Lindsay Angelo, BS Management ’06, discovered her passion for entrepreneurship and business at an early age. When she was fourteen years old, she bootstrapped Lindsay’s Microwave Mitts, where she made microwave mitts and sold them in her community in Vancouver, British Columbia. A year or two later, she launched another scrappy start-up: Millennium Scarves, where she made and sold silky scarves with “2000” printed on them in glittery script. She knew she had found her calling.
Angelo brought her entrepreneurial spirit to George Mason University and paired it with her love of sports and competition. She transferred to Mason as a sophomore and played NCAA Division 1 women’s volleyball, and the team even qualified for the NCAA Tournament during her first season.
“I had always dreamed of being a student-athlete. Being on scholarship from Canada, I loved having that full student-athlete experience,” said Angelo. “I think college in the States is an experience unlike anywhere else, so that was a lot of fun. It also helped that I landed the jackpot team: a diverse group of talented, fun, awesome girls, and a wonderful coaching staff.”
Her time at Mason, especially as a student-athlete, helped prepare her for a future in business and entrepreneurship. The competition, drive, and time management skills Angelo practiced daily combined with her business classes would prove useful. She also learned the importance of building close relationships and connections with intentionality, to begin developing a network that can help you succeed and vice versa.
“I still have a lot of relationships I built at Mason. They are part of my tribe and have certainly helped in my life and career path, and I think that’s one of those things that continues to come up for me,” Angelo said. “The camaraderie you build being a student-athlete—with your teammates, coaches, fellow student-athletes—is pretty special.”
After graduating from Mason, Angelo began working for an angel investing firm where she worked with start-ups and early-stage businesses to help them refine their business concepts and develop growth strategies. Her professional experiences eventually landed her a position on the strategy team at lululemon athletica. In this role, Angelo explored new marketplace opportunities, crafted global growth strategies, and developed new concepts to expand the company’s reach.
Six years into her journey at lululemon, Angelo could feel her entrepreneurial spirit calling her to a new opportunity. She felt her skillsets could help more companies be effective in the realm of strategy and story-telling, allowing them to grow and make an impact in the world. She made the decision to follow her curiosities and branch out on her own by starting her own consulting practice three and a half years ago.
“It took a lot of courage to make the leap, but as soon as I did it, I haven’t looked back,” said Angelo. “It’s been an awesome journey. I get to work with a variety of industries, start-ups through to bigger brands, so I’m constantly learning.”
In addition to advising clients, Angelo is also a keynote speaker. In October 2020, she achieved a long-time personal goal: Angelo was asked to give a TEDx Talk. In her talk, The Business Model Puzzle: How brands thrive beyond crisis, Angelo explored the future of consumerism and the paradigm shift she refers to as the self-actualization economy, while drawing connections between her work with lululemon and The LEGO Group. Through these connections, she explains how businesses can use impact as a road to profit, and by doing so, solve problems for both their customers and the world.
“Business is the greatest social change agent out there, but it’s also very under-utilized right now,” Angelo said. “My goal is to close that gap, and the goal of my TEDx Talk was to get out that message and try to serve up an alternative for how businesses can think about growth in a way that also really positively impacts society. It’s a for profit, for impact model.”
Angelo has worked with local and global clients, from start-ups to fortune 500 companies, in health and wellness, retail, technology and education, among other industries. She loves working with early-stage brands, where she has the chance to hear about their innovations in the industry and navigate their unique problems. Each business is like its own puzzle, and she helps create an environment where the entrepreneur can figure out the answers they need to succeed.
“Entrepreneurship challenges you to develop and be the best version of yourself in a lot of ways. There are lot of ups and down, and I think when you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, if you can push through that, there’s often gold on the other side.”
Written by: Kristen Greiner, MFA ’20
Lindsay Angelo’s Contact Info and Social Handles
Instagram & Twitter: @lindsangelo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.angelo.1/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-angelo-growth-strategist-tedx-speaker-mba-6802b98
Website: https://www.Lindsay-angelo.com