Lily Liu of Public Stuff wins by learning to go with the flow

My blog post: The NYWSE Incubator Program has helped my venture take advantage of many unexpected opportunities

I am currently in the process of starting a company called PublicStuff, and we wouldn’t be making the kind of progress we are if it were not for our participation in the NWYSE Incubator Program. Our product is a website that aims to connect people with their local governments, so that everyone can participate in the development of their communities. The Incubator Program’s classes and learning tools have allowed me to learn and grow tremendously and has been alternatively a humbling and enlightening experience. Being part of a multi-generational team has created opportunities for genuine collaboration that have lead to professional development and learning. While not all the newly found opportunities were completely aligned with our working plan, sometimes the unexpected can be the most fulfilling and productive.

One of the most important lessons I've learned throughout this entrepreneurial experience is to be open to any opportunities that come my way. This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but to truly embrace it, I believe, can be life-changing. I am by no means advocating for you to go out and say yes to every opportunity, but some of the most unlikely opportunities can lead to extremely rewarding and meaningful experiences.

Anastasia Holmes, founder of Start Your Engine NYC, discusses Learning Curves with the Incubator program

My Blog Post: What I have enjoyed learning most during the Incubator process, is everything

Learning Curves

Some days, when the work is piling up and the deadlines are approaching, I need to put the stress into perspective and remind myself why I’m starting a nonprofit and what I enjoy about it.

One reason I’m creating Start Your Engine, a health and fitness program for low-income women, is because I have the social entrepreneur’s drive to solve a social problem.  Another reason is because I like brainstorming and program development. Of course, part of any entrepreneur’s drive is also the dream to “work for myself.”

The most important reason I’m creating this program is to provide an environment where women can learn about healthy living rather than just going through the motions at a gym or picking a new diet. The things I learned on my journey achieving a healthy lifestyle I wanted to share—specifically with women who couldn’t afford trainers and coaches and counselors.

Zoe Timms, creator of the Women's Education Project, puts the Social in Social Entrepreneur

My blog post: How my approach to securing funding for my venture has evolved through the Incubator program

In 2002, I established Women's Education Project as a 501(C)(3) to help young women from poor families, succeed in college and begin careers. At garden parties with family and friends, I was able to fund the first center, "Sudar" in Madurai, South India. The dollar goes far in India so within the next few years, we were able to hire staff, rent a center (with computer lab, library, and garden), offer 25 scholarships annually and provide 60 students with academic support. In 2008, we started our second center, "Ushassu" in Hyderabad. Today, 100 students attend WEP centers in South India.

Ami Desai- Co-founder and CFO, Keren Perry-Shamir- Co-founder and CMO on how the Incubator program helped to transform their program, Early Earners

Our blog post: How the Incubator program is helping us transform our idea into a tangible and attainable enterprise.

Early Earners is an online financial education destination for families that combines education and action. We founded EE because most people do not learn about finance in school or at home. In fact, a recent study found that most parents felt better prepared to give their teens advice on sex than on investing. Managing money is a daily habit like brushing your teeth or eating well. The idea behind Early Earners is that it is a family focused program that teaches parents and kids how to execute a few simple financial principles. EE uses interactive tools, calculators, links to recommended financial products and fun games that bring to life concepts like saving a $1 a day. 

Sabrin Chowdhury, Founder of Out Against Abuse, discusses group dynamics and staying open to new ideas

My Blog Post: How I have grown into an effective manager while launching my venture in the NYWSE Incubator program.

I first started Out Against Abuse, an online “hotline” for domestic violence victims and educational resource center in the South Asian community (www.outagainstabuse.org), as a blog to start openly discussing this problem.  However, soon I started receiving emails and online comments from victims themselves who either asked for help or started sharing their stories. It was then that I realized there was an immense need for an online resource to allow victims to ask questions anonymously and access a wide array of resources.  I soon started forming a board of directors and looking for any resources that would make it easier to establish a strong and efficient nonprofit organization.  Before the Incubator Program, I had so many different tasks and goals, including fundraising goals, contacting different organizations to establish partnerships, brainstorming event ideas, etc…and would constantly feel overwhelmed. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized that this was probably because I hadn’t done a good job of outsourcing or even taking advantage of outside help. 

Anastasia Holmes, Founder of Start Your Engine NYC, discusses how she found her momentum

My Blog Post: The most unexpected benefit I have learned during the NYWSE Incubator program

I kicked around my idea to create a nonprofit health and fitness program for low-income women for a year before my acceptance to the New York Women Social Entrepreneurs Incubator Program. My goal for the program is to address obesity by emphasizing health lifestyle choices through education and practice in nutrition, fitness, life coaching, and mental health. When I sent in my application, I knew I needed structure to stay on task and a community to work within. But I actually didn’t know what to expect from the program, and so far, unexpected benefits are everywhere.

