Today I was the (virtual) speaker at the Founders Journey Lesson Lab for the latest cohort of It Takes A Village. The program is a pre-accelerator focused on helping female founders and founders of color be successful. The program lasts four months and culminates in a graduation/demo day event.

I chose an informal approach that allowed for a candid conversation. I shared my background, my transition from corporate America, and the highs and lows of my CCAW journey. I also learned more about each founder, the problem they’re solving, and what they’re currently struggling with. It was a good conversation. At the end, I let the founders ask me anything.

One of them asked me a pointed question.  He wanted to know why he’d never heard of me before today and how he could find more founders of color like me who have experience building sizable companies. He said that hearing from someone he could relate to who has built a big company was inspiring. He wants more inspiration and to learn from the experiences of other successful founders of color. He doesn’t know where to find us.

I absolutely loved his question because it hit on a very important area where I’ve fallen short. Here’s how I responded:

• Personality – I’m a private person by nature and don’t like the limelight. I shy away from attention because it makes me extremely uncomfortable. But, through conversations with others, I’ve realized how impactful my journey can be. This far outweighs my personal comfort. I’ve started telling my story more.
• Heads down – Founders trying to build something big don’t have a ton of free time. They’re busy building a business. In my opinion, founders who devote time to giving interviews and getting press do so at the expense of their company, which will make substantially less progress because the founder isn’t as focused. Because founders building something great aren’t out and about and you don’t read about them, you don’t know they exist.
• First gen – Tech founders of color who started a decade or so ago (I call them the “first gen”) didn’t have a blueprint. No coworking spaces (e.g. WeWork) and few accelerators were available in Atlanta. It was a different time and we figured it out as we went. We did the best we could with the information we had at that time and learned as we went along. We got some things right and some things wrong. Some (not all) tech founders of color are realizing, looking back, that we made a mistake. We were too heads-down trying to make sure we didn’t fail. We didn’t spend enough time sharing our experiences in our community.

I’m so glad that founder asked that question. He was spot-on. The question reinforced that I need to continue doing more chats like the one today. No excuses. I should have shared more over the years. I’ve pledged to do better. I’d like to inspire and motivate rising founders of color to do something great. And I hope that other founders of color do the same if they can.

From those to whom much is given, much is required!

In the past few months I’ve given two presentations, one for Start It Up Georgia and one for Start It Up Summer School. Before these, I hadn’t presented to an external audience—one not affiliated with CCAW—in a decade. I was recently asked how I prepare. I didn’t have a ready response, and I recognized the value in thinking it through to answer the question. I decided to share my approach with everyone.

Keep in mind that I was doing what felt right as I went along. I didn’t have a written process. This post is the first time I’ve documented my approach to presenting, which plays to my strengths of being analytical and deliberative. Here’s how I go about it:

1. Research – I develop a deeper understanding of the topic and recent developments. I check to see if I’ve written any relevant posts (they’re useful because they capture my thoughts).
2. Reflect – What is the topic? Why do people want to hear a talk about it? What do I want the audience to walk away knowing? I jot down random ideas.
3. Perspectives – If I know people who’ve presented on the topic or are familiar with it, I ask for their perspective. I share my thoughts and ask for their feedback.
4. Outline – I create a high-level written outline. What are the major points I want to cover? Does this flow make sense? This helps me logically organize my thoughts.
5. Deck content – I create the first version of the deck. Some content is new; some is borrowed from previous presentations. Visually it’s ugly, but the material is there. I run through it to evaluate the logic and flow.
6. Visual design 1 – I send the deck to a designer. We go back and forth until we have a V1 draft that I like. Nailing down the overall look and feel of the presentation is the goal.  
7. Deck V1 – I create notes for each slide. I detail the main things I want to convey and any relevant stories from my past experiences. I practice the presentation a few times. I start to get a feel for my pacing, total presentation time, and logical flow. I adjust my notes and content and make a list of desired visual changes.
8. Visual design 2 – I send the change requests to the designer. We tweak until we have a final version.
9. Rehearsal – I rehearse the presentation until I feel comfortable with it from beginning to end. Every time I run through it, I make small changes to my slide notes. I know I’m done when I feel relaxed with the timing and delivery and can’t think of anything else to change.

