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Trailblazers: Cindy Monroe of Thirty-One Gifts

Cindy Monroe, president and founder of Thirty-One Gifts, considers it a blessing to have started a company that inspires more women every day.

In July, 10TV asked you to nominate women whom you see as a progressive leader in our community. This week, meet the women you named as central Ohio Trailblazers who are paving the way for future generations to succeed.

Thirty-One Gifts is one of the most successful direct-sales companies in the country. Focusing on totes, purses, and accessories, the Columbus-based company rakes in $750 million a year in revenue, according to the latest industry analysts and has more than 74,000 independent sales consultants in the U.S. and Canada.

Its annual conference generated an estimated $8.2 million into the Columbus economy over a three-day weekend in July.

“This company is so much more than a bag,” says Haley Kilpatrick, a sales consultant who came to Columbus from Atlanta, Georgia. “It’s really about investing in women.” She credits that feeling to one woman: Cindy Monroe, president and founder of Thirty-One Gifts, who considers it a blessing to have started a company that inspires more women every day.

“I wholeheartedly believe people follow Cindy because she leads with her heart, that she understand that it’s about investing in women but also about giving back,” adds Kilpatrick, who was nearly in tears when asked how Monroe has changed her life.

Monroe started the company 13 years ago in the basement of her Tennessee home. The company now calls central Ohio home. Monroe says the business allows women – and some men – the opportunity to own their own business with a flexible schedule that can also augment a family’s income.

PHOTOS: Cindy Monroe and Thirty-One Gifts

Monroe says her message to women who want to join Thirty-One is to figure out what matters most to them.

“I have three things that matter most to me: my faith, my family, and Thirty-One. And getting focused, making sure you’re spending time and organizing your days and you’re next season around those three things.”

Monroe says her biggest goal is to teach women and young girls what it means to dream big. She’s proud to talk about her company’s mission to give back to the community through Thirty-One Gives, forming national partners with non-profit organizations that share the company’s mission, including the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

“There’s always going to be obstacles whenever you are dreaming big or you are moving forward in your own success,” says Monroe. That’s why she believes it’s important for women and girls of all ages to stay true to themselves.

“Focusing on your mission,” adds Monroe. “What are you trying to accomplish, what’s your why? You have so many distractions along the way that you need to make sure you are focused on what you are passionate about.”

Women like Kilpatrick, who call Thirty-One Gifts a family, agree. “If you invest in a woman, you’re investing in her family, you’re investing in her children, you’re investing in her community and all of those become better because of Cindy’s leadership and her example.”

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Other trailblazers:

Lara Harrington, Chief Engineer at Honda

Marica Phipps of Battered Not Broken

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