"Roll up your sleeves and get ready for the grind" with Rachael Rapinoe

Rachael grew up in rural Northern California, from very humble beginnings. Being the daughter of two blue-collared workers, she was taught the importance of work ethic from a very young age. Sports was her first outlet to express her work ethic, passion, and competitive spirit. After receiving a full scholarship to play Division 1 soccer at the University of Portland, winning an NCAA National Championship, playing abroad in the pros, achieving an MS in Health and Exercise, running her first business for 5+ years, Rachael now finds herself at the helm of a sports x cannabis brand leading the charge to disrupt the status quo in sports.

What inspired you to start your business?

Mendi is a culmination of my belief that all people should strive to be their best selves and my natural inclination to buck against societal norms. I want to be a part of building products that genuinely help people, building a brighter future for sports, and doing it all the honest and ethical way.

Where is your business based?

Portland, OR. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Kendra Freeman and I started conceptualizing Mendi back in 2016. She brought her love and knowledge of cannabis and I brought the sports science and athlete connections. We knew the waters were blue for owning the sports sector of the market. We also knew we couldn’t do this without Brett. He is truly a brand and creative genius. He’s a huge reason why Mendi stands out compared to all the other brands in the market.

Our first steps were to pick a name, logo, and enroll in a business accelerator program, which started in January 2019. This officially set us on the path to getting where we are today.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Being tied to influential athletes such as Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird. We knew to come to marketing with current, high profile athletes and sports teams were going to be a differentiating factor - and it has been.

Another differentiating factor is properly (and truthfully) educating consumers about our products. We want to empower people with knowledge to choose the best product for them.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for anyone working in this industry is how highly restrictive it is. You can’t do anything ‘normal’. I’ve run an eCommerce company before, I knew some of the ropes before starting Mendi. But nothing about running Mendi has been straightforward. There are so many hoops and unknowns with the cannabis and hemp industries - it’s absurd. 

How do you stay focused?

Other than using Mendi products daily, 75mg-100mg/day, I use movement to help combat stress and anxiousness and sleep to help me fully recover for the next workday. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Roll up your sleeves and get ready for the grind. If you don’t want to work hard, every day, this may not be the path for you. Nothing is straightforward and setbacks are inevitable, but achieving success as an entrepreneur is the best feeling in the world. Also, you can’t do it alone. Find the right people, put them in the right places, and get out of their way.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

G Suite. By far is our most used tool to run Mendi.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Two women, I admire greatly.

Kate Delhagen, Oregon Sports Angel founder, corporate exec, and an incredible human.

Sally Krawcheck, founder and CEO of Ellevest, a female-focused investment group aiming to close the wage gap. She’s brilliant, charismatic, and a huge leader in promoting gender equality in the workplace.

How do you balance work and life?

I’m a big proponent of working hard and playing hard. It’s completely okay to work really hard in your job and career, but you have to balance it out with other (non-work-related) life activities; i.e. exercise, movement, meditation, mindfulness, adventuring, traveling, etc. I’ve always worked really hard to achieve balance in my life. I think this is the key. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Sleep.

 How can our readers connect with you?

@rrapinoe