Meet Daniel Lee | Founder and Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
My favorite book is “The Celestine Prophecy.” In a nutshell, the book is about a man who is in a transitional period in his life, and as he begins to notice a series of coincidences in his own life, he finds out about a hidden ancient manuscript with these insights that could help one “awaken,” so he begins this journey.

I appreciate it so much because I discovered it when I was in an own transitional period in my life. It taught me to follow my intuition and helped me to understand the importance of service to others. I thought the book was even more impactful because there wasn’t any sort of tangible reward at the end, but that the beauty was in the journey the whole time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Monarch Brand is both a content platform and a health and beauty brand. We both directly and indirectly address self care, mental health, and community. I embed my own personal experiences and journey into the way I craft products and content in a way that it’s both authentic to me as well as relevant to others. I believe that the authenticity is what sets the brand apart from others.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned from starting and growing a business is the importance of consistency, learning from mistakes, and overcoming the fear of failure. I’ve also realized through the process that I never know who’s paying attention, so I should approach everything as if anyone will see, no matter how important or famous they may be. I hope that others are also inspired to step outside of their own respective comfort zones, however that may look to them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m from the Virginia Beach, VA area, so I’ll use this area. One day, we’d eat breakfast at Commune, grab dessert and drinks from Esoteric next door, then hang out at the beach. Another day, we’d play games at The Shack, rent beach cruisers and ride along the boardwalk, and have dinner at Orion’s Roof, where there’s great food, drinks, and the best rooftop views in the area. We’d also race go-karts at Motorworld or American Indoor Karting, walk the trails at First Landing State Park, and paddleboard.

If we wanted a little more of a city vibe, we’d go to a neighboring city, Norfolk, where we’d go to some of my favorite spots: Four Eleven York for happy hour, Press 626 for wine, Luce for Italian, or Codex for cocktails and good energy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m afraid to start naming names because I know I’ll forget someone, but I would love to shout out everyone who believed in me as an entrepreneur early on and encouraged me to put myself out there, those who have held space to allow me to be my authentic self, and those who continue to support me, whether financially or simply sharing my story. So many opportunities have come from others sharing that I never would’ve been exposed to otherwise.

Website: https://themonarchbrand.com/

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Twitter: @themonarchbrand

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