Soles Uplifting Souls

Motivated by my life's passions, tribulations and lessons, and ongoing thirst for entrepreneurship, I created a global shoe brand to uplift and empower women, one sole at a time.

Before starting Fundae Soles, I was the Vice President Connections,  iHeartMedia and National Sales Manager, ESPN managing top clients at the largest media companies. Prior, I led the development, marketing and sales for a communication startup and worked extensively in media research. 

As a leader, I’m both compassionate and strong. I lead with my heart and strategically motivate and serve my team. I’m known equally for my work ethic, the one who’ll get it done, and the inspirational one driving the team to goal. 

Leader. Innovator. Mentor. Single Mother. Full of Love. Funny. Friend. Neighbor. Community Supporter. Blessed. Not without adversity. Pillar of Strength. Lifelong Student. Researcher. Dancer. Yogi. Reader. Hostess. Happy Holly. Everyday’s a Jolly Hollyday when Hollydayfun is around.

1. I am supporting solutions to eradicate two major global crises for the betterment of people and planet through proceeds and product. Fully committed to donating a portion of every sale of Fundae Soles to existing organizations that currently protect and uplift women. Secondarily, I vow to be a responsible business for the betterment of our planet by committing to the most eco-friendly materials and process available and promise to continually evolve as more effective options become available. 

2. Launching a global women’s fashion brand, Fundae Soles, custom on-demand online proprietary platform to protect the planet through materials and inspiring consumption change. Each pair of shoes serves as an engine of good to elevate women one sole at a time. 

3. Research shows brands have more power to make an impact on the world than politics. 53% of consumers believe that brands can do more to solve social problems than governments (Pew 2019)

I created Fundae Soles to help raise support and resources for two main global crises with intricate challenges.

1- First problem is violence against women. 

At home: 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence in the USA and 37% globally. 

At large: Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating more than $150 billion USD every year (A21) 

Human traffickers lure victims promising a better life and financial opportunities. 43.4% of slaves are captured by false employment advertisements. 

Women need resources and guidance to safely secure the right jobs and get back on their feet. 

2- Second major universal problem is Global Pollution- (unenvironment 2018)

Fashion is the world’s 3rd largest contributor to waste.

92 million tons of waste dumped by fashion industry each year = $500 Billion in waste. 

Oceans are rapidly degrading and it is predicted by United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals, that by 2050 the Ocean will have more plastic than fish, if we don’t make changes. 

Both are large scale global issues with critical negative impacts that need continuous support to affect change. Fundae Soles serves to contribute to elevate women and will be responsible to the planet through product and process. 

Fundae Soles will donate proceeds to existing organizations elevating women dedicated to eradricating domestic violence and abolishing human trafficking. 

The global footwear market is valued at $365.5 billion in 2020, estimated to reach $530.3 billion by 2027 (Statista 2020). 

If the footwear sector were a country, its economy would be bigger than Hong Kong (statisticstimes/GDP)

Majority of shoes are women’s. Looking at the digital habits of consumers, 37% of ALL online shoppers bought shoes and 63 percent of shopping occasions begin online (Thinkwithgoogle), the potential to globally elevate social causes is exponential and cannot be an afterthought but woven into the ethos of the company. 

If Fundae Soles is able to capture 1% of shoe sales starting in America ($86 Billion shoe market) and donate 1% of all sales, overnight one brand can single handedly elevate humanity through nearly $1Million in donations.

People and Planet win. Our product will be made from primarily eco friendly materials. Each pair of shoes comes from 15 recycled water bottles. Hypothetically at 1% of USA sales, Fundaes will help the oceans by removing 6,375,000 water bottles. 

There’s profound potential through brands to positively and exponentially elevate humanity and our habitat for good!  

My mission is to use the power of the product to positively impact communities worldwide and to uplift women. Women who are victims of domestic abuse, need help leaving and getting a job. Sadly women who seek jobs, often fall victim to the horrible crime of human trafficking. Eradication of this is a huge undertaking. I will lean into the professionals already hard at work with existing partners such as A21, Dress for Success, global domestic violence centers by providing more resources and employee volunteers. 

