When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Lindsey Andrews: Have breakfast with my daughter Pippa.
Lara Crystal: After I brush my teeth, I try to do something active. A fitness class or a run.
Thrive Global: What gives you energy?
LA: Having something to look forward to, like a trip or fun dinner with friends.
LC: A long walk or run outside.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
LA: Trying to put the little issues into perspective so they don’t seem so big.
LC: Always make time for your friends & family.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
LA: My relationship has decreased with having a daughter as I try not to be on it when I’m with her. Which is definitely sometimes hard.
LC: We’re deeply committed. It sleeps next to my bed. I’m trying to get better.
TG: How do you deal with email?
LA: In 2018 I’m trying to follow Lara’s lead for inbox 0.
LC: 0 inbox. I spend time in the morning and evening getting through it all.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
LA: Play with Pippa, ideally outside on a nice day!
LC: Read something I’ve saved for when I find 15 minutes!
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
LA: Lack of sleep makes issues seem worse. I definitely need sleep to tackle the big problems.
LC: The only time I get burned out is when I’ve spent all day putting out fires instead of making it through my own priority list. I’ve tried to get better at time blocking so this hasn’t happened for a while.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
LA: We prefer to see them as opportunities for improvement. But I find one of the bigger challenges is managing culture and our team dynamics.
LC: Probably yesterday – failure is a part of any start-up. You just have to keep going and find another way.
Minibar Delivery is the leading marketplace for the shipment and on-demand delivery of wine, beer, liquor, mixers and more. We give users a better way to shop; connecting them with local liquor stores, vineyards and even bartenders to offer the best selection of products and a personalized experience. Founded by Lindsey Andrews and Lara Crystal in 2014, Minibar Delivery has quickly grown from a local on-demand delivery service in 40 markets to an online alcohol marketplace for millions of customers of legal age across the United States.
Co-Founders Lindsey Andrews and Lara Crystal conceived of the idea for Minibar Delivery over weekly Takeout Tuesdays in 2013 (they met at Wharton in 2007). They realized that they could order any type of cuisine from anywhere in the world, delivered right to their doors, but when it came to alcohol, they had to wander the aisles of our local liquor stores and lug bottles up the stairs into their apartments. Plus, if they ran out – they’d have to go back to the store and repeat the entire process. The experience was outdated and hadn’t changed in the past 75 years. They realized that no one had successfully brought the alcohol industry online, despite almost every other industry moving into e-commerce. With that, the idea of Minibar Delivery was born.
Lara Crystal previously was a founding member at Rent the Runway, an e-commerce business that rents luxury clothing and accessories to women, where she served as the Vice President of Marketing. Lindsey Andrews, meanwhile, spent her career in consumer products at Fresh Direct and Soap.com; she most recently helped launch Wag.com and built it into a leading pet e-commerce business.