5 Lessons from 5 Years of Creating Economic Opportunity — Lesson Four: Seek Advice From The Moment You Have The Idea

As All Star Code closes out its Fifth Anniversary celebration year, here is a reflection on how I successfully developed the concept that became a leading computer science education organization focused on young men of color. To read previous lessons from this article series click here.

It took me over a year to speak out about All Star Code. From April 2011 to July 2012, All Star Code marinated as an unspoken idea in my brain, and the first person I ended up sharing it with was my husband. This sometimes turns date night into an All Star Code strategy session! His response was “sounds promising.” Following our conversation, I shared the idea with other members of my family and friends. I was greeted with affirmation: “cool idea,” “viable idea,” — this gave me the confidence to move forward, and start exploring who I needed to connect with in order to bring the idea to life.

LESSON FOUR: SEEK ADVICE FROM THE MOMENT YOU HAVE THE IDEA

One of the first things I did, was to write as much of the idea down as possible. Without having anything concrete in writing, your idea is just talk. The writing process tests the viability of the idea, allows room for edits and improvements, and makes it easier for people to respond to when the concept is in the written form.

The concept of a rigorous tech prep program focused on Black and Latino boys was virtually unprecedented. Combined with being a first-time founder, it was natural for me to seek guidance for how and where to start. In 2012, I met with a leading philanthropist in the tech inclusion space for dinner. When I shared the idea of All Star Code, she was incredibly enthusiastic, and gave me lots of advice and then suggested I get some more.

*Cue: pulling my hair out.*

Seeking advice is hard to execute, but is crucial when starting an organization. It can be frustrating to feel like you have a genius idea bubbling inside you, and listen calmly while someone picks that same idea apart. Many elements of my plans for All Star Code were criticized, and it was painful, at times humbling, and in some cases, it even felt humiliating.

But it’s all learning.

Tarrus, my founding board chair, who was kind enough to give money along with his insights, suggested packaging this rather frustrating advice marathon into a “100 people in 100 days” campaign. Why 100 people? Because it sounded good and seemed achievable. Why 100 days? Because it sounded good and seemed achievable.

I gained so much from these initial conversations. From my previous experience at the Wall Street Journal, I had mastered relationship building, and how to extract information. During this time I learned about existing efforts to diversify selective education, selective professions, and how they functioned. This included everything from designing a curriculum and program model, to funding and sustainability, to board structure. It was now time to listen, implement, and watch the magic begin.

I specifically interviewed CEOs, Development Directors and Founders around the country who ran colleges, camps, workforce development trainings, coding classes, job placement companies, and a variety of prep programs. It was useful to learn about their program models, how they hired, and how they got started. One thing I learned from some of the most successful models, was to hire back alums immediately following the summer they had completed the program. Doing that from the beginning tremendously helped. Another tip I received was about the importance of evaluation. We ended up surveying our very first beneficiaries, which helped so much when we started writing grants.

Since I was new to the field, seeking advice from others in the embryonic “diversity in tech” space as well as the founders in the burgeoning “learn to code” space, helped me to learn a lot about computer science and the hiring practices of tech companies. In order to equip my future students, I made it my mission to learn what skills were considered important and valuable to these companies. This has helped to ensure their employment readiness, and position All Star Code as an important part of the pipeline.

I found it necessary to engage others at the idea phase, because I was new to the field, and it was a new concept. As a result, I became a subject matter expert quickly.

Doing this at the onset meant I could make decisions more quickly, and with less second-guessing because the groundwork was done in the beginning. (Getting outside advice becomes a luxury once you operationalize). This is also a reason why you would need a smart and strong board, because they end up being your braintrust.

I saw all of the advice I received as good advice. The trick is to get in front of people that you respect and that are experienced. With that, the presumption is that you would have received good advice. The practice is then to take all of the advice given and implement it. If their advice works, you can go back to them! However with the growth of an organization, you may find some of your initial advisors become less active. Simultaneously, new advisors with more experience, enter the mix.

A final piece of advice that I received was to consciously cultivate a kitchen cabinet, a small group of advisors that can be a sounding board for ideas and strategies on my mind. It has been a rewarding way to develop relationships with people over time, (especially since I’m not asking for anything, and it’s made me smarter). They’ve provided me with referrals for people and vendors to hire. The group doesn’t necessarily need to include heavy hitters, and should include friends and family (whose advice you respect). You need people who really trust, and who are looking out for you and your best interest. As you talk to them over a few years, they get to know you and understand you more. It’s not helpful to formalize it too much, (they may not even know they are part of your cabinet). If they are the right fit, they won’t need a title, or any prominence to want to have a conversation with you. For some, you will speak to them on specific topics/ideas/issues, for a few, you may be able to speak to them about everything. Not one person is going to be able to give you everything you need, with one single piece of advice.

The great thing about seeking advice, is that you’ll soon be in a position to pass it on. Over time now, aspiring entrepreneurs, and students have come to me with questions regarding their businesses, ideas, and their futures. And I fully give back. It is an honor and a privilege to provide advice, and I encourage you to make time to give it as often as you receive. Months (and sometimes years) later, I have been graced with someone’s gratitude when they share: “you gave me all this great advice, and it made such a difference.”