This seems like a lot, but it really isn’t too bad. It can take as long as I need it to or as little as two or three days. I do multiple steps simultaneously. I try to be respectful of the time of other people who contribute, such as the designer, and avoid a last-minute fire drill. (Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way.)

Public speaking isn’t something I enjoy. It makes me nervous. The butterflies don’t go away until the presentation is over, but this process helps me build the confidence I need to deliver a good presentation.

What’s your approach to preparing for a presentation?

During yesterday’s Start It Up Georgia lesson lab, I shared tips that if implemented will increase an entrepreneur’s odds of success. Usually they’re learned by enduring painful mistakes. I hoped to help these aspiring entrepreneurs avoid some pain, save time, and succeed sooner. One of the tips was to focus. It seems simple and straightforward, but it’s very difficult to put into practice. Here’s what I shared:

• Squirrel syndrome – Entrepreneurs are optimistic people who see opportunity everywhere. This glass-half-full perspective is great, but it leads to short attention spans and being “all over the place.” Try to focus on one opportunity at a time. One problem at a time.
• Niche – Don’t boil the ocean. Solve a narrow problem first. When you nail that one, you can expand and solve related problems. If you try to do too many things at once, you’ll get nowhere.
• Target customer – Define and understand your target customer first. Identify the root of their problem and solve it. Once this customer is happy, you can expand to others.
• Metric – Measuring progress is important. Pick the one metric that matters most. Ideally it will be customer-related: number of new customers, revenue, new users, etc. Measure and focus on moving the needle on that metric.

When you start something new, you have limited time, energy, and resources. Efficiency is crucial to progress. Focusing on the things that matter most is a great way to maximize what you have. Yes, some balls will get dropped when you focus, but that’s OK. You can only do so much at once. Develop this habit and you’ll be on your way to success.

Take it from me—I learned the hard way!

Today I taught the inaugural lesson lab for Start It Up Georgia. This twelve-week virtual program introduces participants to all facets of starting a business, from testing an idea to forming a company to operating the business. Participants are matched with mentors who help them turn what they learn in each week’s lesson lab into actionable steps. The goal is to help aspiring entrepreneurs understand what it takes to be successful and educate them about the steps they should take to make entrepreneurship their reality.

When I was asked to teach the course, I wasn’t sure that I could make the time commitment. In the end I said yes, and I’m glad I did. My topic today was Entrepreneurship: Do You Have What It Takes? More than 340 people attended. I was shocked! I’ve never taught so many people. The team at Atlanta Teach Village did a great job making sure the event ran smoothly and successfully.

I appreciate being offered the opportunity to teach and hope I was able to inspire others to pursue entrepreneurship. It’s exciting to be part of something with so much potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what new companies come out of it!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working on a project that’s important to me. I realized in its later stages that I don’t  have the skills required to complete certain tasks. I humbly reached out to others and asked for help.

Over the years I’ve had many opportunities. Most came through other people. Some of my luckiest opportunities weren’t the result of my hard work. I just knew the right person. I’ve always been mindful and appreciative of the help these people provided. They didn’t have to help me, but I’m grateful that they did. For this reason, I try my hardest to be there to support others in their time of need.

My requests for help this week were received openheartedly. My time frame was tight, and I made sure to communicate that (so people could opt out). Everyone said no problem; they’d be happy to help.

Healthy relationships truly are bidirectional. They require regular goodwill deposits by both parties. The responses I received to requests for help on short notice qualify, big-time!  Entrepreneurs (and everyone else, for that matter) should be mindful of this.

