How they created the boys club for all women | Interview with Rachel & Istiana (Monday Girl)

look at an event and like oh my God I don't know anyone here I want to fight in was Rachel long and Iana barari tapped into what we're all thinking but aren't saying networking sucks for female professionals so they created Monday girl the boys club for all women we've always design this as something that we wish they had it's a side hustle turned fastest growing professional female networking community and a lot more goes on behind the scenes than you think we're always like okay this is a new challenge we haven't seen this before how do you scale a community Rachel Sienna thank you so much for sitting with me today thank you for having us I'm really excited to talk to you too today because Monday girl Social Club is Not only redefining networking for women but it's also doing in a way that I never thought existed or even knew was possible when I was entering my professional career so I actually want to take it back to the beginning and understand a little bit more about your journey about starting Monday girl kind of selfishly we started Monday girl all almost for ourselves I met Rachel we quickly bonded and just started ranting to each other about this like Mutual frustration of how awful networking is for like why is it so difficult to meet cool women in the city like where are they we know they're here but first coffee had a fuel ended up being this like six hour long session of us just like venting about n h g and all these things that they tell you to do after you graduate all these things like which I create with like find a mentor build your Professional Network but we were realizing that for ourselves it was very hard and I realized very quickly it wasn't that I was getting any shortage of advice it was more so the fact that the advice given to me was not applicable to myself as a young woman of color and I wanted that experience that was relatable that was shared and yeah we decided that they're had to be a better way so from that chat we actually ended up starting Monday girl on the kind of on the spot we we went home that night we started the Facebook group so that's how that digital aspect first started off so that was step one you started Monday girl you thought of the brand and you're were like we're going to create a Facebook group we're like Facebook group event rent cuz we were like go-getters we're like we're going to do everything today even though we just went I don't love that and we literally got everything in EM motion within I think the same week and we just invited like friends to friends yeah um it was very important to us like different Industries uh different level of seniority and we just brought them into this you know space never Peak for their own brunch it was like very unorganized people loved it I selling think back to that as like really like the essence of what we were I think everyone just craves that human connection I think we were even chatting earlier that you know doing something in person is very different from doing it digitally if there is ever an opportunity to bounce off the energy of each other in a physical space it makes all the difference you went full-time a year and a half ago you just went fulltime from a personal financial security knowing that this is what you're going all in on from a career perspective as well how did you make that decision well for me my background has always been in entrepreneurship I'm I've had a full-time job for one year in my entire life um so I was day one starting like I had my backgrounds in content I had a video agency so it was a no breiner to like shift into Monday girl especially when things were ramping up and it and it needed a full-time person there and then with Rachel it was definitely more a slowburn slash it was you know the job that I had it was the same job I had for seven years and I played a pretty pivotal role in the early stages of it so for me it was very tough leing something that was I were almost close my identity are you sure what company that was yeah so I was at Uber um I helped to launch the Uber Eats product in Canada um primarily actually it was the very first laun market for Uber Eats in total so it was crazy it was really really fun but I think it was very obvious a from Le's bandwidth and the things that were ramping up and all the things and the places that we want to go to it was it was pretty clear that I had to make the move and I got the support of incredible people friends fast people that I probably wouldn't s um consider mentors that like told me like now is a time I just got to rip off the Band-Aid so definitely the full package experience fun and mod everything is so fresh and everything speaks to me as a woman in my career so I think you've done a really fantastic job doing that did it always look like that like how has the community shifted and evolved when you first started to what it is today if you look back at our first logos they were like this bright Millennial teal there's a lot of florals I think we were just adapting to the time Stone Face yeah it was cool at the time very seful very and just super Millennial but people we loved it I thought it was like super cool and in the time before like that's amazing it's so current and I think we've had to continuously adapt I think it's grown with us and I think that's like something that's very special is like this is a brand that as we progress in our careers and our lives we've also been able to like progress in like what we can offer and how has the feedback from the community been it's been very conforming like we have so many like just truly incredible stories we see them most too when we're in person with our members but um for example like I was in mou on the weekend and I got to meet some of our members for a workout class just like hearing from them the reasons why they joined a lot of them move from different