The Pamela Positive: Do It Anyway

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

This poem is widely attributed to Mother Teresa, after it was found hanging on a wall in her home for children in Calcutta.  It is a revised version of “The Paradoxical Commandments,” written by Dr. Kent M. Keith.  You can read more about the story on our UniversalGiving blog, PhilanthroPost.

The Pamela Positive: “I Shut My Eyes in Order to See” – Paul Gauguin

“I shut my eyes in order to see.”  – Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was an artist who was renowned for his Post Impressionism painting in the 19th century.  He was an innovator in the use of bold colors.  At the same time, he also brought out the meaning of each subject.  He balanced authenticity with innovation.

What we can learn from Paul Gauguin:  Let’s ‘see’ differently. Don’t use your eyes.  Instead, use “meaning” to see.

What’s meaningful to you? Be bold in recognizing it.  You’ll see an amazing painting of goodness, kindness and abundance all around you, if you will just see.

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was born in France, but lived for several years in Peru as a child, an experience which influenced his painting later in life.  He was a friend of other artists including Camille Pissarro, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Cezanne.  Gauguin was inspired by the art of Africa and Asia, and spent parts of his life traveling to the tropics to paint there.  He has had a significant influence on later artists and art movements.

The Pamela Positive: Be a Firefly—2000 Ways to Light Up the World

There are more than 2000 different species of fireflies.  That means we all get to light up the world a multitude of ways.  Decide how you’re going to shine today!

Bootstrapping, Part Two: You Need Entrepreneurial People–Not Just Entrepreneurs

Bringing on the right team is crucial.  Entrepreneurs don’t have to hire other entrepreneurs, but they do have to hire entrepreneurial people. This is an important part of bootstrapping because you don’t want to hire people who usually stick to only one area, at least at the beginning. They usually have to be able to to delve into two, three, four–sometimes seven different areas.  It’s a subtle but important way to save on costs.

There’s a critical difference between being an entrepreneur (who is also entrepreneurial) and hiring entrepreneurial people. Entrepreneurial People (EPs) don’t necessarily want to start their own organization, or necessarily have visionary ideas. However, they are willing to do what it takes, create systems on the spot, not get scared off by the fact that certain processes aren’t yet in place (in fact, they relish creatively designing them).

In a bootstrapping culture–and I would argue we want to retain this feel throughout the tenure of your growth–your team can’t just be willing to do one thing.  In the early days, there is no one job description, and EPs love this. They want to delve in to realizing your vision for the company, by diving into different areas, providing a rich, varied professional experience.   Cross them over into two business units: Give them expertise they can cross reference back and forth, determining how they intersect, and how they can take action efficiently.

This focus should last beyond the early days of an entrepreneur, keeping our atmosphere and team with high motivation.

Bootstrapping: Why Your Space Will Make or Break Your Team

Bootstrapping should start first of all with your space. At the beginning of UniversalGiving, I worked out of my home: very economical.  But as you grow, you need to find an economical space and team-oriented culture.

As you start out, and as you continue, establishing an inexpensive and team-oriented culture is imperative.  Shared office space–if done right–allows you to cut costs and increase camaraderie with other entrepreneurs.  As CEO, it allows you to brainswap with other like-minded founders. For your team, it provides a larger group of people to speak, connect and share with, feeling a part of something larger.

In many, diverse ways we all want to be a part of something larger. Part of that is your organizational vision. Part of that is your team. Part is of it is your space, and the other people who work there.  Create many instances where your often small, start-up team, can connect to a larger sense of purpose.  It attracts people and keeps them there.  In start-up mode, you don’t want to lose the right people.

You can also ask a larger company if they have extra room. This is a good option, but just make sure that the company culture, and space, fits well with yours. It’s a bit less of sharing, and more under jurisdiction of someone else, and yet is something to be grateful for if you can attain it.

As you look for that right space, I’d recommend also making a list of qualities that are important to you: Dynamic, Bright, Economical, Sharing, Intellectual.  The manifestation of those qualities can really help bring your vision to fruition.  If you stick with these qualities, there could be many different right places, each reflecting your vision in different ways.

The key point is to find an environment that will help you, and your team, succeed more rapidly—while saving money.