Monica PhromsavanhSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

Life was challenging, and having dinner on the table was frequently a luxury. I dropped out of school when I was 14, and by the time I was 15, I was living in a boarding home in Buenos Aires with two other girls, sharing one bed.

I obtained my first job as a clothes wholesaler, earning very little money, but for the first time in my life, I was able to purchase the essentials of life. It wasn't easy, but I had a wonderful life!

When I was 17, I boarded my first airline and landed at JFK Airport in New York without understanding a single word of English. My first work in the United States paid $5 per hour in a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania. Every morning, I had to get up early to catch a 2-hour corporate bus journey to start my shift.

I traveled about a little before landing in Connecticut when I was ready to leave Philadelphia. I took a job at Express, where I never turned down an extra shift or a difficult duty. I went far beyond what is required of me in order to make the most of this opportunity.

My superiors took notice and elevated me to manager. In 2006, I booked a bus ticket to New York and, with $200 and two bags containing all of my belongings, I embarked on the next chapter of my life.

In Coney Island, I rented a room with a buddy and paid $73 for a monthly MetroCard, saving the rest of my money by just eating from the dollar menu. My ambition was to work on New York's famous Fifth Avenue. I got employed at Burberry to work in men's RTW after a few interviews.

In 2009, I began to consider starting my own company. I'd met a number of fantastic designers and was able to persuade a few of them to let me sell their items on consignment.

I resigned from my job and spent the following several months hustling throughout New York City, selling clothes and accessories at street fairs, sample sales, and anyplace else people were buying. I came across the Limelight Shops while traveling around the Chelsea neighborhood of New York.

The Limelight was first a church, then a renowned nightclub, and is now one of New York's most famous structures. It had been vacant for years and has recently been converted into a commercial mall. I inquired about renting space, and a few months later, Modalistas, my first business, opened.

It was more of a “kiosk” at first, as I only had 100 square feet. Sales increased in tandem with my business skills. I met more designers and producers, and my space gradually expanded. In less than two years, my store had grown to 4000 square feet.

I made a vacation to Asia at the end of 2013 to unwind and discover where my family originated. I knew I was ready for the next step, and I figured taking a break would help me figure out what that move should be. When I returned, I had the idea for ModaBox.

I wanted to bring the same level of personalized care we offered in the business to a wider audience online. I created a business strategy, gathered the assistance and advice of my extensive network, and launched the firm.

We released our beta version in September of 2014, and I shuttered the store so that we could all focus on creating ModaBox. I've always believed that being 100 percent outstanding at one thing is preferable to being 50 percent decent at two. Since then, we've been developing, and most importantly, I'll never forget where I came from......