Megan hunt, Hello Holiday Co-Founder  

I bonded with Megan Hunt over a pair of shoes. Gold sequined platform sandals, to be precise. Megan is one of the founders of Hello Holiday, the Omaha-based eCommerce site featuring exclusive and unique collections of indie fashion designers from all over the world. While we were discussing her business and future growth plans, all I could focus on were the damn cute shoes. And yes, I purchased a pair.

Here’s what I love about Megan and her vision for Hello Holiday – it’s a brand that has absolute clarity in what it is and the customer it is catering to. And the Hello Holiday customer comes in all shapes and sizes. This is a girl with attitude. In the brand’s own words:

“For the Hello Holiday girl, there’s always a new challenge on the horizon and a new adventure penned into her datebook. She’s never without a good book and at least twelve tubes of lipstick in her handbag, and doesn’t wait for permission to pop champagne.”

With that brand clarity, plus a creatively determined “would-rather-work-5-9-than-9-5-and-plow-everything-back-into-the-business” expansion approach, you can understand why I’m keeping my eye on Megan.

Who are your heroes?
I admire women who know how to admire themselves, people who blaze confidence, people who expect what they deserve, and those who don’t wait for permission to pursue whatever they are compelled to create and achieve. Some individuals who come to mind are entrepreneur Cindy Gallop, my hairstylist Rebecca Forsyth, serial entrepreneur and thinker Dusty Davidson, Kim and Kanye, and most people I follow on Twitter.

What is your current challenge?
Paying rent!

Your greatest achievement?
I should say something like keeping my four-year-old daughter Alice alive. Raising her. Keeping her happy and filling her life with rich and exciting experiences.

But honestly, I think what I’m most proud of is that through a lot of personal adversity, I’ve been able to keep myself moving forward to take care of us both. I want to model courage for my daughter, and I want her to have an example of a strong woman in her life who wrote her own story. More importantly, I want to show her than when you stand up for yourself, you have the platform to elevate the voices of millions of others who can’t. To make the world a safe and empowering place for my daughter and to thrive on my own as an example to her is my greatest accomplishment.

What is your motto?
Don’t explain or complain.

Why are you an entrepreneur?
My friend Chris Guillebeau says that we don’t become entrepreneurs for the money, we do it for the freedom, and that’s something that really resonated with me.

For me personally, I think that I am Just That Kind of Person. By that I mean, I never wanted to have a boss, I’m very motivated by opportunities to solve problems, and I like to rock the boat. I like to over-work and over-execute. I’m extremely motivated by freedom and by the opportunity to write my own story. I like to test lots of different strategies. So I have this foundation that compels me toward entrepreneurship.

What problem are you solving?
At Hello Holiday, we solve problems on both the design side and the consumer side. For indie fashion designers, Hello Holiday simplifies the manufacturing and distribution process by offering financing and mentoring.

For customers, we offer exclusive designs and fashion without pretense, making good style friendly and accessible to all women through our online store and showroom at our HQ in Omaha. We believe that in an industry that can be so pretentious, the best use of fashion is to make every day more festive, celebratory, and delightful.

What problem would you like solved?
There needs to be more plus-sized options in the market, because every woman deserves to be able to dress herself how she wants. The ability to present your own identity through your fashion has a huge impact on your self-esteem and confidence. With most of the population sized-out of almost every store and size 14+ clothing unavailable from almost every brand, plus-sized women are not invited into the conversation about fashion–it’s something they have to assert themselves into.

As a straight-sized woman, it’s so easy to be complicit with this, not even being challenged to think about the problem. It’s invisible to me unless I look outside of myself.

Item you wish you had invented?
I wish I had thought of founding this new startup I heard of called Doorman that lets people schedule deliveries for their online purchases. I think it’s totally brilliant!

Biggest regret?
My first marriage.