Caitlin Dean, founder of Girl Guides USA, sounds off on the NYWSE Incubator

The NWYSE Incubator program participants will be publishing to this blog in order to let the world in on their varied experiences through the program's duration. Some women will discuss how they overcame challenges, others may address their personal growth and how their ventures evolved.

Caitlin Dean, founder,  Girl Guides USA

My blog post: The two greatest lessons I have learned through the Incubator Program.

I’m starting Girl Guides USA, a non-profit outdoor teambuilding and leadership program for girls based on the Girl Guides program I was part of in Belgium for years when I was younger.  Girl Guides was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m thrilled to be bringing it to girls here in the States.  But without a doubt the main challenge I’ve faced in launching the pilot program has been getting the word out and attracting the people I want to target (6th-10th grade girls).  Publicity would of course be easier if I had an unlimited budget, but still, I’ve been able to overcome the challenge (or, rather, I’m in the process of overcoming it) and I’ve learned a couple of lessons along the way…

Women's Education Project creator, Zoe Timms, on the Incubator Program

The NWYSE Incubator program participants will be publishing to this blog in order to let the world in on their varied experiences through the program's duration. Some women will discuss how they overcame challenges, others may address their personal growth and how their ventures evolved. 

Zoe Timms, Founder and Director, Women's Education Project

My blog post: How have I developed my knowledge about marketing through the Incubator Program.

Many have said that being a social entrepreneur is a lonely business - but as part of NYSWE's incubator program, and following their many leads, I have realized that the city's resources and many inspiring professionals makes this an exciting and permanently renewing process. 

PublicStuff Needs You!

by Lily Liu, NYWSE Incubator Participant

The Web is truly an amazing thing, which is no revelation, I know. But how often do we ask ourselves how this powerful tool can be utilized to create social change? If masses of people can organize online to create things like an encyclopedia (Wikipedia), successful networking sites (Facebook,MySpace), a mutual fund, media (YouTube), an operating system (Linux) and even a physical thing like a motorcycle, what can people do when it comes to interacting with their local leaders to create positive and collaborative community change? Go ahead—really think about the possibilities, and you’ll be amazed at how many things we can do by using available web resources.

I would have never predicted this trend, but it’s true. Millions of people have already collaborated towards creating goods and services that rival those of well financed enterprises, and it’s just a matter of time before that trickles down to government. This nexus of transformation and opportunity is what PublicStuff.org is all about. We are focused on connecting people with their local governments to increase civic participation, transparency and quality of life in communities across the nation.

We are currently participating in the NYWSE Incubator Program. Through the program, we found out about the Startup Nation Elevator Pitch Contest, which allows entrepreneurs across the country to submit an online video or audio pitch about their business venture. The top 5 applicants will have the opportunity to conduct a full presentation to a panel of venture capital investors. We took this opportunity to apply to the contest, and also see it as a great way to get our message out. So, please take a moment to check out of video and vote for us while you’re there—we can’t do this without you! There is no need to log in—just visit the website and submit your vote. And you can vote once per day, so if you really believe in our idea, vote often!

 

VOTE FOR PUBLICSTUFF.ORG HERE!

 

This contest is a great opportunity for us to begin fully developing the pilot program and implementing it in key cities across the nation, so that eventually we will be able to provide a refined product for every city across the nation! We want to show that we can do well, by doing good, and improve the quality of life in our local communities while making government responsive, efficient, and accountable to the people! We hope you will take the time to vote us and please also link this in your blog and/or forward it to your friends and family. The more people we get to vote, the better our chances are!

Thank you all for your support. And thank you for making PublicStuff truly a collaborative process. If you want to stay updated on our launch or want to know how you can help or get involved, click here to sign up for our contact list.

 

The PublicStuff vision is to create an online portal that allows people to connect directly with their local government in order to keep our elected leaders responsible and accountable to the needs in our local communities. Whether you want to file a noise complaint, or your local park needs renovating, or that street lamp or pothole has not been addressed in 5 years, PublicStuff is here to empower you to have a voice and make our leaders work for you 24 hours a day--- not just from 9-5 Monday through Friday.

 

Cities will be able to purchase the PublicStuff software package that will enable them to bring and manage all services online-- you will be able to submit and manage individual requests, receive status updates, hear what your neighbors are saying all at the same website no matter what city you live in---- and all without having to stand in a long line at your lunch hour. With dynamic maps, forums, and online video, PublicStuff will make it easy for you to let our leaders know what they need to address in our neighborhoods and cities.