About the Author
Author Cindy Monroe founded Thirty-One Gifts in the basement of her Chattanooga, Tennessee, home in 2003 with a few friends.
Today she continues to build relationships with Thirty-One sales Consultants all over the country and establish strategic plans to grow and expand the brand.
Cindy serves on the Board of Directors for the Direct Selling Association and on the Advisory Board of Nationwide Children’s Hospital of Columbus Foundation. Cindy’s passion outside of her career is her beautiful family, husband, Scott, and children, Alyx and Evan.
About the Author
Author Cindy Monroe founded Thirty-One Gifts in the basement of her Chattanooga, Tennessee, home in 2003 with a few friends.
Today she continues to build relationships with Thirty-One sales Consultants all over the country and establish strategic plans to grow and expand the brand.
Cindy serves on the Board of Directors for the Direct Selling Association and on the Advisory Board of Nationwide Children’s Hospital of Columbus Foundation. Cindy’s passion outside of her career is her beautiful family, husband, Scott, and children, Alyx and Evan.
Meet the Contributing Writers
Julie Sutton is the co-founder of Thirty-One Gifts. Today Julie continues to focus on the strategy and execution of all things sales field focused at Thirty-One. She is the company historian as well as the Thirty-One Gives philanthropic torchbearer. Most recently, she served six years on the school board at Concord Christian School in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she has been grateful to use her business knowledge to contribute to her community. Julie’s most valued partners in life are her husband, Jason, and her children, Jordan, Jacob, and Jozie.
Cathy Smith is one of the “Founding Mothers” of Thirty-One Gifts. She was the first employee and is often referred to as the “heart” of the company. Cathy has served many roles at Thirty-One, including cheerleader, relationship-builder, peacekeeper, culture-keeper, and memory-maker. She is passionate about building relationships. Her top priority is her family, including her husband, Rodney, and children, Savannah, Dakota, and daughter-in-law, Maggie.
“I wrote this book because I wanted to share what I’ve learned through my Thirty-One journey—the highs, the lows, the triumphs, and the setbacks.
Just by picking up the book, I can tell you have so much to give. I believe in you—your bright mind, your strong faith, your desire to make a difference, and your heart that loves big!
I’m excited to see where your story takes you—the lives you’ll go on to touch will be so glad you dared to believe life should be extraordinary!”
- Cindy Monroe
10% of the book’s profits will go directly to charity.
What People Are Saying
“Cindy Monroe tells a story that needed to be told! This story reveals many lessons as to how Cindy and husband, Scott, built a business with adherence to principles and values woven into a philosophy of people first. Knowing a lot about this story from actual experience, this is a must read for any executive or decision maker in any organization or business.”
John T. Fleming
Author of Ultimate Gig: Flexibility, Freedom, Rewards
“Empowering women to reach their full potential was at the heart of Cindy Monroe’s purpose for starting Thirty-One Gifts. More Than a Bag shares inspiration, celebrations, and challenges that will continue to empower and inform entrepreneurs through Cindy’s amazing, authentically told story.”
Andrea Dowding
Direct Selling Expert and Executive Coach
“Cindy Monroe’s passion, energy, and creativity come to life in this remarkable story of how she built Thirty-One. It is a great example of how a strong purpose combined with an amazing product and a passion for people can lead to truly meaningful impact.”
Tracy Britt Cool Kanbrick
Kanbrick Cofounder
“More Than a Bag takes readers on an intimate journey of how faith, purpose, and entrepreneurial drive combined to create one of the greatest growth stories in business.”
Craig Wiley
Founder and CEO of Transcend
“I’ve had the privilege of having the ‘best seat in the house’ to watch the Thirty-One story unfold and see Cindy leverage her faith and natural gifts to help so many reach their potential through this amazing journey. This story is real and will inspire all those who want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”