Which talent would you like to have?
I wish I had the ability to converse naturally with people. As an introvert, I always feel like social interactions are a little forced for me, and I want to come off as more easygoing.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
The most motivating and validating thing for me is when people truly want to know me. When I tell someone about what I’m working on at Hello Holiday, and they really love the idea, and they say, “what can I do to help?” I’m always surprised about that for some reason.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
My three biggest advisors are all particularly zen in their approach to life, love, and career, and I often find myself asking what they would do. In practice, that usually means identifying what I can and can’t change, and not worrying about anything out of my control. Accepting that some things just are, and there’s nothing to be done except adapt.

Your pitch in 140 characters?
Hello Holiday offers financing and distribution to indie fashion designers and cute clothes to shoppers of all sizes. Our product is self-love.

Your bio in 6 words?
I’ll share my bio from Tinder: “Serial Entrepreneur. Selfie Queen. Outfit Repeater.”

The Twitter follower you can’t live without?
Pushinghoops. I could retweet her every word. She has taught me so much.

Your nails on a chalkboard moment?
Whenever I interrupt someone – ugh, I try not to, I just get so excited. Sorry, everyone.

The J.O.B. you’d actually like?
I love my job! But I think it’d also be fun to design a concept for a new airline or hotel.

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur?
That you get to set your own hours. It’s like, I can schedule a meeting any time, but that’s just because I am on the clock 24/7.

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Fast Company and Bust in the same month. And both topless.

What are you reading?
What I Know Now: Letters to my Younger Self by Ellyn Spragins. She interviewed 41 famous women and asked them to write a letter to their younger selves. The advice and insight is super-inspiring. This is the kind of thing I like to read.

What book is your must read?
Misogyny: The World’s Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland. It should be required reading for every high school freshman.

What book did you read which would have been put to better use as a doorstop?
I don’t like most books. The thing is, I rarely read, except articles that seem interesting when I come across them on Twitter and Facebook. Sorry — I’m a millennial, whatever, I know I should read more!

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
I think it’s easy to do what I do. Be open, be authentic, be vulnerable, and be honest. Overshare a little. Work nonstop on whatever keeps you up at night, alternate using caffeine and alcohol as sustenance, and tell everyone who will listen about why they should be interested in what you’re doing.

What conference would you like to keynote?
I’d love to speak at my hometown’s own entrepreneurship conference Big Omaha, because I think it’s one of the best conferences in the game. I also dream of doing LIFT in Geneva. But there is absolutely no stage I would turn down—I would even do an Allan Branch conference. I’m not too proud for that.

Short cut, long route, or road less traveled?  What’s your roadmap?
Probably a mix of shortcuts and roads less traveled. I don’t want to spin my wheels too much on something—I hate to feel like I’m wasting my time or being inefficient—but I also have more interest in doing things that haven’t been done.

Podium you’d like to stand on?
Why not the senate podium?

What makes you LOL?
Days with my business partner, Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik. She is not too cool for anything, and she cracks me up all day long at work.

What’s the most important startup/entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned?
I want to have an impact on my city, on my industry, and I am so head-down sometimes that the target has shifted once I look back up. I think through all of this life, the lesson I’ve learned is to not be turned off or discouraged by non-successes, and to bare yourself to the world, insecurities, confidence, worries, bravery, vulnerabilities, and all. I know I will always want more. But as long as it makes me happy, as long as I’m engaged and interested and fascinating myself with my work, I’m doing the right thing.

What would be the title of your biography?
Four-Letter Words.

Your Ferris Bueller moment: if you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do?
I’m at 0 or 100—if I skipped out, I’d probably be found in a foreign country in disguise, and it wouldn’t be for just a day!

One place in time you’d like to visit?
I like now.

Part of the trick to staying focused?
Liking what you do. If it’s a struggle, find a new thing. If discipline and willpower isn’t a gift you have, I’m sorry.

You take a three-hour ocean tour and get stranded…what three items do you have with you?
My phone and two backup chargers. Or, a notebook, a sharpie, and chapstick.

One last thing: what’s the question I should be asking you?
“What are your interests?” Answer: I used to be massively into World of Warcraft, I love goth music, and I speak German.