A: I am the founder of I-ELLA.com, described by many as the ‘Fashion insider’s eBay. ’For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed creating and starting things. Whether it was drawing, writing or leading a student organization, the joy of creating, has always been a part of me. Had it been up to me, I would have studied 18th century English Literature and Creative Writing at a small liberal arts school in Ohio, but I am African and has many African children know, there are really only three academic paths approved of by the African parent – Doctor, Lawyer or Engineer. I received my B.S. in Engineering from The Ohio State University and MBA degrees conferred from both Columbia Business School and London Business School. After spending some time in ‘Corporate America’ at Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Arthur Andersen and a few years on Wall Street, a chance meeting led me to the funding of I-ELLA. I-ELLA evolved from 1.) A personal desire to create (entrepreneurship has always been my calling).  2.)  A love of fashion and  3.) A commitment to social responsibility.

A: Maximize your bartering opportunities, surround yourself by respected advisors that can “make things happen,” plan…feverishly and in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “never, never, never give up”.

A: To make I-ELLA a habit for millions of women. That we see recycling our closets and shopping the closets of other women while supporting social causes as a natural course of our everyday lives.

A: A private dinner ultimately led to the original funding of I-ELLA. I strongly believe in putting your ideas and passion out into the universe with the hopes that it lands on the right ear (and heart).

A: I don’t have any formal mentors at the moment and can only look back at my two mentors in undergrad and throughout my summer internship. Their lessons still ring true.

1.)  Keep a folder of small accomplishments to remind yourself of your own potential.  I save all the emails and notes from members sharing their personal stories and words of encouragement.

2.)  Teach, even if you yourself haven’t mastered that subject. Sounds crazy, but it does work. The Dean of my Engineering School would encourage students to tutor as a way of helping themselves better understand a given subject.

3.)  Integrity is everything.

A: I’d like to think I’m living that moment now. Entrepreneurship is not easy. At all. The highs and lows are incredibly close. Perseverance for me stems from an unfettered belief in the potential of I-ELLA.

A: I love to create and ‘start something.’ At I-ELLA, everyday we create and launch new ideas. It’s an intoxicating feeling to have a vision, execute and see people gravitate to this thing you’ve created.

A: Launching I-ELLA was a bit of a risk. It is my first venture and we launched during a touchy economic climate. With the difficulties and complete unpredictability of being an entrepreneur, comes joy and learning like no other. It’s been an experience of a lifetime.

A: 10% of every transaction fee on I-ELLA is directed to charity. To date we’ve supported numerous charities including Free Arts NYC, Rally for Kids with Cancer, FACE Africa and more. Giving back should be the mandate for every business.

A: Ha! Tough questions. My style is very ‘schizophrenic.’ I love the clean wearable basics of EVER, classics by Lanvin and Chanel, 3.1 Phillip Lim… to name a few.

A: A pair of Christian Louboutin Black Patent Pumps for $250 on I-ELLA.

A: The Psychology of Influence by Robert Cialdini, fantastic marketing book; The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, hauntingly beautiful; The Goal by E.M. Goldbratt,  excellent study in continuous improvement; and The Secret, may seem cheesy, but the book does work—visualization is everything.