#NotableYoungPros: Mighty Monday Girl Rachel Wong

We have all had a bad case of the Mondays at one point or another. Rachel Wong is turning that around and making it a good thing!

As co-founder of Monday Girl, Rachel and her partner Istiana have created a place for young women to connect, interact, and network to build a strong network of fierce, fantastic females!

 

The best piece of advice that I have received is…

Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Someone I look up to is…

My Mom, she is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and she decided to go to hair school at the age of fifty.

Favourite Instagram account to follow is…

@mondaygirlto, of course!

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is…

Work out! I started doing this a year ago. Before that, I was not a morning person, but I read this book that explained that you don’t gain anything from that extra 15 to 20 minutes of sleep. So, adhering to that philosophy, I decided to get up, go for a work out when I’m groggy, and then my work out over and my day is started!

I couldn’t do what I do without…

My co-founder Istiana. She is my partner in crime. She is good at everything I am not. I am very happy and thankful to have someone that I trust so much.

How did you get started?

Monday Girl started through a conversation that Istiana and I were having about the fact that every single networking event was very male-oriented – we felt excluded, or it was creepy because guys were trying to hit on us. We wanted to create a space where women could connect and talk about things that matter whether it was work stress or finding new friends in the city or finding cool people to meet. We realized we wanted to create a Facebook group and called it Monday Girl. It grew from fifty people, which was how many it had when we had our first brunch. That was two years ago. Fast forward, we have hosted 8+ events. They were sold out. Our largest event was three-hundred plus people. We had terrific sponsors including Equinox, Adidas, Brim Financial. We also had incredible speakers, including people from Notable!  

What type of Notable are you? Are you a creator, an entrepreneur, or a professional?

I am all three!  My day job is that I work at Uber Eats as a sales manager. I love doing that. It helps me eat and travel. On the side, I love to fulfil my creativity, and I am an entrepreneur by doing Monday Girl with one of my best friends, Istiana.  

Why do you love your job? What sort of cool things do you get to do?

I love both my jobs. I love my day job because I eat a lot. I get to sell where I eat and eat where I sell. I also love doing Monday Girl because I see the connections that I have created by simply creating a platform where young women can connect. I have seen that girls have been getting jobs, making new friends in the city, and coming from someone who was new in the city a couple of years ago, it’s good to see that there is a platform for like-minded women to connect.

What do you want to be known for?

I want to be known for being genuine and kind. I think kindness is so important and goes beyond smiling and being polite, it is being authentic in every action you have, and every single ask or request that you have. Understand that you should always provide more value than you ask for.

What does ambition mean to you?

Ambition means waking up on Monday morning and loving one significant aspect of your life. Maybe it’s not your full-time job, but it’s when you go home, or it’s one of your hobbies. Pick one thing that you are genuinely excited about on Mondays that makes you want to get out of bed.

Looking back, are there moments that clearly stand out in your life as defining moments that have led you to this point?

A pivotal moment would be the last Monday Girl even that Istiana and I hosted. It was called ‘The Future is Female.’ It was sold out, we had over 500 women attend. We flew in speakers from LA. It was absolutely incredible to see the connections and witness the audience full and brimming with energy.  

What would you consider your biggest accomplishment to date?

Something that I am proud of is the connections that I have created through the Monday Girl network. I have met so many amazing women who I would not have met otherwise. That makes me really happy.

Is there a business decision, looking back now, that you wish you had made differently?

A decision that I would have made differently is growing Monday Girl a bit slower when we initially started. When we first started, we got a bunch of volunteers and went fast and wanted to grow quickly. A lot of the missing pieces there we had to patch up later. It was really fun doing that at the same time, so I’m not sure if I regret it!

What parts of your personality, skills, or approach have helped your career?

I love to focus on the big picture and go hard or go home. When I was thinking about the Monday Girl networking experience, I was thinking about the one-star experience. The experience we all had, which was awkward and there no real connections made. What I wanted to strive for was the five-star experience, and then the ten-star experience. We always want to live in the ten-star experience where we blow people away with an experience that they have never had before. I always strive to go above and beyond!

What are your Notable Life goals?

Grow the Monday Girl platform above and beyond this year. I want to do more events and make them bigger and better. I also want to re-launch our website which is part of our newest project.

What’s the next challenge or project you’re tackling?

We are looking at new avenues for Monday Girl. It has been a frequent question from our members for quite some time, so we will keep you posted on that!  

Do you have any hidden talents or secret passions?

I love to paint. I have been oil painting since high school. Whenever I am stress, I take out a canvas and put some colours on there.

Where can we learn more about you and connect with you?

Go the Monday Girl website to find out more about the group and myself!