Doing things for others out of the goodness of your heart with no expectation of getting anything in return is one of the cornerstones of healthy relationships and communities. I think it’s also the foundation of a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem. Your good deed today will inspire someone else’s good deed tomorrow. If everyone operates in this manner, the ecosystem will be strong and everyone can go farther, faster!

In the early days of CCAW I knew what I wanted to build, but I didn’t know how to get there. I was determined to figure it out, and I thirsted for helpful knowledge. I read all the articles and books I could get my hands on and attended all the learning events I could. Eventually I found the right books and events, the ones that provided targeted knowledge about building a company. Accounting . . . finance . . . sales . . . marketing . . . strategy—all those great things.

I found the knowledge I was looking for. I felt like gaps were being filled and dots were connecting. I became excited, but I was still unsure. I understood fundamental topics better; the nuances in my market, not so much. I didn’t know how to apply my new knowledge in a way that moved CCAW forward. It was daunting. I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. I spoke with other entrepreneurs at a similar stage and they did too.

Eventually, with mentoring by credible people, I figured application out. Entrepreneurs who’d successfully scaled their companies shared their experiences with me. In the end it all worked out. My team and I were able to scale CCAW to over $10 million in annual revenue. As I reflected on this, I realized how important application of knowledge was to CCAW’s early success. Knowing about and understanding key concepts is essential, but if you don’t apply them effectively, your company goes nowhere.

I’m always mulling over how we can provide more opportunities to Atlanta entrepreneurs to increase their chances of success. Application is an area where we can do better, I think. Much better. Our community has done a great job making information more readily available to entrepreneurs. However, we’re not focusing enough on helping entrepreneurs apply their knowledge to their situation. Entrepreneurs still have to make their own decisions and walk the journey. No one can do it for them. But if we accelerate that process, they’ll be more likely to get to the finish line.

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Whenever I meet a rising entrepreneur, I like to understand their journey to date. I especially want to know how they’ve attempted to fill their knowledge gaps. First-time entrepreneurs are constantly trying to figure out what they don’t know and what they should be doing. I regularly hear them mention various incubator and accelerator programs they’ve considered.

When I started CCAW, the financial crisis was going on and these types of programs weren’t abundant in Atlanta (as far as I know). The ecosystem wasn’t established, so knowledge about building startups wasn’t readily available. Whenever we found a resource, we jumped at it because we were desperate.  Today, though, entrepreneurs in Atlanta have a variety of options. Online programs catering to entrepreneurs nationwide also are available.

With so many options, how do entrepreneurs pick the right program? I’d start by thinking about the following things:

• Segment – Understand what segment of the journey the program focuses on. The idea stage? These programs help turn concepts into MVPs. Product–market fit? These programs will help you figure out how to validate your assumptions by continually adjusting and improving your MVP until customers will readily pay for it.  Most programs focus on one of these two early stages. It’s best to choose one that aligns with the segment you are in.  
• Length – How long is the program and how often will you be interacting with someone? It could be a day long. It could last several months. Of course, more frequent interactions and more time provide more opportunities to go deeper.
• Success – Consider how the program defines success for its participants. Does this work for you?
• Application – Does the program help you apply teachings to your specific situation? Or does it expect you to figure out how to do so on your own time?

This isn’t a comprehensive list, just a few things to consider.

I’m encouraged that there are so many options for entrepreneurs to choose from. I hope we’ll continue to help newbies fill their knowledge gaps so they’ll have a better chance of being successful!

Today I discussed product–market fit strategies with a rising entrepreneur and another advisor. The entrepreneur is addressing in a unique way a problem she’s passionate about. The pandemic has disrupted her vision for solving it, though. Today we explored the feasibility of digitizing her solution. She referred to this idea as a “digital first, physical second” approach.

After the meeting, that characterization stuck with me. I thought about it. Before 2020, life was “physical first.” Most people shopped in brick-and-mortar places like malls and grocery stores. Online shopping was growing rapidly, but it was still secondary. People regularly met up with friends and family to socialize. Phone calls and other digital communication methods were common, but only when seeing someone wasn’t feasible. Work meetings often took place face-to-face. Some people even flew regularly to conduct meetings (salespeople and consultants, for example). Tools like Zoom and Google Hangouts existed and were used, but only when travel wouldn’t work. Students went to schools and universities for their education, even though e-learning tools have been around for a decade or so.

