As someone who is an entrepreneur, I am always looking for examples of successful founders.. , I look specifically for people who I can relate to their experience , and because I am one, I also look for women examples. TEDx talks can be a great resource, and discovering a TED Talk by Nancy Lublin happened to hit the mark.
In the talk, Lublin, a serial founder and CEO, discusses the exciting data that she has collected. and shares it with the audience so that we get excited too.I wanted to know more about Lublin personally and find out her path to this point. I wanted to learn if Crisistextline.org, the company providing the data, was her first startup.
It turned out that being an entrepreneur has always been natural for Lublin. She will tell you that her entrepreneurial blood runs deep, at least back to a great grandfather. In fact, her great grandfather immigrated to America with nothing and “was literally a peddler for most of his life.”
Her great grandfather’s son was Lublin’s entrepreneur model. He first started selling peanuts and shoes. Then, he managed to take one department store and turn it into a 9 store chain. “I think he was the only one in my family who actually understands what I do,” says Lublin, adding, "My father still thinks this is a phase I am going through and that I might take the bar exam someday.”
“I didn’t choose this. I was born this way. I was always starting lemonade stands, nuclear freeze clubs, and more. I was an entrepreneur before anyone knew how to spell entrepreneur,” said Lublin.
Although I cannot completely relate to the family example, the reason why Lublin created Dress for Success is similar to my interest in promoting women’s empowerment. Lublin told me that she had an idea to promote economic independence of women by providing professional attire and a network of support. Promoting economic independence for women is a lot bigger than lemonade stands and clubs. Besides, didn’t being a responsible adult mean going to school and finding a job? Not for Lublin.
The Entrepreneurial Journey
Law school wasn't fulfilling enough for Lublin. In her first year, Lublin was hungry for more. During that same year, Lublin received a $5000 inheritance from her great-grandfather. Lublin had the check in her hands and came up with the idea for Dress for Success. Lublin states “I think my unhappiness (in law school) allowed me to dream this crazy escape fantasy of starting Dress for Success.”
Her First Success Story
Lublin wanted to build companies that made an impact directly in someone's life and she has done a fantastic job. Lublin’s first client - Charlene Brundidge - was a woman granted executive clemency from the governor of New York for a murder conviction. Brundidge’s husband had abused her for years and she shot him in self-defense.
"We weren't even open yet, but Eileen Fisher agreed to open up her 5th Avenue store and let us dress her there with new clothes. Charlene looked (and felt) like a million bucks.”
Dress for Success is an international nonprofit that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing them a network of support to help them thrive in work and in life. Six years later, Lublin’s company is located in more than 80 cities.
Since then, Lublin has learned to be an entrepreneur by doing the job. “Those first few years at Dress for Success was the best education I ever had.” According to Lublin, “I’ve never really written a business plan for any of my startups. I think the best stuff starts on the ground, actually making something for someone else.”
A New Path
In 2003, Lublin started on a new path by taking over as CEO of dosomething.org. “I’m an entrepreneur. I get bored easily. Dress for Success was crushing it...so I left ." Lublin joined DoSomething.Org, a company that aims at young people and encouraging social change through text messages. The organization acknowledges the target audience by communicating completely with texts. The use of text messaging was important because it was what lead to the next idea 8 years later, and the opportunity for utilizing the data.
After 12 years, Lublin said she learned something every day and loved her co-workers. She considered her role as a CEO equal to being a mom 24/7. Through those 12 years, she has learned quite a lot about hiring and culture.
“My job is to make sure my people (at home and at work) have what they need to try their best. I’m not here to make people happy. I’m here to help them try their best... I believe attitude and capabilities far outweigh experience for most positions. I hire people who I’d want to be in a bunker with who can hit home runs quickly, who are going to leave in a few years to do something amazing. I hire people who I’d like to work for someday.”
Now: Building Texting That Saves Lives
Along with the typical prank texts from teens, Dosomething.org kept getting texts asking for help. Lublin knew that she had to answer that call eventually. When a teenager wrote about being raped by her dad, it was life changing to Lublin. The idea moved and became a business. Lublin built Crisis Text Line (CTL), a new company that helps anyone share their problems, from bullying to depression to abuse.
The power of data and texting are doing things that matter: saving lives. In the TEDx Talk mentioned previously, Lublin explains how they want this data to help others do their jobs better. The personal identifiers are removed and the data is saved and shared at crisistrends.org.The data provides typical key words and time of day. For example, if you want to know what day anxiety is at a peak, the website will display that information.
Lublin not only is excited by the data at CTL, she has found a posse in the community of Crisis Counselors. “We support each other constantly - not just on the platform, but in life. It’s been amazing to see the friendships blossom.”
Lublin also has a close group of personal friends that she refers to as family. For the past 10 years, she has spent New Year’s with these particular friends. When it comes to family support, Lublin states “My husband is tall and dreamy. He is balding and doesn’t have a lot of money...but he is an incredible dad who doesn’t think he deserves a cookie when he does a dish.”
Lublin says “I love my life. I love that my principles and values ARE my work.”