What I Wish I’d Known as a Young Founder of Color

Two years ago, I quit my job to do my nonprofit Yoga Foster full-time. At launch, we barely had a business plan and no money in the bank. All we had was a simple, volunteer-based program. Now, as we expand nationwide and grow our staff to support teachers across the U.S., here’s four things I wish someone had told me as a female founder of color.

1. The most important resource you have is your time

Networks, money, skills — all of these can be acquired through investing time. Many founders focus on raising capital without knowing how they’re applying it, and ultimately churn through crucial funding. Identify where your time can be best spent at your organization’s start to maximize investments later on, whether it’s in testing your product, researching your industry, or thinking through your business model at scale. Get your product/program down pat, as best you can. You don’t need money until you know why.

Automate anything and everything you can. Find as many people as you can to lend a hand, and give them actual work to do. And put a value on every minute of the time you spend. Choose coffees over lunches, walks over coffees, and do as many group meetings as possible — you’ll use time more efficiently and build a community around your cause with stakeholders that feel invested alongside each other.

If you’re looking to launch and don’t have a safety net before you get paid, you have two options: start paying yourself first as soon as you can (ties into my second point) or prepare to spend your time hustling for your own sanity AND hustling for an organization. If it’s the latter, start consulting and freelancing, which gives yourself a paycheck over flexible hours, while your organization grows.

2. Invest in your own health and wellness first

Before you start, promise yourself that you’ll take care of yourself. Literally. Sit down and write out what you need to be a healthy, happy human being, and promise yourself that you’ll do the things on your list. Get some friends and family to sign on, too — not only will they have a better grasp of what you’re about to get yourself into, they can also act as your HR reps your company won’t be hiring anytime soon. The path to entrepreneurship isn’t easy, especially for those that are hustling on the side. Your dreams lie with you alone, and you’ve got to be there to make them a reality. Others will invest in your company because they believe in you — and if you let yourself down, you’ll let them down, too.

Sleep. Eat well. Work out. Practice yoga and meditate, a lot. Talk to someone who you can be honest and vulnerable with. Stress, fatigue, exhaustion, it’s inevitable. Be your best for it.

3. Stop telling yourself you don’t belong

Minority young professionals know better than anyone what “culture fit” feels like. Don’t expect it not to exist here, too. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to be surrounded by people who didn’t grow up like you, who don’t look like you, and who have different networks and resources than you. You’re going to feel like you don’t belong — or don’t deserve to be here.

There’s also going to be plenty of people who think the same, which means they’ll either assume you’re not as competent and disregard you entirely, or invest time and energy in you just because you check off a minority box for them, which is becoming all the more prevalent as we all search for a solution to get more diversity in the space. The sooner you accept that you’ll be faced with more obstacles, the quicker you can make space to get work done, eschew a ton of bad advice, and find the people willing to drive your organization forward. You have better things to worry about.

And with your progress, that culture starts to shift. Win-win. So get going.

4. Talk to everyone about your product

When I look back on Yoga Foster’s short history, the timeline is ticked with major moments caused by a shot in the dark. A cold LinkedIn message launched a partnership. An email sent after someone’s speech at a conference sparked a nationwide expansion. And a random event, forwarded to me by a friend, led us to join an incubator alongside other rockstars to get our start. Many young entrepreneurs haven’t had a long career, or spent time on campus, and subsequently haven’t had time to invest in their professional networks. But this doesn’t have to hinder your organization’s growth.

Let everyone that you think should know about your organization hear it — loud and clear. Don’t be afraid to send a cold email, or ask for a warm introduction. Get your message concise, emphasize its relevance to the receiver, say what you need, and express your gratitude. Be sure to follow up, and remember — it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Odds are, they want to talk to you, too.

Nicole is the founder of Yoga Foster, a nonprofit that empowers school teachers with yoga resources for the classroom to create healthier, happier classrooms. Join their movement and sponsor a classroom at yogafoster.org

NOTE: This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of a series on The Truth About Entrepreneurship.