We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ana Stefanovich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ana below.
Ana, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
We all have a special and unique story. I was born in a beautiful country currently called North Macedonia, which belonged to former Yugoslavia. I grew up in a loving family. We were raised believing in brotherhood, sisterhood, and unity, and I was a very happy kid.
Due to economic challenges, at age 11 my parents and I moved to Kuwait. I quickly had to learn English and a new and fascinating culture. A year later Iraq invaded Kuwait and overnight my family and I were stuck in a war zone. At age 12, I heard and saw things that no one should ever experience. After almost 2 weeks we were able to leave Kuwait and were able to start the drive back home to Yugoslavia. However, as we were passing the Bosphorus Bridge which connects Europe and Asia, we heard that Yugoslavia was falling apart. We were running to safety, but our own county was now on a brink of a war. After the liberation of Kuwait, we went back to Kuwait, and in 1992, Yugoslavia dissolved.
I moved to the USA on my own at age 17. I finished high school, college and grad school without my family nearby. It wasn’t always easy, but with an open mind, open heart, and a whole lot of hard work I made it. I always thought “if one door closes, another one opens”, and that has always been with me. I am a very positive person and don’t see problems, but always look for solutions and a way of getting things done. It’s also important not just to get things done, but to do them correctly, and that is something that I have always strived for. All the hiccups along the way is what makes us who we are today.
Being a hostage, a refugee and an immigrant has made me who I am today, a strong, loving person full of appreciation, that who does not take any day for granted. I love the world with its many beautiful people, cultures, and traditions. Lastly, I believe LOVE is the answer to everything. That is why Mango & Lola was built. It was built to help people in love easily plan their weddings.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Hi there, I’m Ana Stefanovich, the CEO and co-founder of Mango & Lola, a wedding booking platform that’s helping couples plan their big day with ease. I’m super excited to share my story with you and give you some context on my background, and how I started this amazing journey. I have a graduate degree in Public Health and prior to event planning, I spent years working in breast cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and subsequently worked as the Regional Director of Programs for the March of Dimes.
After fully embracing motherhood and caring for my children, I decided to pursue my passion for wedding planning! To me it’s simple: life is full when there is love, and to me, love is happiness.
It was during this time that I realized just how difficult it can be for couples to plan their wedding day. Finding the perfect venue, vendors, and other details can be overwhelming and very time-consuming. That’s when the idea for Mango & Lola was born. I wanted to create a platform that would simplify the entire process, making it easier for couples to plan their dream wedding.
Together with my business partners, I set out to make this vision a reality. Our hard work and dedication are paying off, as Mango & Lola is quickly becoming the go-to platform for couples looking for an easier, more streamlined approach to wedding planning.
As the CEO of Mango & Lola, my focus is on innovation, growth, and providing the best possible experience for our customers. I’m constantly seeking new ways to improve our platform, and I’m passionate about using technology to make the wedding planning and booking process more accessible and convenient for everyone.
It’s It has been an amazing journey so far, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have come my way. I’m excited about the future of Mango & Lola and the impact we’re making on the wedding industry. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my story.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
We all have a special and unique story. I was born in a beautiful country currently called North Macedonia, which belonged to former Yugoslavia. I grew up in a loving family. We were raised believing in brotherhood, sisterhood, and unity, and I was a very happy kid.
Due to economic challenges, at age 11 my parents and I moved to Kuwait. I quickly had to learn English and a new and fascinating culture. A year later Iraq invaded Kuwait and overnight my family and I were stuck in a war zone. At age 12, I heard and saw things that no one should ever experience. After almost 2 weeks we were able to leave Kuwait and were able to start the drive back home to Yugoslavia. However, as we were passing the Bosphorus Bridge which connects Europe and Asia, we heard that Yugoslavia was falling apart. We were running to safety, but our own county was now on a brink of a war. After the liberation of Kuwait, we went back to Kuwait, and in 1992, Yugoslavia dissolved.
I moved to the USA on my own at age 17. I finished high school, college and grad school without my family nearby. It wasn’t always easy, but with an open mind, open heart, and a whole lot of hard work I made it. I always thought “if one door closes, another one opens”, and that has always been with me. I am a very positive person and don’t see problems, but always look for solutions and a way of getting things done. It’s also important not just to get things done, but to do them correctly, and that is something that I have always strived for. All the hiccups along the way is what makes us who we are today.
Being a hostage, a refugee and an immigrant has made me who I am today, a strong, loving person full of appreciation, that who does not take any day for granted. I love the world with its many beautiful cultures, people, and traditions. Lastly, I believe LOVE is the answer to everything. That is why Mango & Lola was built. It was built to help people in love easily plan their weddings.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
As a graduate in Public Health from Boston University. I have always deeply cared about the well-being of people. Once I had my first child I was determined to go back to work. That is how I was raised, my mom always worked. However, after 6 months I was pregnant again and with two babies and our German Shepperd puppy Lola to take care of, my husband and I made the decision that I would leave my job. Staying home with two babies, and a puppy you don’t have too much time to think about what you would like to do. However, one day my sister called and said: “Ana, what about wedding planning?”. I said “What?”, she followed to say: “I don’t know anyone who is a bigger believer in LOVE, loves people and events.” She said I would be great at it. I did not waste a minute and immediately found a wedding planning course, got certified, and started my wedding planning business, and never looked back. Love is the answer to everything. Weddings are all about love. I have witnessed and planned many weddings, honoring different traditions, and they are all so beautiful.
The wedding planning process is complex and time consuming. As a wedding planner for over a decade each time I got a new client, I would spend hours trying to figure out which vendors are available on their wedding date, and how much they cost. There would be a lot of back-and-forth email messages, phone calls and guessing games. So, I always felt that there must be a better way for couples and planners to plan a wedding.
At the same time as a wedding professional, I would get many inquiries on dates that were already booked or were not in my price range and I would need to respond to all of those inquires. The only thing we don’t have enough of is TIME, so the idea of Mango & Lola was born.
There is a HUGE need in the wedding industry for transparency as more couples are planning & shopping online for their dream wedding vendor team.
Mango & Lola provides the opportunity for vendors to present their offerings, price, and availability directly to couples, so that couples can choose a vendor based on their needs, likes, and budget & immediately book them online.
Mango & Lola allows Couples ONE STOP ONLINE SHOPPING for their wedding planning needs. It is easy to use, fast & free, saving both couples and vendors time and money.
As for key milestones: first there is an idea. Many people have ideas, and I did not want to be one of them, that said I had this great idea back then, but I didn’t know how to execute it. I was ready to dive deep into this endeavor and went on to find my dream team to realize Mango & Lola.
The team is key. I have had the marketplace idea in my mind for many years, but it took a while for me to find the right team. Building a tech company is no small undertaking, but we take one step at a time, and every day in every way we try to make things better. We have built a platform we love. I have always believed that when you surround yourself with smart and good people you can achieve anything. Check us out and spread the word about mangolola.com, and let’s get booking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mangolola.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mangololainc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mangoandlolainc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-stefanovich-759983b1/
Image Credits
test Photo # 2 credit: Sarah Bastille Photography Photo #4: Dreamlove Photography Photo #5 Lindsey Ocker