The world has been flipped. We’ve moved to a “digital first” society.

Like everyone else, I’m living this every day, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise. But hearing it expressed so simply and clearly opened my eyes. I now recognize how big a change we’ve made in a short time. This change has had an enormous impact and will reverberate through our society for the foreseeable future.

As entrepreneurs look to solve old problems in new ways, they should consider embracing a digital-first approach.

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Yesterday I had a great conversation with a fellow entrepreneur. One thing we talked about was sick leave and employee wellness. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act mandates employer-provided benefits through the end of 2020 for COVID-19–related sick and childcare leave, but there is a strong possibility that a more comprehensive approach will be needed going forward.

Employees in jobs that can’t be performed remotely are facing a challenge. Sick leave historically meant taking a few days off. Common colds, sore throats, and coughs were common in most workplaces. If someone did take time off for a serious illness, it was usually for just a few days. Now, these and other symptoms could be leading indicators of COVID-19.

Companies are complying with the Act and have temporarily modified leave policies. People can receive paid time off to quarantine, provide childcare, and recover from COVID-19 symptoms, among other things. Like the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Act doesn’t apply to businesses with fewer than fifty employees in certain circumstances.

I’m wondering if this is the time to rethink how we as a society approach work. Is forty hours a week ideal for full-time workers? Does the standard 9:00 to 5:00 workday make sense? Do we need to rethink sick leave from a public health perspective? Can we do more to support parents who need childcare? You get the idea.

I don’t have the answers and I’m not well versed in the details of employment law. But the pandemic is playing havoc with the world of work and it seems like a good time to discuss these broad issues. Maybe it’s worth rethinking the status quo.

Today I caught up with a family member. One of the things we talked about was my habit of posting daily. Bob asked how long I’d been writing, how long I planned to write, and why I had decided to write every day. I told him that I’ve been writing for four months and that I plan to do it for at least a year (hopefully much longer) and explained my reasons. I get asked these questions a lot. Most people say, “That’s nice to know,” and the conversation moves on. Today was different.

Bob shared how my posts have affected him. I really enjoyed the feedback after writing every day for months with little idea of whether I’m doing anything other than whistling in the wind. Bob said he reads my posts every day on LinkedIn’s app. LinkedIn doesn’t provide stats on article impressions or views, so this was news to me. And he said that he has shared some of my posts. With no stats, I had no idea if I’d gotten any shares. Then he told me how my weekly work-from-home posts have helped him manage better. Those are the posts in which I track how many weeks I’ve worked from home (sadly, it’s been eighteen), describe my main observations during the week, and summarize my takeaways. I assumed this post didn’t resonate with others. It was designed to force me to reflect every week and be aware of the pandemic’s impact on my mental state and to be my “easy” post for the week. I thought it would bore people.

I found out that Bob has enjoyed my reflections so much that he’s borrowed the idea. He now reflects about things himself, both alone and with his team. They have a standing virtual conversation that’s become the highlight of their week. They share personal and professional thoughts and open up about their mental state. It’s become a substitute for lost water-cooler talk and brought the team closer.

My conversation with Bob was eye-opening, to say the least. Never in a million years would I have guessed that my posts had helped a team connect. Or that anyone reads them every day. When I began writing, it was to give back and help others by sharing my experiences and thoughts. I reflected on what I’d learned after 60 days. Today, I learned more. Bob helped me understand the reach of my writing and the impact it can have. I’m glad my posts add value to others’ lives, grateful for the experiences and opportunities that I’ve been blessed with, and encouraged to continue writing.

Next time you’re considering doing something positive for others but aren’t sure if it will be helpful . . . do it anyway. You could end up having a much bigger impact than you ever could have imagined!