Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monique Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Monique, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I would hope that my legacy would be that Monique Allen didnt seek riches. She only dreamed that her name would hold much weight. She inspired others through her work to celebrate the businesses and professionals in her community, while contributing to students whom she considered to be the pathmakers of the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a stay-at-home mother of two with a bachelor’s in chemistry. I’m a native of East Texas. I started my organization while attending college at Texas A&M University-Commerce. I noticed that students were struggling financially as well as in other areas (food, personal hygiene products, etc.). I related to them, and wanted to make a change for those who would be joining the college journey later. I began raffling gift baskets to raise capital. I later began hosting events and selling subscriptions to raise funds to start our “Incentive Programs”. The incentive programs consist of different ways for active students to make a little bit of money, receive snacks, or win giveaways, all FREE to them.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I had $40 left to my name. I went to Dollar Tree and purchased a basket, snacks and drinks. I organized it nicely and gift wrapped it. I got permission from the same store to setup outside their doors. I agreed not to setup in front of their windows, and not to harass their customers. I raffled it off and told of my mission. I more than tripled my starting amount. I then used those funds to buy more products to sell and start marketing.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think it’s safe to say that covid changed the scope of almost everyone’s business, whether better or worse. It allowed me to create a more convenient way to assist my audience. It also helped me to go global and reach more students from different states and countries. I use to only assist local students, however when the pandemic hit I knew students could not come out. I decided to start shipping out our care packages straight to their door.

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