Meet the Mentors
Alicia Chong
Founder: Blu Monaco
Alicia Chong
Founder: Blu Monaco
Founder & CEO of Blu Monaco. Blu Monaco is challenging the workspace status quo by making beautiful desk wares accessible to everyone.
Alicia is a serial entrepreneur who continues to log many hours at her desk. During one startup phase, she found herself taking a break from the computer screen, looking around her office, and feeling completely uninspired. She discovered that by adding color and trendy decor, she was able to be more productive and make a more positive impact on her business and employees.
As a successful entrepreneur, Alicia Chong hopes to inspire other women to rise above and claim their dreams. One of her current goals is to set up a project that helps 100 women on the path toward financial freedom. “I have so many odds against me: woman, Asian, immigrant. Having the financial freedom that I have; it allows me to pursue what I want. And I wish that for others. When I don’t have to worry about money, I can spend time with my son and family.”
Alicia is also an active member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization – a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 11,000+ influential business owners with 157 chapters in 48 countries. She was a member of the Colorado Chapter Board for two years.
Alicia is the Ambassador for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization in Denver, Colorado. (WEDO)/# ChooseWOMEN is a movement that carries throughout the year in support of women in business globally
Liora Dudar
Co-Founder: Overtone
Liora Dudar
Co-Founder: Overtone
Liora Dudar is a photographer, activist, and the co-founder of Denver-based brand, oVertone Haircare. After struggling with years of damaged and faded hair, Liora and her business partner bootstrapped the company in 2014 while living in two separate cities. Dissatisfied with the lack of quality hair color and maintenance products available on the market, the duo developed a product they had always wanted – a range of damage-free, cruelty-free conditioners that would both color hair and keep it healthy and bright between dye jobs. Today, the woman-owned business is thriving, employing more than sixty individuals between their corporate headquarters in Denver, and production and client services facilities in Tucson, AZ. Since oVertone’s inception, Liora has spearheaded the brand’s commitment to intersectional feminism, using its platform to promote radical inclusiveness over narrow definitions of accepted beauty standards.
Kayla Faires
Founder: Revel Interactive
Kayla Faires
Founder: Revel Interactive
Kayla Faires is founder & CEO of Revel Interactive, a performance focused digital marketing agency specializing in e-commerce marketing and lead generation. Revel Interactive has been recognized for multiple years as a Top Women Owned Companies in Colorado (COBIZ Mag), and is an INC 5000 company for 2018. Kayla has worked with many brands as a strategic leader including both Business to Consumer and Business to Business companies. She is passionate about new technologies, constantly learning what's up and coming in the industry, and values building long lasting relationships with clients.
Kayla founded Revel Interactive in 2011. Prior to that, she worked in digital marketing, at several agencies when search engine marketing was just beginning. Kayla holds dual bachelor degrees in marketing and management from Colorado State University. She is passionate about the outdoors, travel, and animal welfare causes. Kayla resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Andrew, son, Lucas, and labradoodle, Cash.
Mary Stein
Founder: Dream Big Day Camp
Mary Stein
Founder: Dream Big Day Camp
Mary Stein is the proud founder, owner and director of Dream BIG Day Camp, Denver’s premier camping experience for children. After leaving a successful NYC/Westchester County counseling career with children and families, she has enjoyed over 30 years in the camping community. Founded in 2005, Dream BIG Day Camp is a culmination of her own dream of returning to Denver and starting a first class children’s camp.
Mary is a former owner and director of Camp Echo Lake, a full season residential camp in Warrensburg, NY. Echo Lake serves approximately 550 children and employs 225 staff members each summer. She graduated from the University of Colorado and earned her Master’s Degree from Fordham University in New York City. Mary has served on the board of the Rose Women’s Organization and has held various board positions including the American Camp Association, Project Morry and the Montessori School of Denver. She was nominated as one of Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business and is a member of the Colorado Chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization, a dynamic, global network of more than 14,000 business owners.
Mary is the mother of twin 18-year-old boys and actively runs after them. She loves skiing, tennis, golf and cycling as well as cheering on her sons at their numerous athletic and life events. Mary grew up in Denver where she successfully competed in high school basketball, volleyball and soccer.
Shana Colbin Dunn
Founder: True Holistic Boutique
Shana Colbin Dunn
Founder: True Holistic Boutique
Shana Colbin Dunn always knew she had the entrepreneurial bug. As early as her college years, it became evident to her that she could make more money selling clothing to her fellow student population than flipping pizzas. She fondly remembers setting up in front of the student center and sitting in the warm Colorado sun while her peers admired and often purchased her wares.
After graduating from The Colorado College with a major in Economics in 1996, she started a wholesale company, Selections By Shana Colbin, now Selections, llc, representing jewelry artisans and other accessory manufacturers. She sold their lines to boutiques, gifts shops, museum stores and catalogs all over the Rocky Mountain area for 15 years. She built a customer base of successful retail outlets including Sundance Catalog selling the products of respected accessory and jewelry companies. Over the course of 15 years, she forged relationships with the top manufacturers in the industry and generated over 300 new accounts. In 2006, with two small children at home, she was itching for a transition in her career so she wouldn’t have to travel as much. Thus, she decided it was time to start a new venture.
