Chicago Rewia #115

12 | #28 (115) • 10 - 16 LIPIEC 2015 chicagorewia.com
MoNIKA WIeLA
Continued from page 11
school. The writing program was full,
however, and so they placed me in
math. I stopped enjoying school and
despised having to learn something
that I had no passion for. There was
no room for creativity in math. This
made me think about the purpose of
life and why would someone pursue a
career if they’re not happy.
Luckily, I had the escape of beautiful
Paris from time to time. When Poland’s
borders opened after the fall
of Communism, my mom left to find
work and took my brother with her.
She came back to the farm and my
brother ended up staying in France. I
always wanted to travel the world, and
being able to visit my brother in Paris
changed the way that I looked at life.
I’d go there three times a year, and seeing
a world beyond Poland opened
my eyes. It made me think there is something
bigger out there and I can do
anything.
RM: What brought you to the US?
MW: Before I moved to America, I
worked at many high-paying corporate
sales jobs for several large companies.
Between Polpharma, Lucas
Bank, Johnson & Johnson, and Nestle,
I gained a lot of experience and
perspective. I was living the sales dream,
but at one point, I felt like I hit
a ceiling. I had a fully-paid downtown
apartment, corporate car, great salary,
fancy title - I had it all. Something
just seemed unfulfilling
to me, I needed
a change. It wasn’t
what I wanted
to do anymore.
My mom suggested
that I try
moving to Chicago
and see if there
was something
out here for me
that would challenge
me and give me a
sense of purpose. So, I
took her advice and made
the move to Chicago in 2006.
I lived with my Babcia’s brother for
two months and then branched off on
my own.
RM: How did you get started with e-
commerce shoe boutique StyleUpGirl.
com?
MW: One of my aunts took me shopping
with a family friend when I first
arrived in Chicago. I was amazed at
how inexpensive everything was compared
to Poland. When I saw how fashionable
the shoes were (by
the way, I love shoes!), I
bought five pairs with
the intention to give
them away as gifts
to my friends
and family when
I was going to visit
home the next
month. After I got
back to my apartment
from the
shopping spree, I
wondered how much
money I could make on
these shoes if I were to sell
them online. I posted them on
the Polish eBay service, and overnight
I sold all five pairs for much more
than I paid! Then it hit me: I know
what I am going to do! For the next several
years, that became my life. I would
buy shoes in Chicago, resell them
online, and ship them out to Poland.
It’s good when
you’re successful
on your own, but
you are only really
fulfi lled when you
help others.
"
Polamer, the largest Polish parcel
shipment company, became my best
friend. I also had to buy a truck since
I was sending out 100 packages a day.
At one point, a friend came over to my
apartment and said, “What’s with all
the stacks of shoe boxes?! Don’t you
have a storage unit?” I replied, “What
is a storage unit?” This discovery took
my online business to a whole new level!
I launched my website StyleUpGirl.
com as a whimsical place where every
girl can be a princess and buy her
own “glass slipper.” It’s all about high
fashion, style, and affordable prices.
Our collection of shoes can take you
from the boardroom, to a rooftop lounge,
city hall, a night out with your
sweetie, or girls night on the dance
floor.
RM: What made you want to give back
and start a nonprofit?
MW: In 2012, I was very happy with
my business, but felt like there was an
opportunity to do something bigger.
I attended a conference with keynote
speakers that were talking about creating
value for customers, while helping
people. This resonated so deeply
within me, and I could not get it off
my mind. I just kept thinking to myself,
“I need to help people, but how
can I help through a shoe business?”
When I looked at other philanthropic
shoe companies, I loved what they
were doing to give back. Their stories
were incredible, and I wanted to start
my own story.
One day, I was walking down Michigan
Avenue in downtown Chicago
and saw a homeless man holding up a
sign that said “I need shoes.” Because
I own a shoe company, I thought, wow
this is a message for me! I can help
this man! I had thousands of shoes in
my warehouse, but I was only selling
women’s shoes. So I went to get him
a pair of shoes from the store, but he
was gone. The next morning, I woke
up with this idea: when I ship shoes to
my customers, I will give them a prepaid
shipping label and a letter asking
them to not throw away old shoes or
clothes, but rather donate them and
send them back in the box that they
received from my website. That way,
they can help in a great way and make
someone else happy. My customers
reacted amazingly to this idea, and I
started receiving boxes upon boxes filled
with donated items. I stopped by a
local homeless shelter in Chicago and
asked if they can use any donations,
and they were beyond thankful. Then
I thought, if this can work for my online
business, I wonder who else can
benefit from it.
In 2013, I did a lot of research and
learned some staggering statistics.
There are over 12 million boxes shipped
through online retail every day in
the US alone, and it’s growing by 15-
20% per year. Think about how many
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