CEO Alli sat down with Hope Scarves founder Lara MacGregor to talk entrepreneurship, following your passions and finding a balance of the two. Watch the full interview below and then read on for Alli's musings.
"A business without a dream is like a life without a purpose."-Michael E. Gerber
A few years ago, after I had started Wicked Sheets, a mentor recommended that I read E-Myth by Michael Gerber. So like a good mentee, I purchased that book along with another of his entrepreneur-focused books, called "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within". It wasn't his best-selling book, and the cover didn't have any wild colors that would usually draw my attention, but just beneath the title it said, "How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies."
Sold. After all, I was just an "ordinary person" who got diagnosed with this thing [hyperhidrosis] and set out to solve my problem in an extra-ordinary way.
Spoiler alert: the book is amazing and I still read it to this day when I'm looking for inspiration. But this post isn't intended to be a book review and no, I'm not getting royalties from Michael Gerber (unless he wants to pay me :).
This post is about people and stories and just how powerful those things can be when a woman is on a mission to problem solve. Insert my Rockstar friend, Lara MacGregor. In her words, she was just an "ordinary person" who got diagnosed with this thing [cancer] and set out to solve her problem in an extra-ordinary way...by creating Hope Scarves.
Hope Scarves is an organization that was created to capture the stories of courageous women battling cancer and to encourage others by passing along their head scarves and stories of hope. And let me just tell you, after watching this video blog, you'll see exactly why Lara MacGregor is FAR from "ordinary".
Check out our video blog here. It's the best 9 minutes you'll spend today...especially if you are contemplating starting a company or a non-profit.
For more information on how you can get involved and learn more about Hope Scarves, visit www.hopescarves.org.
Here are some of my favorite highlights from our chat:
Don't be afraid to dream BIG about what you want to do with your company or organization.
Let your passion shine through when you tell your story to investors or funds; they're investing in YOU.
For profit and not-for-profit organizations BOTH start with problem and a solution.
