a core value." - Sarah Jones Simmer.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/79

Listen in to learn how Miyoko went from nothing to an in-demand business in less than 6 months, and how she has transformed through her business career.

"I don't do all this market research and figure out how to do it right, I just start doing things, and that's how I've done everything in my life." - Miyoko Schinner.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/78

Listen in to learn how Jens Grede and his cofounder found success in FRAME through their partnership, and what Erik calls the sixth sense of consumers.

"It really went from idea to being in New York selling the line." - Jens Grede.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/77

On today's episode, Shan-Lyn goes through how she started Zola, from the inspiration behind the idea to the implementation and fundraising for the business.

"Now we're really focused not just continually improving and innovating in wedding registries, but also in how we can serve couples throughout their entire wedding planning journey." - Shan-Lyn Ma.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/53

In 2015, Jen Rubio was traveling back from a trip to Switzerland when her luggage broke in the middle of a crowded airport, sending her clothes and belongings everywhere. As she looked for a replacement she couldn't find the kind of iconic, high-quality, affordable luggage she was looking for.

Jen called up her friend Steph Korey - the two met in 2011 at Warby Parker back when they had only twenty employees - and they got to work. Just a few years later, they launched their direct-to-consumer luggage company, Away, in 2015. It boasts high end features such as two built-in USB ports and a durable, sleek design but is a fraction of the price of competing luggage.

The Away team now has more than 100 employees and tens of millions in revenue. They have expanded their product line, which now offers the bag in six sizes and eight colors and have partnered with people like Gray Malin and Karlie Kloss. In their conversation, Jen and Monica talk about how Away launched without a product, the way they handle collaborations, and why the retail and digital arms of the business aren't so different after all.

“More than anything we believe in making travel more seamless and more enjoyable.” – Jen Rubio.

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.MonicaandAndy.blog/28

Today's guest is one of the most sought after e-commerce investors in the country: Kirsten Green. Kirsten is the founder of Forerunner Ventures, and made early investments in companies like Birchbox, Glossier, Outdoor Voices and Bonobos. Plus, she was the only one to invest in two of the biggest e-commerce sites of the past few years: Jet.com and Dollar Shave Club.

This year Kirsten was named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World, and one of the Most Powerful Women in Tech by Forbes. On this episode, Kirsten talks about the magic of instincts, how she chooses which brands to invest in, and shares invaluable advice on what to do when pitching a potential investor.

As a professional soccer player, Tim Brown was used to receiving and trying out lots of free shoes. Somewhere along the line, he started to notice that all sports shoes were beginning to look the same. So, with that in mind, he set out to make his own.

Tim grew up in New Zealand and was familiar with the great qualities of wool - it's not only good for minimizing odor but also for regulating temperature. The benefits had been applied to clothing, but not yet to footwear. Alongside co-founder Joey Zwillinger, he went through hundreds of prototypes before putting the shoe up on Kickstarter, where they reached their $120k goal in just five days.

Allbirds now has more than 80 employees, recently landed $17.5M in series E funding and was named "The most comfortable shoe" by Time Magazine. In this episode, Tim talks about his decision to use a no branding strategy -- something that's unheard of the footwear industry, and reveals the core values his team lives by that have been crucial to his team's success.

For the first episode, I’m interviewing one of my favorite humans on earth: My brother Andy Dunn. The offspring of an immigrant mother who bucked tradition to marry our dad (he is not Indian, like our mother), we grew up feeling different from the other kids. This difference was our common bond and it made us that much closer.

Andy founded Bonobos in 2007 with the goal of providing men with better fitting pants. In the past ten years, the brand has grown to become a premier destination for men’s clothing. Along the way, Andy and his team have revolutionized the modern retail industry by providing a digital-first shopping experience. Not surprisingly, a lot of other brands have taken notice and followed suit (no pun intended).

Andy was a true pioneer in digital and his advice and guidance have been instrumental in Monica + Andy's growth. Listen in to this first episode for some great advice from Andy, including what five qualities to look for in employees as you’re building your team, and whether there really is such a thing as an expert (and if you should hire them).

“The thing that you think the world wants from you is not actually what the world wants from you - what the world wants from you is to do very difficult work of creating something that can exist and thrive and prosper.” - Andy Dunn

Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.MonicaandAndy.com/01