Get Your Head in The Game

Oh, hello!

How you doing?

I'm good, and you?

Good, good, good. You know, it's funny, I was sitting here thinking about our topic is they getting ahead of the game, and I was thinking about, yeah, I got my head in the game. I cut my hair off, so if everybody had to know that I cut my hair off, I got my head in the game now.

So what does that mean, get your head in the game?

Girl, you know what, it's, it's for me, it's, it's you Building a nonprofit is no different really than building any other business. You know, we build our nonprofits, and when we start a nonprofit, we say we want to help people. But the majority of the time, the people that are trying to help people, they need more help than the people they're trying to help, right? And so with any other business that you start, you got to get your head in the game. You're like, okay, I'm starting a for-profit, I'm starting a nonprofit. There are certain things you have to bring to the table, and there's certain things that you have to have. And sometimes— and I get so frustrated sometimes because I see a lot of people, they, they feel they do good. They say, I want to do this. But they don't have their head in the game. It's like you're a business like any other business. You can't expect board members to come and say, hey, I want to volunteer and do all this work for you. They're not the ones that wanted to start this business. You wanted to start it. And if you look at a lot of board of directors, even in for-profit corporations, they really don't get out and do any work. They sit there and they govern. They don't go out, they don't fundraise— fundraise, which is— that's one of the things that you want to require, but you can't expect people to want to do it. You know, they're doing it for the good. And I tell people to get their head in the game because this is your business, and you can't expect for the government to say, oh, you want to start a business here, let me give you all this money. So if you look back on previous— when earlier, when nonprofits even first started, people will go out and they would feed the homeless, they would help, you know, with different things, and that money would come out of their pocket. Just like any business that you create, the money has to come out of your pocket. Right? And so it's like, if you're going to build a business, let's get our head in the game for building a business and not trying— not being the charity that we want to be to help, you know? Because sometimes I think nonprofits, we step out there, it's like, oh, I need funding and I need this and I need that. It's like, well, you— for starting a business, what you're doing, you have a lot of needs, and you have more needs than the people you're trying to serve. So you have to really get your head in the game and say, do I want to start this nonprofit to help people? What do I have to bring to the table? Let's get my head in the game so I can really build a business. So, so that's what that is for me.

Okay, okay. So really just telling people to, um, to make a plan and to have a plan in order to be able to have a focus, in order to be able to grow a business.

And then even that, even to really— I think the first step before people start nonprofits is to really understand what it is. And I know when I first started my nonprofit, I said I want to help youth, and people's like, 'Well, you start here, start a nonprofit.' I'm like, 'Okay, you know, you can get funding, get this and you can get that.' But no one really told me what the nonprofit was all about and what my role is and what an entrepreneur is to a nonprofit, right? And so I think those are some of the first things that we need to take a look at before we really jump into, let me start this nonprofit, because it's like, what is your finances, your personal finance? Are you willing to work another job while you're building your business? Because most for-profit business people, right, because they're selling widgets, you're selling services, but both of you have to have these services. And so most for-profit people, they work their job until they get the money to build their business. But with some of the times with us nonprofits, we're like, hey, we're going to quit our job, or hey, we're just going to just write all these grants or ask other people for money. Right? And so I think we really should understand really more about what a nonprofit is and what your roles and responsibilities is before you just jump and do it. And that's one of the things I like, is that you're having an upcoming, um, nonprofit drop-in clinic, right? And so this clinic is not just to say, let me show you how to do the paperwork, but how do you get your head in the game to really run a nonprofit? Because you've been a business owner for, I'm gonna say, about 60 years now, right?

Exactly. I'm like about 80, so yeah.

And you've been on the for-profit side for a long time and you've seen a lot, helped a lot of nonprofits. But it's like, what is it that they're bringing to the table besides an idea? You have to have more than an idea to start a nonprofit.

And I was just gonna add that, um, I am having this, um, this Start Your Nonprofit Clinic. I think it's uh, in a few weeks in August. And one of the things about this class is we start off by just talking about this. And so I expect that if we have 3 people sign up, at least 2 of them will probably bow out of the class after the first day when they realize, oh, I'm really not ready to start a nonprofit.

That's right, that's right, that's right. It really is. It's really important. Um, and I love that you're teaching this class because what you're doing is you're teaching people how to start their business. Yeah, a lot of people want other people to do it for them. Yeah, and they get frustrated. It's like, how are you going to conceive a baby but you don't want to conceive a baby? How do you want to do this? Or how do you want to start a business but you're not willing to do— follow the basic guidelines and learn what it takes? You want someone to do it for you, so you're already starting out at a disadvantage. Do it for me. Right.

And this is a hands-on class, so you're absolutely right.

Yes, yes. And I love it because you're going to teach them. It's like, okay, what do you need to do? This is what you need to do. Why are you doing this? How are you doing it? And why are you doing this? And you're going to hold their hands and say, okay, start filling out the paperwork with me here in the class. If you have questions, I can answer them for you. Now let's get it submitted. And they know why they're doing what they're doing, you know, and they're having more vested interest in it, just like many, you know, businesses. I remember once I had started a business and I was in California and I started a business out of, um, in Las Vegas. And so I wanted to do an LLC and I wanted it out of the state for all kinds of benefits and reasons, but I had a company do it all for me. And then when I flew down there and I got my big book and all this stuff, who really sits and reads all that? You know, I did, but it still didn't mean anything. And I was, I was kind of hands-off But whereas I started my nonprofit and I did all the paperwork myself, I was so hands-on, right? And so it is a difference. It really is a difference, um, when doing it yourself. So that's why I'm excited about it. So that's what I wanted to tell people— get your head in the game. Get your head in the game. It starts in the beginning. It doesn't start in the middle. Doesn't start— it's like, get your head— okay, I have a concept. Let me get my head in the game. If I— my mission and my passion, I believe, is to help people What is it that I'm supposed to do? I don't— I shouldn't just step out and say, give me this, give me some money, give me your time, give me this. It's not about— it's like I'm the one that gives. We want to make sure that we as nonprofit startups founders, that we don't become as needy as the people we're trying to serve.

Yeah, excellent.

So everybody keep a lookout if you guys are watching this as a replay. Antoinette will be doing How to Start Your Nonprofit, and she's a— it's a clinic. And so it's a 6-week class, it's going to walk you through the process, and by the end of the 6 weeks, your nonprofit, your 501 should be submitted, or you may have it back by then and your state— your state submitted. So look us up, look her up. She is dynamic. She's going to walk you through the steps, and she is phenomenal. Okay, so hit the link below or find us and register for her class. Yeah. Would you like to say any closing words?

Nope. I think your last words were great. Get your head in the game.

Get your head in the game. Yeah. Okay. All right, love. So peace, love, and wisdom to everybody, and we'll see you same time next week.