Angilina Taylor was part of the RFL graduating class of 2016. She joined RFL not quite knowing what to expect but knowing she had some lofty goals she wanted to reach and the program sounded like just the motivation she was looking for.
Being new to the valley she entered the program with a few goals in mind, to make connections with fellow classmates both socially and professionally, expand her leadership skills, find a mentor, and get that extra bit of confidence she needed to make the leap into entrepreneurship.
This April she and her husband, Mike Taylor, decided to make their longtime dream a reality and began working on their footwear company. What they came up with is 5028, a pledge to buy marketplace that will sell limited edition shoes directly to their customers. They will debut new men’s and women’s shoes on Mondays and their customers can pledge to buy their small batch production runs and influence what is made. “We wanted to introduce a new approach to selling, buying, and making exclusive shoes for people” Angilina explained.
As a footwear industry veteran, she learned the ins and outs of the industry and saw an opportunity to do things differently. Mike being a shoe lover, salesman, and his wife’s number one cheerleader thought the idea was the perfect way for them to start the shoe company they began talking about eight years ago. A limited number of their European made shoes will be available to be pledged for weekly, so when customers see a shoe they want, they will need to hop on the opportunity to pledge for it quickly. The shoes are then made for the people who pledge for them! Limited edition shoes made for their customers means all of the waste and excess inventory so common within the manufacturing industry is eliminated, this is something the company likes to think of as being responsibly styled. With their give back program, they will be donating $5 from every shoe sold to mental health programs. “We wanted to expand our reach and this is a way for us to give back to a cause that we really believe in, and help to break the stigma around mental health issues.”
Through RFL Angilina made some great connections within the valley, some of her fellow classmates have been there for legal advice, modeled for her, and even interviewed her for the local paper! She was able to connect with Greg Cortopassi through the course who has not only become a solid mentor and someone she can count on, but also a friend. Angilina used RFL as a catalysts to move her in the direction she was dreaming of going. “If you go into RFL with an open mind, there is no limit to the vision you can create for yourself, and you are handed some pretty powerful tools to do so.”
You can check out her new brand 5028, due to launch their first products this fall at weare5028.com. Sign up on the website to join and be among the first to see their latest debuts.
You can also follow 5028 on Facebook and Instagram @weare5028.
