Want To Start A Non-Profit?

If you want to start a non-profit, it can feel very daunting. You have a passion to help people but it can seem like there are so many obstacles in the way. So where do you begin? I recently spoke with Donna Detwiler, an incredible Mompreneur and non-profit founder who shared so much valuable information to help you in your journey. Donna has founded numerous for-profit businesses and most recently founded Spera Foundation USA, her non-profit to help "build Heart Safe Neighborhoods TM across America."

Donna's passion for entrepreneurship stems from her quest for flexibility, something

many entrepreneurs share. You can always earn money but you can't buy the time with your family and loved ones. Donna knew from a very young age that owning her own business was an inevitability. While some kids play teacher or fire fighter, Donna was playing "entrepreneur."

Donna started several businesses over the years, most with the purpose of helping people live healthy lives free from preventable diseases and illnesses. Building businesses has not always been easy but it's been so worth it for her to have the time to be with her husband and three sons. Creating her own schedule has given her the flexibility to be with her boys when they were younger and continues now as two are older and live in different parts of the country. It also has given her the flexibility to spend time with her parents who live in England.

Her non-profit work has had many similarities to entrepreneurship, the main one being, as she says, that you just

have to do the work. One of the biggest challenges Donna encounters when being your own boss is ultimately the decision to make something happen is on you. She sees it as exciting, terrifying, and invigorating all at the same time. For Donna as for many of us entrepreneurs, the benefits of taking charge of your future far outweigh the challenges of entrepreneurship, either with for-profits or non-profits, which can include feeling isolated and alone at points.

Donna shares three great actionable items to implement today if you are thinking of starting a non-profit in the interview. Even if you're thinking of starting a for-profit, her ideas are well worth watching. For any mom out there wondering if you can do something on your own, Donna will share her thoughts and get you inspired to move forward!

Comments

Hey, Mom! Has Anyone Told You You're Doing A Great Job?

I was recently traveling alone with my three kids, and since they're tween/teens, this does not seem like such a Herculean effort as it did a few years ago. As we were exiting the shuttle from the rental car place to the airport, a guy looked at me and said "Hey, Mom! Has anyone told you lately you're doing a great job?" My face lit up, I felt a huge glow inside and thanked him profusely. He may as well have told me I had won the lottery.😁 This got me to thinking, why was this such a big deal? Probably for the one truth that most moms I know live. We think we suck at this parenting thing every single day. We beat ourselves up for every little thing. We read social media and play the compare game. We are not enough insert whatever crapola thing comes to our mind or is hot in the media at any given moment. And here's what the truth looks like. Most of us are doing a pretty amazing job. Our kids are loved, fed, clothed and housed. They feel secure enough to ha...

Creative And Stuck Behind A Desk? Time To Break Free!

Are you a creative type looking for more than the corporate grind? You know you have the ideas, but do you have what it takes to break free? Lisa Gutierrez Martinez often asked herself those questions, and she even asked her friends, some of whom basically told her that her business idea was crazy. Luckily for her and many people who have benefitted from her culturally impactful, creative and stylish dinner parties, she didn't listen. Lisa has worked successfully in various corporate positions, liking some, not loving some, and throughout them all envisioning other ways she could be professionally challenged and fulfilled as an entrepreneur. Having her own business was even more of a calling for her when her son was born. Until he was around one, she stayed with her job and had limited flexibility, but she still had to be away from him for 8 to 9 hours a day and knew it was time for a change so started her "side hustle." Like many entrepreneurial-minded people, Lis...

Do You Think All Bricks And Mortar Businesses Are Dead? Think Again!

We hear it over and over again - bricks and mortar stores are dying. Don't start a retail store because everyone is shopping on line. Recently I met a mompreneur who would beg to differ. Megan Giltner, a self-proclaimed professional bra fitter and accidental entrepreneur, became the owner of a lingerie boutique a few years ago and says the business is thriving. Like many of us moms who pursue entrepreneurship, Megan always knew that being a mom was something important to her, and at the same time she needed to feel professionally productive and engaged. She had been working in lingerie for several years, initially as a part-time way to earn some extra spending money. When Megan was four months pregnant, the owner offered her the opportunity to purchase the business where she was working, and although timing may not have seemed ideal, she jumped in with both feet and has not regretted her decision. What Megan loves most about entrepreneurship is the ability to do something sh...

Mompreneur Next Door

Search This Blog