Secondarily, I will ensure product manufacturing responsibility to help reduce global pollution, while helping consumers save money by buying one shoe with multiple style options.

Through a proprietary on-demand platform designed to inspire change in consumption habits by offering a patent pending multi-use shoe with interchangeable looks. One shoe, endless possibilities. Consumers can still have style choices without buying multiple shoes. A custom, on-demand shoe constructor personalized and built for consumers, by consumers.  Fundaes on-demand products can save inventory, shipping and distribution costs. Fundae’s seek to help eliminate fashion waste and be the leading source for sustainable and interchangeable high heels. 

Perfect package of passion, purpose and preservation= protecting a win for people and planet.

The goal is to create an inspiring, joyful product that drives funding to uplift women and protect the globe. Collectively we can help women through financial resources and product donations to get back on their feet. Everyone is responsible for earth. Fundaes will combine eco-friendly materials with fashion flair, comfort and purpose to elevate change. The evolution in people’s attitudes will come from education and reinforcement around the importance of giving back and doing our part. We’ll inspire the belief that every little bit actually counts. Consumers' attitudes will expand to expect brands to largely impact positive social change. 

Fundae Soles is truly my life’s work. A compilation of passion, pain and finding my purpose in constant pursuit of happiness for all. I’m the girl in high heels everywhere I go. When I walk in a room, people look to see what shoes I’m wearing. I’m known for my shoes and truly believe we are our own brands. What we say, how we act and what we are known for matter. I’ve also been a sales leader and market researcher for major media for over 20 years. I’ve helped brands define go-to-market strategies and the right message and media mix to drive success. I’ve always desired to launch my own brand with purpose and visualized creating something that could inspire love, happiness all while giving to those in need. 

I consciously couldn’t create a product to help society while contributing negatively to another problem, so global pollution prevention is an essential  factor as well. 

Shoes were a natural fit to elevate women, and high heels now had dual meaning. It’s about finding what I love, what I’m known for and incorporating experiences. 

I want to create a legacy that positively elevates love, kindness and goodwill for decades to come. 

My passion for elevating women comes from years of feeling like I wasn’t allowed to soar and my voice wasn’t heard through personal and professional relationships. On the heels of the #metoo movement, I know I am not alone.  Women are still struggling to find their voice and seek support. Women need approachable solutions, community and products they believe in. 

While I wholeheartedly believe in and will contribute to the organizations that support the most desperate cases of women in need, I also strongly believe in having happy, uplifting conversations and products that outwardly elevate every women and inspire them to be the best they can. 

Some challenges women face are imposter syndrome, oppression and lack of equality in the workplace. Many women just need a little lift and a community of like minded people cheering each other on for the confidence to walk in a room with conviction. A simple outward expression, such as shoes to communicate your voice is all it takes.  

Through the power of my platform and conversations, we will elevate women with confidence and support of their individuality. Fundae Soles celebrates the uniqueness in each of us and the power of our collective confidence.

The massive global problems I seek to elevate cannot be tackled by individuals alone. There are many existing successful organizations ready to employ action, however they need more resources. 

As I reflect on how I can contribute to causes, I realize the execution of my purpose lies in skills, experience, talents then sharing them for greater good. One powerful brand with depth and reach globally can create a greater impact than single acts of service.

I am a leader, destined to be a founder of a global brand. I managed top global brands providing solutions, analytics and go-to-market strategies that led to years of success. 

Over 20+ years sales leadership achievements at major media and market research companies and the sole visionary behind a customer care channel that positively disrupted an industry, I’m uniquely well rounded to run a company. I am ready to serve at the helm of a company dedicated to elevating humanity.

Effective marketing is critical to any brand’s success. Without customer acquisition there’s no business. I bring a wealth of expertise, connections and wisdom formulating the best ways to launch and sustain a business. I know I can drive results to solve the problem by sheer growth. 