Working on the wholesale side of the industry for all those years provided a foundation for starting her own boutique selling women’s accessories. So, in 2006, she found the perfect location in historic Highlands in Denver and within six weeks a store was born. Her husband built all her displays and she bought all her initial inventory for $20,000 on a credit card. Everything had fallen into place so quickly and easily that she named her store Kismet, which means “meant to be”. Not knowing whether the store was going to work out, she maintained the wholesale company for financial security. After 3 years in the retail business, she was able to sell the rep company and focus on growing Kismet.
Fast forward 13 years in, she now owns 4 stores and three retail concepts: “Kismet”, “True" and “Luna and Jasper”. All three interweave with one another. Kismet, is her happy, colorful store that’s simply “meant to be”, True Boutique has a tagline: a holistic boutique because it has a wellness, lifestyle component of approaching retail not only from the outside in, but also from the inside out. At True, you’ll often find that the store offers events like “Self-care Saturdays” or “Wellness Wednesdays” where experts are brought in for services or workshops. Luna and Jasper is her latest creation, named after the middle names of her two kids. It’s a little more about not sweating the small stuff, laughing and the joys of life.
https://www.kismetaccessories.com/
https://www.trueholisticboutique.com/
Instagram: @trueholisticboutique
Instagram: @kismetaccessories
Rikki Epstein Mor
Founder : Knot Genie
Rikki Epstein Mor
Founder : Knot Genie
FROM INSIDE A MOTHER'S HEAD TO THE MOTHER OF DETANGLING BRUSHES
When I created the Knot Genie detangling brush, my vision wasn't worldwide recognition, being featured on the Today Show, or being written about by thousands of bloggers. It all started because I was frustrated - I was done spending hundreds of dollars a year on hair products in my attempt to tame my three daughters’ different and unruly hair types. I still have vivid memories of running away from my mother's hairbrush, which led to a childhood with chopped off hair and people thinking I was a boy because my name is Rikki!
I was determined to create better memories for my daughters. I wanted to develop a quality detangling brush that would detangle unruly hair and bring more peace to our home. With this vision and the help of a few product designers, the Knot Genie was born!
Finally, a detangling product that does what it says it will - helping to not only detangle hair, but also to increase children's independence. A brush that is effective, yet gentle enough that even children with sensory issues want to use it. A product that has gone from a means to help children to one that adults and hair styling professionals can't live without. My goal is to continue to strengthen the bonds between parent, child, and one’s self by building confidence and independence.
Sincerely, Rikki Mor, Founder of Knot Genie
https://www.knotgenie.com/
Kristina Scala
Founder, Aspen Academy
Kristina Scala
Founder, Aspen Academy
Founder and President
Aspen Academy
Aspen Youth Leadership Institute
Aspen Entrepreneurial Institute
Aspen Academy Investment Fund
Bear’s Student Enterprises
MODI
Kristina Scala is a thoughtful and creative leader, passionate entrepreneur, enthusiastic educator and master facilitator who presents on topics of education and personal, leadership, entrepreneurial, and parenting development. She works to inspire and motivate people to live a purposeful and authentic life through being kind, doing good, and making the world better through what we think, say, and do.
Scala is the founder and president of Aspen Academy, the Aspen Youth Leadership Institute, the Aspen Entrepreneurial Institute, Aspen Academy Investment Fund, Bear’s Student Enterprises and The Aspen Entrepreneurial Institute, and MODI – Move and Discover, a school furniture line.
In addition to serving as a pioneer of social good-oriented education, and her dedication to empowering others, Scala is a mother to Canyon, 23, Sage, 21, and Dillon, 20. She received her Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Chico and her Master’s Degree from the University of Denver. She is also a graduate of the Entrepreneurial Master’s Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.).
In education, Scala serves on the state board of accreditation for AdvancEd and on the finance committee for the Association of Colorado Independent Schools. She serves on the board for Tennyson Center for Children and the University of Denver Women's College.
As a leader and entrepreneur, Scala is an active member of Entrepreneur Organization and a Founding Guide for Ascendeur. Scala has also served as a panel member at Denver Startup Week and as a judge in the final round of the Global Student Entrepreneurial Awards Competition for several years.
Barb Tindval
Co-Owner CEO : Harmonic Media
Barb Tindval
Co-Owner CEO : Harmonic Media
Barb Lindvall is CEO and Co-Owner of Harmonic Media. Owning a business requires you have an ever-changing role, wearer of multiple hats, and constantly learning and adapting to environments, customers, employees, and partners. Harmonic Media was founded in 2007 based on the concept that the creative process and large format printing need to be in the same space in order to create the ultimate visual experience. When we initiate a project, we take the time to understand the entire process, campaign, and audience; there is always more to it than just a simple print! This concept has opened up a whole new world where visual campaigns can come to life using more than just ink on paper. Through this unique graphic thought process and experience we are able to offer solutions, there are many products for every situation and our goal is to collaborate with you to deliver the best possible end result.
As CEO and CO-Owner of Harmonic Media Barb prides herself on creating a talented team and leading with Harmonic’s culture and values. While owning a business with her husband, Barb is also a mother of two daughters. She values being a role model for her daughters and being an example of accomplishing your dreams while being a present and active mother. (This is the most challenging and rewarding part of her career). When Barb has free time (which she could use more of) she loves being outdoors, hiking, camping, tennis, skiing, along with being an avid reader and mentor to other females.