countries or cities and they wanted that social aspect some of them even said like I didn't know what to expect but I got a job interview because of the confidence that the group gave me so I think a lot of it is like the confidence that that the group support rather than like the actual tangible advice which we still to provide you still we still see like people be like I landed you know a new job or got promoted or I got you know 20 grand more asked you for my salary we see that quite an option that's really really special because that's that's a real impact on these people's lives I think about one of my favorite series that you have is like the payday series or shending a little bit more light on something that might be a little bit more taboo or or things that people don't talk about how do did you come up with something like that and how was it like rolling something that might be a little bit more stigmatized out into the world for that particular series I think a lot of our content we um take from based on what our audience is already talking about so all these conversations are already happening in like our slack Channel people are like hey um I'm have a job interview I'm thinking about like how much do you make what's appropriate and people are just talking about it because you know there's not enough transparency around these things I think it's a little LS into like the group we call it a group chat but it's like the group chat people are so open so transparent because I think it's like that shared space it's like again like evoking the idea of like the voice Club The Voice Club you tell each other everything right like probably too much and then what we're trying to think about is like what did that safe space of like for women if they got the chance to really shed light on their personal Journeys so whether it's like salary negotiation to even mitigating really personal situations like we see sometimes like I'm dealing with microagressions for my boss like how do I call them out um you know without being scared of losing my job so these are like very personal conversations that we're constantly seeing and a lot of it like we're seeing the comment section it's not even here's how to navigate it it could just be like I've been there too and know how you feel like don't like don't be so scared cuz you're not in alone and to ask like that's kind of like what makes Monday girl so special and I think a lot of those topics it's different to just say like this is the playw and how you do it versus I've been through that this is my experience it's not prescriptive but let me just share you what I've done and so you're building that relationship and fr andine like across all your members as well exactly and I think a lot of it it's like you're seeing through the group you're seeing the mentors is also participating time and you're seeing other peers just being like yeah like I've been there too it's like you can really see how that gives that person the extra confence to be like okay like let me reassess have there ever been situations where something more sensitive does come up and there's discourse within the membership that you know might not be always positive yeah I think because like there's no one size fits-all answer on how to deal with every single work situation that comes up like at the end of the day networking and working you're just dealing with people it's all about relationships so I would even say it like the more sensitive stuff too like we just a screening of fair play with Netflix we pre well e you pre-ww watched it I didn't get a chance to but she warned me she's like it's a very triggering very intense movie and we were we were scared and we gave all our members like a trigger warning for a bit they came out of it being like wow I feel very seen and that was really interesting mind you like we have a very we have a very soft taste for movies so this is not exactly our cup of tea it was really interesting because we were seeing that members are really resonating with you know the portrayal of even like the really the really hard and the really tough stuff that it comes with being a woman in the workplace so um I think it's from AR like we've been very lucky I think a lot of it comes with the fact that we do screen our members a lot of it comes up with you know the fact that a lot of it it's like also self moderated so far like all the conversations have been steered in a very in a very constructive way like I want to say positive because some of stuff is not positive but I would say constructive I mean you mentioned doing something with Netflix how has it been working with different companies or corporations with regards to Monday girl initiatives and how do you find the right fit in projects to pursue we look for um brands well a lot of Brands come to us to Source from diverse talent because we have so many different women have you know across different uh Industries we also look for companies that you know really align with our ethos and our values and I would say that's kind of my background I actually started off in Tech and sales so the first thing that came up very natural for me was like how do we work with the coolest Brands I even know what this came up with like I don't know why that was so important to me but I and like you know my consumer I am someone that would see different brands and consider that alignment very important so I think we just kind of pick and choose what we personally like it's very selfish I'm like this is a brand that I really resonate with I love their co-founder story Love's female founded and then from there we kind of like Approach at a conversation but we've been really fortunate because Brands come to us you come from TCH I have a business background so I'm always curious about kpis and so in a community-based organization like Monday girl what defines success for you we are learning our own kpi we set we set so we do have like