Product research shows that the shoe industry will be sustainable to thrive through all economic climates and is rapidly growing online. 

The vision of Fundae Soles is the perfect culmination of my life experiences and is truly a heartfelt passion that will lead to my greatest accomplishment yet.

In 2013 I developed a mobile app to improve customer experience beyond social media through proprietary technology linked to customer relationship management systems. 

Executive leadership accepted the proposal but manipulated the strategy and my innovation.  The app created a potential substantial business opportunity, but I could not align with management’s unethical approach.  Ethics and integrity have been the cornerstone my 20-year career success, so I swallowed my pride and left the company - and my idea behind.  

The loss of this business opportunity - and income -  coincided with the most difficult time of my personal life.  I was navigating a painful divorce from domestic oppression which nearly cost my life savings to keep custody of my children and tested my resilience, purpose and life decisions. I was determined to regain a healthy home for my children, provide financial stability and develop my talents in a professional environment then begin to to dream again. I accepted a position at the nation’s leading media company where I managed our top advertisers’ marketing programs.

 “The key to adversity is your attitude and how quickly you rebound.” This defines how I overcome setbacks. I reset quickly, adapt to change, and perform with positivity.

My greatest life lesson was when I learned how to see life’s truth after surviving a minor stroke and losing vision in my right eye. My health was deteriorating at age of 37 and I was in a very unstable relationship. For the next several months, I went undiagnosed experiencing numbness and blood clotting in my brain. I began to fear for my life and children. 

The truth I saw was living life with purpose and a voice.  I declared, if given the chance to survive, I will commit to make a difference. I will find a way to help as many women in similar and worse domestic situations.  I was fortunate and grateful to receive diagnosis and treatment. I was blessed to have job options where I could solely provide for my children.  Many women lack resources, support and hope and I’m motivated to help them.

Friends, co-workers and family say I’m an inspiration of strength - their confidant, mentor and leader as they navigate their life tribulations.  

Looking back, I feel proud of how I prevailed for my daughters and other women.  They witnessed my perseverance, passion and positivity during the most difficult crossroads of my life.  

Fundae Soles is disruptive primarily through my innovative platform that creates customized shoes on-demand helping prevent over manufacturing and production. The greatest contributor to waste in the fashion industry is overproduction. 

Secondarily, Fundae Soles has a patented (pending) design that offers multiple uses and styles within one classic shoe. The shoe itself with fun personalized style options, inspires a change in consumption, further reducing the problem of fashion waste. You can buy one pair of shoes, still have several looks and personality with less negative impact on global pollution. Fundaes will focus on education and inspiration as to why it is important to buy and support businesses and products that are making responsible decisions that impact people and planet. 

Lastly, the materials used to create Fundae Soles are sourced primarily from recycled materials. Our "stilettos from the sand"- created from recycled water bottles. The threads used to make each pair of shoes come from 15 recycled water bottles retrieved from the oceans. While recycled threads have successfully been used by other major brands such as Nike, Adidas and Rothy’s, they are all known for sports and casual wear. No brand has approached the sustainable shoe for stylish high heels that women love. In addition to eco-friendly threads, I will be using Pinatex, a vegan leather. 

I’m committed to evolving all parts of the shoe to be sourced from eco-friendly materials and am in conversation with several manufacturers. This will be a long-term continuous improvement as options become more readily available.

The logic of why I know 100% Fundae Soles will make an immense positive impact to elevate humanity is ripple effect of giving then creates happiness which leads to better health. 

While corporate philanthropy isn’t new, we’re in the middle of a do-good renaissance. Brands know philanthropy is about more than doing good in the world and helping people feel good. According to Forbes, 81% of millennials say they want to support brands with corporate citizenship. Philanthropy increases brand loyalty when you practice it genuinely. Giving back increases engagement, customer acquisition and positive sentiment. When targeting younger demographics, they expect social good. Nielsen confirms, shoppers under the age of 40 prefer to give back through where they shop.

