Q&A with NYC Fashion Guru & Entrepreneur, Melissa Gonzalez

By Jenna Smith Jan. 8th, 2016

Melissa Gonzalez

I had the opportunity to catch up with one of New York City's hottest entrepreneurs and fashion mavens, Melissa Gonzalez. She is the founder of The Lionesque Group and author of The Pop Up Paradigm: How Brands Build Human Connections in a Digital Age. This is what she had to say.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Before I started The Lionesque Group, I worked on Wall Street in Institutional Equity Sales, where I was also juggling a career as a TV host on Latin Beat. I also produced indie films and had a constant pull on me to fully pursue more creative endeavors. In 2009, I made the leap officially to leave Wall Street. Today, I am the CEO of The Lionesque Group and proud new mom.

How did you get involved in the pop up shop industry?

By accident! I was working on a web series and partnered with John Knowles of the Roger Smith hotel to film the pilot. At that time, he had vacant retails spaces ground level of the hotel he was looking to activate. He asked if I was interested in partnering and doing something creative. I jumped at the opportunity and the rest is history.

What's the number one challenge you've encountered as a business owner and how did you overcome it?

Scaling is always a huge challenge for business owners. We are a people intensive business and it's a tricky balance growing the company. I am always on top of our bookkeeping and pipeline to strategize our future. Additionally, morning meetings and communication are everything.

What's the best piece of advice you can give to emerging lifestyle brands?

The best piece of advice I can give is take the time to step back and understand your value proposition and your target customer. You don't need to be everywhere to be successful, especially when you are starting out. Taking the time to develop a brand filter will help you be strategic.

What are your plans for 2016?

My plans are to work on a second edition of my book and to cherish time with my daughter and Jack Russell in my down time.

What other projects do you have in the pipeline?

For the holiday season, we had six pop-up stores, and we are excited to have Mira continuing into January with their New Year, New You programming. We also have a number of exciting pop-ups lined up for fall but they have yet to be announced!