vision boards and we set goals like end of year every quarter and like I think for us it's just what is our dream like the sky is the limit like this is where we want to be something we always challenges ourselves to do even when we're planning events um we use this like 11 star method which comes from the founders of Airbnb and where you imagine like okay what would the 11 star experience look like for this event or this campaign or whatever and then you work backwards from there to to what's you know actually more realistic but I think we try to use that mentality of like just dreaming as big as we can with what where we want to go and how big our impact is and that's where we set our goals and um we do have kpis for like like okay how many like you know to keep the business running I think like I wouldn't even call like kpis we do this more on like smaller project basis so anytime we been new launch we have our goals and then anytime we've been event we have our goals as well so we kind of track things on a one-off basis it's probably just an easier way for us to digest as we're like constantly changing but it's been like really hilarious I remember I was talking to shotty um the co-founder of Honor yeah and the whole Workshop was like business plans and she was like free Jill you probably your business plan I'm like man plan was a coffee brand session so they don't have one they don't have one so it's been it's been very fascinating coming from a background where everything is like so strictly documented I know like kpi like the back of my hand I check my dashboard so I think from this it's been like a very interesting shift we're trying to formalize things a little bit more now we're in that phase of the business I would say probably KP I to have yeah I mean you know that flexibility is really important because you know things change all the time in terms of growing and scaling a community how do you how do you scale a community this is an amazing question I've seen and I probably have been actually a part of these I'd say like membership communities where I've seen that kind of falter when they've expand too quickly or expand without a lot of thought to it so that's one thing we're confident of it's like when we're scaling how do we maintain that sense of you know just like that that value cuz some scale too fast it's like it's overwhelming to the members you're disrupting that H experience it doesn't feel as authentic anymore um so I think like even with us like every single launcher we have we personally review every single applicant we do it with a lot of help as well but then we also thinking about what value can this person bring to a community we're thoughtful with the mentor aspect as well but I would say for us it's like thinking about the local factors as well like that's a I think we've been very fortunate to talk to other community leaders and they would say like having that local grounding is very important so like our chapters are like we have like Toronto City chapter Vancouver so they feel like they still have like their sub Community a little bit more they connected to as well so did you take away any of your learnings from Uber and expanding the different markings of that hyperal approach and was able to apply any of that to mondy girl and all I love this question I feel like everyone knows they're like uber you guys love to Playbook you guys love to launch uh absolutely I would say I've been I get in so many launches like I can't even name them all and yeah like we play booked everything I would say the main thing for us is or indu on the events piece because we know inperson connection can never be replaced as we mentioned so like introducing that aspect first is where people get to know like the essence a Monday girl the the feel and then they can kind of like take that with them into the digital experience got it between the two of you as co-founders how does the decision- making process happen I think we're really lucky because we complement each other in terms of like what we like doing and also what we're good at our strengths and weaknesses are like complete opposites so whenever something like in my wheelhouse like I'll be a decision maker and vice versa but we yeah we do decide like all major decisions together I me a very healthy trust and we I feel like we're very like like I say like one for one like we're very split on like decisions where she's like let us go but I'm not too sureo it I'm like okay trust you and like vice versa and I think like we've been very good at like knowing when to do that it's always nice to have a bit of that sounding board I me someone that can say no to your face and you to her credit and wanting a digital platform was actually her idea I was very resistant against it she was like no like I I see something very different she pulled up the entire platform and I was like okay well I can't say no now this seems great we tested it out and now it's become like the main if not primary phys driver for us wow I think that's a very entrepreneurial um Instinct that you had and saying like this is what I think will work let me prove it out and then try to convince someone that you trust to go along that path how did you feel prepared to grow this organization to what it is today I think something this is like one of our biggest values is just like being able to figure anything out and I think like we've never had all the answers we didn't have you know in the early days we didn't necessarily have like perfect mentors giving us advice on how to do everything and it was very much like okay I have no idea how to build a website no idea how to like throw an event we don't have like no event background but let's just figure it out like let's um be resourceful I feel like that's one thing that we do share that's pretty entrepreneurial is like a very like yes mentality and yeah like I don't know what possess is to think that we could throw a 10 