According to Business of Fashion, today’s consumers are eager to shop from new brands with a strong sense of purpose and storytelling. 

2019 CivicScience survey by NPD, found that 40% of consumers say eco-friendly/sustainable materials are important.  And 66% of Millennials are willing to spend more on brands that are more sustainable. 

We know this interest exists and is only growing. Proven by other brands. 

Tom’s Shoes- Has donated nearly 100 Million shoes to the poor. People support Tom’s for their cause. Just think if you add beautiful, fun and personalized shoes how much more people will be willing to support.

While Rothy’s does not currently have a program to give back per sale, we know the popularity of the brand and appreciation of threads from recycled water bottles is resonating based on sales. In 2018, Rothy's sales were $140 Million, on track to double in 2020 and currently valued at $700 Million. Likewise, Allbirds, known for sustainable wool and Footwear News brand of the year in 2018, currently valued at $1.4 Billion. 

Patagonia- With their commitment to 1% for the planet has donated $89 Million towards preservation and national restoration of our environment. 

Fundae Soles will be authentic and transparent by tracking our donations and impact through counters and storytelling. This will drive growth and ultimately positive impact to elevate women, protect the planet, create joy and even improve health. 

The potential positive impact of the brand and philanthropic partners are exponential. 

Numbers at a glance: 

A21: 7,000 lives saved through individual donations. With the power of authentic brand messaging and strategic SEO driving high volume donations, I anticipate in the first 3 years we can double that or greater. 

Dress for Success reaches over 1.2 Million online each year. Fundae Soles will work to donate returned shoes, finances and volunteers to help women succeed. My business plan shows that with a strategic philanthropic partnership within the first year we can impact at least 10,000 lives and over 100,000 by year five. 

Additionally includes ocean preservation through materials reducing waste of over 350,000 water bottles and by year five over 12 million water bottles. 

With the inspirational mission and consumer-powered design, further waste will be eliminated as consumers are designing what they want. The patented classic designs with interchangeable tops, the return policy and acceptance of shoes to be repurposed and upcycled, the waste is further reduced to positively elevate our global footprint. 

The exact impact is dependent on sales, which is reliant on market share from customer acquisition. The more money I raise, the heavier I can advertise to win consumers, before a non-charitable brand copies my design without the heart and philanthropic vision. 

If I can raise over $2M and advertise extensively, which is precisely what I know how to do best, then we put ourselves in the driver seat of immense and quantifiable positive social impact. 

Many great philosophers believe that “one day you will tell your story of how you’ve overcome what you went through, and it will become part of someone else’s survival guide.” 

I know this to be true. I’ve leaned on the words and tears of others to get me through my darkest days and I have lent a shoulder and an ear to many others during their toughest moments. 

Human beings are social and rely on people and community for survival. 

If my story helped one person, I would be grateful. I know in my heart that my story, so similar relatable to millions of others, will help more than one woman. I believe everything happens for a reason and with Fundae Soles we can help millions of women and in turn they will help others.  Giving is contagious. Caring is infectious. Sharing is powerful and healing. 

The world needs more stories of survival, stories of thriving and overcoming. The world wants relatable heroes that are accessible and giving back. A hero and her survival story need to be attainable. They need to see it’s possible and that there are resources in place that they too will prevail. And let’s not forget, we need joy and laughter. Life is like a bowl of cherries. Sometimes it’s the pits, and oftentimes, it’s ripe, beautiful, colorful and delicious. Lean into those times. Fundae Soles adds fun and beauty to people’s lives just as much as we are here to inspire and elevate.

The biggest barrier to accomplishing my goals and driving huge social impact to elevate people and the planet...is financial. If I can raise significant money, I am beyond confident we will prevail. 

I am the leader with the vision to make this a reality. My heart, determination, persistence and perseverance are unshakeable. 

The second barrier is low inventory. Also financially related. With additional funding I can set up the product portfolio and secures partners ready to scale. 

