Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in a non-profit organization but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Becker, President, and Founder of Hello Gorgeous! of Hope, Inc., located in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I started a non-profit organization 15 years ago to restore the beauty that cancer steals in women battling cancer. My hope is to help every woman who hears the words "you have cancer" smile when she looks in the mirror.
Tell us about yourself
I was a hairdresser for more than 30 years and a salon owner for ten years. I always felt as if there was something more that I should be doing. Fifteen years ago, God called me to help women with cancer. My juice comes from the smile on the faces of the women that I serve. It is as if cancer dims the light inside of them, and I get to turn it back on and help her shine bright. I like to say that it is the doctor's job to cure her cancer. It's my job to make sure she looks really good while she is going through it. I can honestly say that I have the best job in the world.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
What I never realized is the long-lasting effect that we would have on the women that we serve. I would say my biggest accomplishment is when a woman comes to me three years after her surprise Hello Gorgeous! makeover and says that that was the best day of her life.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I have a unique perspective. I have been a business owner in the profit world and in the non-profit world. When business was a little slow in the profit world, I felt that I had some control over it. I could run a retail sale or throw in a few hilites into a salon guest. One of the hardest things in my non-profit business is that I can not make you give me money. I can't reach into your pockets and take your loose change. I have to pull on your heartstrings and move you to want to donate.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just Start To many people wait for all of the conditions to be perfect. You just need to dive in and start.
- Look at your mistakes as learning lessons. It's better to have tried and not gotten the outcome that you wanted than not to have tried at all. I am constantly asking, "What Can I Learn From This?"
- Always ask, "What Can I Do For You?" In a me-centered world, It means the world to people when you are thinking of them.
This one question has done wonders for the business relationships that I have today.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
One of my life's mottos is "I can not be successful, unless I help others achieve success." You will be surprised at how your business will advance when you share the lessons that you have learned along the way with others.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.hellogorgeous.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelloGorgeousIN/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellogorgeousin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelloGorgeousIN
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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