or 11 star event with like zero event inning back the allees but we're like we're going to do it it's going to be amazing but I think a little bit of that will call naiveness or it's excitement we're both really good at and obviously we just keep getting better each every each and every time I mean that optimism and that drive is what you know takes you to that next phase and when things do inevitably come up and those challenges arise you push through because you believe in what you are actually building and so on challenges have there been any challenges or winnings that have been unexpected in this journey so far feel like navigating that Co period was really interesting for us and I would say like this wasn't necessarily conflict but this is when e was like pressing the gas pedal and I was seeking it off but that's when we actually launched M girl Social Club um which is like a pretty crazy easy period for us cuz it was a lot of a lot of work on E's end it was a lot of experimentation and just believing in it and then I think when I like saw the results I was like okay I'm on board let's go but even day to day like as we keep growing like we're constantly ENT entering new phases like we're in growth phase and we're learning as we go we're always like okay this is a new challenge we haven't seen this before but I think again we're like okay we can do it like we've done so many things before and figured it out we're going to continue to do that it's always really curious seeing how you can adapt Vision to things that come up unexpectedly and so in those times of high stress or maybe one person is going through something the other person has to carry the weight of the business for a temporary amount of time what what brings you two together to make sure that you feel supported even when the other person is dealing with their own thing I think it's um it's just like it comes down to communication like communicating what your needs are and be like hey I'm going through this or I'm having a really tough mental health day um and just being honest with each other with what we need and being there for each other I wouldn't be neither of us would be able to do this alone yeah absolutely not I think we have such recognition that like the V is actually the two of us and without our complimentary skills without like our even our personalities like I just don't think it wouldn't be what it is today so I think it's like just like that total under recognition that it's like the business is us too yeah yeah do you think it will ever get to a point where it will grow beyond the two of you or do you think it will be the two of you oh no we desperately need a hire the two of us that's a hope yeah I this is a we're kind of at that inflection point where it's like there's a lot of work we've been operating Just the Two of Us for now but we actually just brought on um a full-time hire so we're really excited and we're going to continue to scale the team out what is some advice that you can give people about networking that they might not know of what's worked and what hasn't worked to build your personal brand because once you start building like sharing value with others on whether it's on you know sharing on LinkedIn and your takeaways from an event or whatever it is people start coming to you because they recognize you as a thought leader in your industry so that's a really great way to kind of network indirectly I think another tip that we've notice and probably by the function of running Monday girl is peer mentorship or peer networking is so valuable and I think a long of the times when we learn about networking or we think about networking it's like who in the room is the most senior and you suddenly start like thinking about the latter and you tried to go for the person in the room with like the highest title or the most senior title that person probably he doesn't have a lot of time for you they probably won't even have direct decision making power over things that could directly affect you so it's not really the best use of your time and it might also come out with us very disingenuous so I would actually really really recommend starting off with like peer networking um meaning like building genuine relationships of people at the same level with you if not like just like slightly higher or even below if you will because those are the people that will actually be able to relate to you especially if they're in a different industry too like they can also refer you because there's not direct competition as well as like being able to like learn from them in a very different perspective more about a certain topic for for me those have been like the most beneficial relationships absolutely and in that networking and building a personal brand between authenticity and professionalism can be a f balance sometimes so how does one balance those two aspects think your thing about the energy it's great I always try to recommend like P be the energy that you wish to attract because if you make yourself more approachable and just like open to connection like with your body language and your energy like you're automatically going to like you're going to become a magnet for the posit interactions that you're hoping for yeah I would say kind of mirror what you want or give before um you get and it just kind of long that's like a long-term investment when you're giving more and giving more Value First and just thinking about how can I serve others how can I provide value and I think like just to that point it's like if you've ever been to a networking event we all know the worst possible person to interact with is not the person that ignores you it is a person that talks to you asks you what you do and then suddenly theyve ruled in their mind that you're not important enough they walk away from you that is the words and then you you remember that person that becomes that person's personal brand that reputation and