{"id":68253,"date":"2025-05-12T08:18:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=68253"},"modified":"2025-05-20T08:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T12:10:24","slug":"building-closing-and-beginning-again-cindy-monroe-shares-commencement-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/building-closing-and-beginning-again-cindy-monroe-shares-commencement-wisdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Building, closing and beginning again: Cindy Monroe shares commencement wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cindy

Cindy Monroe, a 1998 marketing graduate of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and a 2019 inductee to the UTC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, is one of UTC\u2019s most successful alumni entrepreneurs. Photo by Lindsey Lowe.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYour obstacles are not roadblocks; they are opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cindy Monroe gave this advice at the spring 2025 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 3, where 1,257 graduates embarked on their newest adventure\u2014being a college graduate.<\/p>\n

Monroe, a 1998 marketing graduate of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and a 2019 inductee to the UTC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, is one of UTC\u2019s most successful alumni entrepreneurs. In 2003, she launched Thirty-One Gifts in the basement of her Chattanooga home. Monroe focused on a direct sales model of personalized bags, gifts and home d\u00e9cor. As CEO, Monroe grew the company to almost $800 million annually.<\/p>\n

As a student at UTC, Monroe recalled her entrepreneurship class with Dr. Richard Becherer as a \u201chighlight of my time here and kind of put the bug in me\u201d to become an entrepreneur. And while Monroe remembered her commencement as a highlight of her time at UTC, she jokingly remarked on a class requirement that was tricky to fulfill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was married most of my time at UTC and got pregnant with my daughter my last semester,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to take a physical education credit. I hoped being pregnant would get me out of it, but no luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

After leaving UTC and heading into a local corporate position, Monroe began to make jewelry and sell it as a side business. When she attended a wholesale market for her jewelry business, she realized there was an opportunity to do gift boutique sales without setting up a physical gift boutique location.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to open a store and wait for customers to come to me,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

With a background in direct sales for another company and a few friends\u2019 help, Monroe started with a home party concept that pivoted with the rise of social media and online sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cSellers had their own websites with their own name to build their own brand, but had all the same products,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

\"UTC

UTC alum Cindy Monroe (’98) gave the charge during May 3 undergraduate commencement ceremonies. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Monroe led Thirty-One Gifts for nearly 20 years, but there were some obstacles during two decades of leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had been declining in sales and then COVID took us into another decline. As an entrepreneur, you become good at growing, but I knew I didn\u2019t have the skills for a turnaround,\u201d Monroe explained. \u201cI thought I\u2019d bring in someone else who has done it for other companies. But I had to figure out what was best when that didn\u2019t work. We decided to close the business, and as difficult as that is, I knew it was the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

While closing the business was not Monroe\u2019s expected path, she now looks to that experience as a learning opportunity that will help her in the next phase of her professional career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI now have the experience of not only starting a business but also closing it and communicating about that,\u201d she said. \u201cI get notes all the time from former sellers and employees thanking me for how we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her commencement remarks, Monroe encouraged graduates to embrace failure. \u201cFailure can be your greatest teacher if you allow it to be. The reality is that true success comes from taking risks and learning from our failures. It\u2019s about having the resilience to bounce back stronger each time we fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help ensure more students get the same opportunities as she did, Monroe has invested in her alma mater by establishing a scholarship and supporting the expansion of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you give back,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s more fun to tie your passion or purpose around it. I wanted to support the school that helped me become who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about her next professional move, the successful entrepreneur boldly professed that she\u2019s still in the learning stage of life and wants to find the next opportunity that leverages her passions and skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still love building. I still have that entrepreneurial spirit. I still love growing companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her closing commencement remarks, Monroe challenged the UTC Class of 2025, saying that it\u2019s time to get to work when life\u2019s obstacles occur.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are the architects of what comes next,\u201d she said. \u201cGo out there and build something extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

Gary W. Rollins College of Business<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cindy

Cindy Monroe and Interim Chancellor Robert Dooley<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cindy Monroe, a 1998 marketing graduate of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and a 2019 inductee to the UTC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, is one of UTC\u2019s most successful alumni entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n

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