A few of you might know that last November I had an idea come to me by listening to a program on NPR. It has to do with single women-led low-income families and providing a new kind of housing structure for them. I don't want to write too much more because at some point I know that lots and lots of people in the media and government are going to Google the details and I don't want our personal website coming up in the results.
Suffice it to say that I set my mind to make this thing happen - and in the past few months I've been meeting with all kinds of people, leaders in their fields, to figure out what I don't know and what they think of the idea. The big milestone in that process was a meeting that I coldcalled and emailed and emailed and emailed to get with the professor who was being interviewed in the program. Her work inspired me and I wanted to meet her - to get her feedback and maybe plug into her resources. Somewhere secretly I hoped that she would help me or want to be involved...but it was a distant hope.
A month or so ago I felt a real inkling that this could be something big when I met with a leader in the nonprofit community here and within 2 minutes of our talking she suggested I meet with...that same professor! She thought we would hit it off and promised to send her a note saying that she should meet with me.
Well, today she and I met. And she LOVES the idea. Turns out the women she works with (the same people I'd be looking to provide this type of housing for) have been asking for just this very same thing. And she wants to be my partner in this. More importantly, she really seems like a fantastic person - really dedicated to providing solutions for a lot of the issues that I am concerned with. I was so thrilled - I almost started to cry for joy...literally had tears well up. And her resources and connections are going to be invaluable. She asked me to edit and send her my one-pager and proposed project plan so that she can show it to the SENATORS she's meeting with in DC next week. She and her credibility and knowledge can really take this vision and make it happen. There's a lot of red tape that needs to be cut through, and I think I found just the perfect person to be my partner in crime. She knows a ton about social issues, research, making change happen through public policy, and I know about business and real estate. To quote her "we could really do something here together".
This feels like a real turning point in my life. It is yet another affirmation of why I decided to start my own businesses. This freedom to dream and to make things happen.
I feel the success of following through on this idea to find this person (and indeed all the 20 or so people I have found over the past couple of months who want to help me - but she's the key). And I feel great about being an articulate, passionate, dedicated and generally good person who has the power and knowledge to help others. There is so, so, SO much work to do next, but for tonight, I am sitting in awe at the fact that, for this project, I met my inspiration and I have my partner. That's pretty fantastic.
Friday, April 9, 2010
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