“When women come together, anything is possible.”
Spouse-ly founder and Air Force spouse Monica Fullerton feels inspired and even more driven after spending time with fellow female founders from across the country. Fullerton recently returned from a week in New York City, where she and the 49 other Tory Burch Fellows attended panels, workshops, coaching sessions and networking events.
“It was incredible,” Fullerton told We Are The Mighty. “You know, it was held right there in Times Square. And we got to see the Tory Burch headquarters, and there were just these perfectly curated panels.”
Fullerton, who started Spouse-ly, an online marketplace for military and first responder-connected vendors, in 2020, found out she was accepted into the program right around the time her family was set to PCS from Nevada to Florida.
“I had to ask myself, “Can I take this on with a cross-country move and everything that involves?” I always want to make sure I can put 100% into anything I say yes to,” Fullerton added.
Ultimately, she accepted, in large part because the Tory Burch Foundation’s values aligned so much with hers.
“When I applied to the program, we were asked, “What does entrepreneurship mean to you?” And my response to that was that entrepreneurship means I can help others shine in business.”
Burch launched the TB Foundation Fellows Program in 2015 to provide women with the tools, mentorship and platform to grow their businesses.
In addition to Spouse-ly, Fullerton started Spouse-ly U, a resource that provides budding entrepreneurs with courses on taxes for small businesses, branding, marketing and more.
“I don’t think there are enough people out there focused on helping other entrepreneurs succeed on this journey. I think sometimes people forget what the journey was like to get to where they’re at. So I’m a big believer in always pouring back into others when we can, and Tory Burch has done an amazing job with that,” she said.
Earlier this month, Burch announced her foundation’s goal of generating more than $1 billion in economic impact through female entrepreneurs by 2030.
Fullerton said a highlight was meeting the real women behind the brands she regularly sees in stores or her day-to-day life.
“Nothing beats meeting people in real life. One of the women has a canned wine company. Hers is the main brand on all United Airlines flights, and it’s stocked at Target!”
Fullerton and the other fellows even had access to the billionaire designer and founder herself.
“We had some dinners with Tory where we were able to connect and talk to her.”
Fullerton recalled asking the mogul what she likes to do after a busy day and was surprised to learn that even Burch can’t wait to settle in after a long day and binge her favorite shows.
“She was really excited to share that with me; it was so relatable. It made me realize that this wasn’t one of those events where it’s like, let’s all level up; it was more about coming together, connecting and creating meaningful relationships.”
Fullerton also thinks because the cohort was strictly women, the group had conversations that may not have come up if men had been present.
“We were comfortable enough to be truly vulnerable if that makes sense. It felt like we were in a safe place in that, we all just face very similar challenges. Whether that be raising capital, which only a small amount actually goes to women-owned businesses or talking about being able to have more flexibility because responsibilities dealing with children often fall to us, it was easier to have those conversations,” Fullerton noted.
Applications for the Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship Program typically open in September.
Monica said she’d encourage other military-connected female entrepreneurs to apply, even if their business is just taking off.
“I end every podcast and speaking engagement with this: “Growth begins when comfort ends. It is absolutely worth it to put yourself out there.”
Fullerton says she’s thankful for the connections, community and support the program offered, which is similar to what she built with Spouse-ly.
“My biggest takeaway is that in entrepreneurship, there’s always someone else who is going through or has been through what you might be faced with. It’s so important to ask for help and to just be there for one another.”