Growing Pains
“Let everyone else call your idea crazy... just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is.”(Phil Knight, ‘“Shoe Dog”).
Shoe Dog is hands-down one of my all-time favorite books – the kind that I couldn’t put down until I finished it. Not only does Phil himself chart the birth of Nike and the G.O.A.T. of all shoes, Jordans, but he also subtly and authentically imparts entrepreneurial advice that’s easy to understand and super motivating, even for a rookie like myself. It is this very quote that inspired me to take initiative on my own “idea”: Lending Lockers. While I had this vision to get sports gear to kids that needed it, as a 15-year old, I had no clue how to turn that into a reality. Instead of letting that stop me, I took a page from Phil Knight’s book and decided to, you know, “Just Do It.” Here are five, some unconventional, lessons I learned along the way.
Act First, Think Later
See a problem that you are passionate about and solve it. Granted, this is a very broad statement and probably not very helpful as-is, so let’s break it down. First, recognize a problem – a problem that you can’t stop thinking about. Growing up, I noticed kids in neighboring communities playing basketball without proper equipment (some even in slides). That was the problem I aimed to solve - to provide these kids with the gear they deserved, that I took for granted. Second, the tougher part: I desired to solve it. This is where I took action without thinking about it too much. When I set up the first Lending Locker, I only had fragmented nuggets of ideas about its structure. Essentially, I envisioned a shed filled with sports equipment accessible to kids for trying out new sports and playing with friends. Instead of letting overplanning, excessive preparation, and overthinking deter me before I even started, I decided to materialize the idea, pushing aside all the fears and doubts in my head. While it involved trial and error (lots of errors!), Lending Lockers eventually evolved into a scalable, simple model. The moral of the story is to take action driven by passion. While there will inevitably be hiccups along the way, passion drives action, and action always drives success.
Fake it ‘Till You Make it
While genuine self-confidence is important, the confidence I refer to here is more of a strategic business approach than a personal trait. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, “…successful players are skilled in practicing the illusion of confidence.” In essence, success (for anyone in anything) is founded on projecting a confident persona. They further state, “For entrepreneurs, who must build passionate internal teams and attract loyal customers and proud sponsors, projecting confidence is an essential factor for success at scale.” When I began receiving requests for Lending Lockers, I lacked sufficient funding and standardized processes and supplies to guarantee fulfillment. Yet, I confidently assured schools I would meet their requests - pointing to the one success we had in East Palo Alto, hoping my passion for the cause would overcome any hurdles. The primary challenge initially was funding. I had almost no financial support for multiple sheds and equipment sets, so I hustled. After weeks of gathering equipment from neighbors, promoting a GoFundMe page, and liaising with schools, my team and I installed three lockers in a month. By combining an action-oriented mindset with a confident, ‘fake it till you make it’ attitude,, Lending Lockers took off and expanded!
K.I.S.S.
On the greatest comedy TV show of all time, The Office, the awesomely eccentric Dwight Schrute shares sage advice from his boss and mentor, Michael Scott, to “Keep it simple, stupid.” While this quote is from a mockumentary I have watched more times than I care to admit, it surprisingly rings true for Lending Lockers. The “nuggets of ideas” I referred to in the first lesson were extremely simple and easy to understand and execute: 1) get a shed, 2) fill it with donated gear, 3) install the shed and gear at a school that needs it, and 4) kids get to use the gear for recess and sports. The simplicity of it all made it easier for stakeholders (schools, donors, the media) to catch on, get on board, and trust a 15-year-old CEO. This not only helped to kick off the project but also helped scale it. The simple model with standard gear and processes lent itself to easily multiplying and went from Locker 1 to Locker 100 in just a year. So, yeh, Dwight was right on point.
Three N’s: Network, Network, Network
Networking not only initiated this project but also propelled its growth. Reflecting on the first lockers, how do you think we found places to install them? Networking. For instance, a majority of the initial set of lockers were installed at Aspire Public Schools. Their CEO happens to be my aunt. By simply asking her whether these schools would be interested in getting Lending Lockers, I managed to install some of the first lockers at Aspire schools all over California. Later, through discussions with relatives in India who operate a sports equipment manufacturing company, we installed dozens of lockers in India. Now, not everyone may have a family who happens to run a sports manufacturing company, but everyone possesses the ability to connect and network with others. In today’s digital era, through social media, it's remarkably easy to reach out to celebrities and organizations of all sizes. Teachers, coaches, and other adults in your life are great to reach out to - someone might know someone who knows someone…you get the idea. It only takes one response to catapult an organization from its inception to a rapidly-growing nonprofit business.
Ambition
The last big takeaway - keep aiming high. For me, sports taught the importance of staying ambitious, and I've brought that same energy to Lending Lockers. You've probably heard athletes say, "the sky's the limit," and it's true. When you set mental limits, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. At the start, I set a "goal" of 100 Lending Lockers. But around locker 20, I realized I was holding myself back and that this could be much bigger. It reminded me of my shy basketball days when I'd limit myself thinking I was a role player or not strong on defense. When I finally got that I was my own roadblock, I flipped a switch. Now, I've improved a lot as both an athlete and a student. So, when I saw that capping myself at 100 lockers was limiting, I switched it to a "milestone." Right now, we've hit over 130 lockers. My next "milestone"? 500. But my real endgame? The sky's the limit!
And finally, remember to seek your joy! It could be found at any stage of the journey, serving as the fuel that propels you forward when the going gets tough. Personally, my joy comes from seeing the kids engage with the equipment from Lending Lockers. Witnessing their smiles, the thrill of trying out a new sport, and their sheer excitement - that's where my joy stems from.