reputations of personal brands are cumulative and over time people start to recognize that so I would say um yeah like if you can you can distance yourself from that sort of energy you're already off on like a really positive note so showing up and showing up consistently and putting a version of yourself that you want the world to see as well any tips for people who might be a little bit more introverted who might look at a Monday girl then be like hey that looks like a lot of fun but it's still not me to like get out of my safe space and interact with others in that type of venue so a few tips that have worked for me over the years is hype yourself up take care of yourself first so you can show up your best self um also take the pressure off yourself like don't Focus so much on like perfecting that elevator pitch it's more about how can I just ask thoughtful questions get to know someone um don't worry about impressing people I think people will instantly like you more and remember you if you are showing genuine curiosity and listening to what they have to say and learning more about them um so take that pressure off yourself I would say I actually identify is really extroverted but I feel like even the most extroverted of us will look at an event and be like oh my God I don't know anyone here I want to hide in the washroom right like you're like oh how did I show up so there are little tips that I learned and that's just like try going to warm up any leads and again I'm coming for the sales L SEC but it's like are there any potential people that could be going to this event that I might know so I'll try to take a look at the invitation list try to see if there's any speakers I might have a second or third connection to asking for the introduction before so that way you can like set up a meeting there that way you know right like there's like at least one person at the event if that's un possible try to if there's a host and you're you're close enough with the host like ask them for Productions I think that's that's helped me half the nervousness of like going to something alone o I love that and any tips about finding a good Mentor I think that um when people think about mentors they um often limit the themselves by just I'm going for people who have like the exact role and title that like they want so I think really challenge yourself to like learn from anyone I never think you should just have like one single Mentor for the your entire career which you often think of it's like you can have multiple mentors at multiple times throughout your career and you can go to them for different things what does Monday girl look like five years from now oh my gosh we want to be really International we're we're right now we're um expanding into the US so ideally we would love to be you know maybe have inte chapters worldwide and I think from a very aspirational standpoint we've always designed this as something that we wish we had when we were uncertain or unsure about our careers if Monday girl could be the place that you immediately think of when you're like oh my gosh I don't know have to do with my career who do I ask we want that to be like the first thing that people recommend so I wanted to end this conversation with some speed round questions and do it who's the early bird in the office who has a messiest ass me who would I go to for check support me who is Best Dressed both of us both who is better at handling stress uh in different way different different stresses different coping mechanisms describe the other person in five words oh that's a good question okay Rachel is um confident elegant um intelligent um a true leader and that's five oh is it say Asia is strategic she is levelheaded creative unique and ctis and then I I'd love to hear from both of you for the next few what has been one book or resource that had a meaningful impact on your entrepreneurial Journey we really like the book traction um but you know I can't remember his last name but that has been a helpful framework for us when thinking about what direction do we want to go in and just planning love that yep it's not a business book but I think it's more so is it the Power of Now yeah is always profoundly for some reason had such a meaningful impact on my life it's been a helpful coping mechanism for me but um the now piece has been like very helpful being present what is one non-negotiable in your day I don't want to do the generic coffee but uh what real for you was real for you m you're um probably sleep I can't survive without a good night's sleep oh my gosh I I like M Mo zero oh yeah feels good definitely feels good yeah feel like I've been falling off that bandwagon a bit things creep up and lastly you could trade spots with one other entrepreneur for the day who would that person be I love Emily Weiss I know she's had such a interesting Public Image these past few years which I don't which I think is just a the causation of being a female founder and being put in the spotlight so I love her I think she's been doing some great things so that'd be awesome yeah also very Community German yeah but Angel the gloss has been a big inspiration for us so for sure I see it oh I'm totally blanking I commend every entrepreneur out there it's it's hard it's a lot harder than people think well Rachel is Sienna thank you so much this was so much fun I love chatting with both of you and learning more about mondy girl and it's dirty thank you for having us thanks so l

Channel: The Founder's Edition

Views: 353

Keywords: founder, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, interview, leadership, leader, growth, strategy, venture capital, startup, startup story, story, challenge, conversation, podcast, startup podcast, entrepreneur podcast, real talk, business, business tip, business tips, startup tips, learning, education

Id: hiP4Ov9nDsU

Length: 28min 58sec (1738 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 14 2023