The third major barrier is having the right team of people to scale the vision. I have a team of people with a depth of experience ready to dive in and participate in growth. This is also reliant upon increased financial resources. 

Why and how do I have this amazing and perfectly curated team of people? Because they believe in my vision. I’ve evangelized the power of what we can collectively do. They have witnessed my hard work and ethical decisions and contributions over the past 25 years and are proud to work with me. Plus...I’m a great networker and storyteller. I’ve stayed in touch. I’ve helped them in their life situations and am always kind. They hear me and the story we are writing together. They want to be a part of the history and brand known for making a huge difference. 

The financial barrier will hopefully be overcome as the fortunate recipient of The Elevate Prize. Following this tremendous gift, I will be able to seek additional resources with MIT’s credibility boosting potential funding even greater. I will continue to raise money and invest in marketing and product to scale the business and drive the greatest potential impact to elevate women in need. 

Leaders from the fashion industry have come to my side and are ready to participate in disrupting and evolving the fashion industry for the betterment of people and planet. To overcome the barriers I have the following resources ready to hire, with some already helping pro-bono because they profoundly agree with the mission. 

Art Director- Fashion Photographer-worked with elite brands such as Alexander McQueen and Vogue. 

Fashion Executive and Philanthropist- Sales leader for Condenast, marketing and design for surf brands plus personally been volunteering in Africa to help women and children. 

Customer Service leads that ran customer care for Levi’s, Jack Threads and tech services. 

Technical- team helped build dozens of other Direct to Consumer brands.

Shoe manufacturers that have helped scale rapid growth start-ups such as No Bull and finding all sources willing to evolve. 

Shipping and Fulfillment partners willing to go the extra step for my unique on-demand model because they want to be part of contributing positively to the planet.

Marketing and media executives from major global brands-PepsiCo, iHeartMedia, NBC, ESPN, advertising agencies and pharmaceutical companies- ready to help scale this business efficiently and effectively.

I am in the process of reaching out and confirming partnerships with a few of these philanthropic companies. I hope to solidify relationships by September 2020 and have permission to promote and align at Fall 2020 launch of first shoe collection. Each sales of Fundae Soles products will go into Fundae Funds that will be distributed based on needs and partnership commitments. 

https://www.thehotline.org/- Essential work for all levels of domestic violence and the number I called myself. 

https://www.a21.org/- Run by Christine Caine, a popular, women leader and inspiration. I believe she will be supportive, as we have mutual connections. Additionally, she has a new Podcast , “Equip & Empower” a perfect platform I plan to promote my products on. An authentic connection for successful promotion. 

https://nwcave.org/

https://dressforsuccess.org/- This has the potential for a unique relationship through donations of funding and product. I plan to accept all returns and and encourage recycle options to charities like Dress For Success that are literally in the field empowering women with confidence, resume writing and outfits for interviews. 

https://www.thenoproject.org/slavery/traffickers/

https://oceanconservancy.org/

https://www.surfrider.org/our-work (Growing up in Southern California along the ocean has been a big part of my inspiration to save the oceans through product materials. My family is very involved in Surf Rider Foundation) 

The long-term vision of Fundae Soles allows for other startups/brands to tap into the power of our platform and resources to easily model and give back to charities of their choice and is comparable to winning brands like Glossier and Away. 

These companies are identified as platforms to launch new brands or expand into new product categories, to show their model is scalable and can be replicated. 

As cited in Business of Fashion, Away’s Jen Rubio “If you look at the brands with valuations above $1 billion, we’re building something that’s much bigger than what we are today, we’re bigger than luggage. Glossier’s Emily Weiss has talked about how she’s building a beauty empire and Allbirds have talked about how they're a sustainable materials company, not just shoes.”

Another major significant value I bring to the table, is the need for more women run businesses, especially lacking in women’s fashion/footwear ironically. According to Fortune (3/2020) Women founders only made up 2.7% of overall investments in 2019. 

