Tell us about your business and what it does.

Meesh & Mia is an innovative provider of university-licensed, high-quality women’s fashion apparel for alumnae, college students, faculty, and regional fans. Designed to be worn on “game day, work day, and every day,” our clothing appeals to women who wish to celebrate their passion for their school without giving up their style. We are currently licensed with 27 schools, with the goal of 40 by fall of 2012. Our collection reflects school colors with school marks that are discriminately placed without creating the “billboard look” of the current hoodies and sweatshirts currently offered in the market.

There are five women currently on the Meesh & Mia team. We design and source our own fabric and manufacturing. License agreements are negotiated and all school marks are individually approved prior to manufacturing. Meesh & Mia is sold wholesale to retail stores and boutiques on college campuses as well as online directly to consumers. We manage the order, fulfillment, and customer-service process to both categories. All of the marketing, merchandising, and sales initiatives that apply to the women’s apparel business are currently managed by these five women. We have our sights set on adding two more team members in the immediate future to drive sales.

How did you get involved in this business? What motivated you to become a part of it?

My dear friend and former marketing boss from the Chico’s apparel company, Elizabeth Turley, founded this start-up with her passion and dedication to serving a missed market in the women’s apparel business. My husband and I met her for dinner in Florida before moving to Arizona and learned about her new initiative. It was the very first time in my life that I can remember feeling full-force envy. I envied her fresh start and passionate mission witnessed by the excitement in her eyes. Working in marketing at Rich Dad Education, and subsequently now at The Rich Dad Company, I too felt that excitement. I just wasn’t sure how long it would carry me in my personal goals to be something more… to experience that nervous energy of starting something new. Besides, I knew how Robert feels about employees. His message was loud, clear and sincere.

When Kim Kiyosaki asked me if I knew of anyone who had a respectable business plan that could be presented to her audience at her first annual women’s event in January 2010, I jumped at the opportunity to share Elizabeth’s plan. She came and stayed at our house and we spent hours talking, laughing and drinking wine over this marvelous idea. She did a fantastic job at the event, showing the confidence you need to see in a leader on a mission. I wanted to be part of the plan but, at that point, not part of the business.

When I decided to make a financial investment in the business, I took the next step of contacting my personal advisor on the east coast. He is a successful entrepreneur and CPA. We spent many early hours on Skype going line by line through the financials and the business plan. His questions were brutally honest. He finally told me “Mare, if you are going to take this leap, you should consider becoming part of this. Your investment would be best served with your participation.” This was a true “aha!” moment for me. It was a moment I will never forget. For some reason, I had a one-track mind when it came to my working life. He advised me to talk to Elizabeth. He even scripted me! When I contacted her, she literally shrieked that she was planning on asking me into the company as her first hire, as an employee. Thank goodness I followed the advice of my advisor. He knew something that I didn’t. He saw the bigger picture.

What were your feelings when you first started?

My intense work actually began when I started the process of analyzing the deal. My advisor is an entrepreneur who started and sold a successful technology company. He made his share of mistakes that he shared openly. I was impressed with how he resolved issues and was successful despite such odds. He wanted to prevent me from following the same path. I only wish I recorded the sessions because they mirror EXACTLY what Rich Dad and Rich Woman teach: Good partners, good financing, a good project – leverageable, expandable, financeable, etc. All of the elements were there. The excitement I felt had more to do with the puzzle coming together than anything about this particular business. I was finally seeing how all of this works – and this time it was for me! I actually enjoyed some of the best nights’ sleeps of my life – knowing that I finally have a plan.

Have those feelings changed now that you have more experience in the business?

Oh yeah! I am not surprised by the workload. My day begins at 5:00 am and I work until 8:00 am on Meesh & Mia. Then I put in a full day of work at Rich Dad. I return home to work at night from 7 pm until midnight. Recently, I was rushing to pick something up in a grocery store, and I saw people just strolling down the aisle with their grocery cart. I wondered what a normal life would be like for me. Everything I do has to be at full tilt, or there isn’t enough time in the day to hold up my end.

What hurdles did you face? How did you overcome them?

My biggest hurdle is the juggling act between my business and my full-time job. I think of BOTH of these situations all the time. I overcame this by remembering my past work as Senior Account Exec with a busy AAAA advertising agency and hectic life as a sales rep for a growing printing company. I now approach both entities as “my accounts.” They are individual accounts that I manage. So, when Robert talks about resorting to what you’ve learned in the past, I get it. Thank goodness that this came later in my life when I have already experienced so many great opportunities to learn. This comes in handy now!

What has been your greatest success?

The most impressive situation is the opportunity to be part of meetings with potential investors. EVERYTHING about Robert’s new book, An Unfair Advantage, is accurate. I was able to learn firsthand how these people think. My advisor was the conduit to these folks, and he walked us through each phase of the process. As a local businessman, he serves on community boards as a volunteer. He used this opportunity to strike up a conversation with a community leader about Meesh & Mia. Even if this experience doesn’t result in our raising the capital we need for fast expansion, I now know what I didn’t know. I can apply my marketing mindset of always looking at things from a “customer perspective” to a higher level of raising capital. And, more importantly, I don’t have to go it alone. Investing is a team sport.

If you could start again, is there anything you would do differently?

Tough question, because every mistake (and there have been some biggies) teaches me something I need to know. I would not be learning about the potential horror of bad vendor partners or the growing pains of a start-up if everything were smooth-sailing.

What has been your greatest learning experience as an entrepreneur?

Witnessing the unfair advantage of the wealthy. They are not playing for money. Actually, money has nothing to do with it in their world. It is a game. A game of nerves and challenge. A game of (potential) partnership and accountability. It is a wicked world but, if you have a team of sincere advisors, you can at least be in the bleachers at the game. We have three CPA’s, a brilliant attorney, and a team of technical and creative people who are my lifeline. I don’t have to pretend I know something. I just have to be honest enough with myself and others to ask for help, admit I’m clueless, and listen to learn.

What advice would you give someone just starting out, or who is thinking of becoming an entrepreneur?

This is my most important message. You don’t have to be the brainchild. You only have to have the insight to identify those who are. Join their team. Put skin in the game. Bring all of your best talent to the table, and be honest with yourself and those on your team. At the end of the day, you are surrounded by those who are smarter than you and care more about you than you even realize. To me, this puts the potential for financial success secondary to a rich life of relationships developed through the process.