Experts believe the key to grow the footwear industry is female leaders. Just as we have seen tremendous success in beauty, the footwear is lacking women leaders and remains antiquated. 

According to Footwear News, female customers want to relate to the business owners. Sharing my story and explaining our “why” — that’s big right now, especially in an industry that primarily targets women but run by men. This movement is going to continue and hopefully, change things for the better.

My first collection of products will be ready in late Fall of 2020/Early 2021. Once I’m up and running, I can begin to drive revenue and donate to the philanthropic partners to start making a difference. The key is to scale quickly and gain the most market share for the best possible financial impact. For the next few months, I will work to raise money. Eventually the product will begin to pay for the growth. 

Phase two of the business is white labeling and licensing the If Bespoke platform I built as the engine for Fundae Soles. Access to my platform will help other brands have a more supported start to launch their Direct To Consumer business. If Bespoke serves as an automated system created to help emerging designers and startups have a more seamless, simplified and efficient platform and resources including access to license the software plus: IT, Marketing, Manufacturing, guidance of vetted eco-friendly materials, customer support and fulfillment. 

Through the development of Fundae Soles I learned many lessons and overcame several obstacles that were resistant to changing the industry my on-demand platform suggested. There are so many roadblocks to becoming a successful start-up, that I know I can help here as well. This provides additional revenue streams with expanding options to elevate more social causes. 

A proven example of this model is Zilingo whom raised $226 million for Asian markets and additional $100 Million for USA markets in Dec2019. Zilingo is currently valued at over $1 Billion.

Currently Fundae Soles is 100% solely funded by me. I believe in this vision and am pouring my heart and resources into the project. I will continue to seek funding through various rounds of friends and family, safe notes and eventually VC capital.I am at the beginning phase of raising capital as my goal was to have the platform, the product and vision ready to invest and believe in. 

At launch, ideally raising $2 Million - $3 Million. 

Grants- $1-2 Million 

Debt- $150,000-$500,000

Friends & Family- $200,000- $500,000

VC/Equity- $100,000- $1 Million 

I have an entire scalable business model with relatable fields to allow launch at very minimal costs. That said, I truly believe that market share is critical. Ideally year 1 to achieve market share our expense will be approximately $3 Million distributed across product and marketing primarily and team of experts next. This higher budget allows for a robust cross-platform go-to-market plan with product commitments ready to scale. 

The Elevate Prize feels like an exact match to my vision and project that includes the hero story and business idea. Most grants are heavily business logic or niche industry options. The Elevate Prize seems to value the person, the heart, and the passion of the vision, and for that I am grateful. With the global pandemic and systemic equality issues, there couldn't be a better time to honor and support those brands and projects looking to impact global change. The past few months have truly shown how universally united we are and that solving any issue and elevating any group or cause will require immense power and resources. With global consumerism, I truly believe brands have such incredible ability to drive significant change and influence people's behavior and beliefs. It is brands that are global more so than politics and have real power and responsibility. I'm ready to do my part. I'm ready to lead and inspire people through power of positivity and ethos of my organization.  Thank you for considering my application. Together I know we can elevate several causes and inspire new beliefs. 

In addition to the charity organizations listed, I also believe that third-party partners can be instrumental to driving change. If Fundae Soles partners with other existing non-competitive brands, to create custom- collaborations for new shoe designs, then we add to the revenue and donation goals very quickly. 

Companies that curate outfits and have existing success in Direct to Consumer sales had be extremely advantageous partners. 

For example: Stitch Fix, Allume, Chicwish, Trunk Club, My Fashion Crate

If they design a shoe each month to match a look and we bulk order, then not only would we get revenue, we get tapped into the marketing of their millions of existing fans. 

I am also in conversations with artists and influencers to have them design shoes and promote "their own brands" that will drive sales and again reach new potential customers and gain massive awareness. 

Third party partners can also be unique companies catering to women such as bridal stores, women leadership groups and many more. 

I look forward to collaborating with your team of mentors and experts to further grow the vision.