Danielle Wolter Nolan | DNK Presents
I had the opportunity to meet with Danielle Wolter Nolan, co-founder of DNK Presents and leader of the Startup Ladies Bloomington chapter, last week. Danielle and her partner Kate founded DNK Presents 5 years ago to empower individuals, specifically women, to get outside. Danielle was born and raised in Indiana. DNK Presents hosts its events all over the country but have many trips in Indiana to expose participants to the beauty of our own backyards. Keep reading to learn more about Danielle and Kate’s entrepreneurial journey.
“You can think about it and let it simmer for so long but if you start before you’re ready then you will be ready.” — Danielle Wolter Nolan, co-founder of DNK Presents
Give us your “Twitter bio” or elevator pitch.
DNK Presents organizes and guides empowering adventure experiences for individuals, groups and businesses. We specialize in getting more women to feel comfortable and confident outside through experiential learning by trying something new.
How did DNK Presents begin? What were some of your entrepreneurial and innovative highlights?
We started in June 2014. Both Kate and I have a love for the outdoors and we often do different outdoor challenges. Our friends wanted to try these things too, but didn’t know where to go, what to do, or felt unsafe doing it alone. We wanted to bridge the gap for people and create a safe, fun environment for women to challenge themselves in the outdoors. We got a lot of certifications and did a lot of practicing at first with just our friends and that’s how it all began. One major barrier to the outdoors is gear, so we provide that for our trips as well. Getting out in nature and unplugging from our busy lives really is so important.
Where are you now? Where do you hope to be?
In the beginning we started focusing on women’s empowerment. At DNK Presents we have goals to increase our scope to other groups that may experience barriers to the outdoors, such as those in the LGBTQ community, youth and people of color. This will be our 4th year doing a women’s adventure giveaway. It’s an opportunity for friends to nominate an extraordinary woman who just needs a getaway. A selection committee selects 4 women to get a 4 day custom adventure trip guided by myself and Kate. We take away cell phones and make sure these women have time to reflect and go through different safe challenges that push them and make them feel really accomplished. We always like to give them a bunch of free gear, too.
This year for the first time we are doing the trip in Chattanooga, TN and will be doing a few different activities from our norm. We are planning to document this year’s giveaway again and share that experience with the world through film. Our award-winning documentary “Live Adventurously” following the four women who won the inaugural Women’s Adventure Giveaway can be scheduled for screenings. To learn more check out the website here: https://www.liveadventurouslyfilm.com/
“Mental health is such a big part of entrepreneurship. We do this because we are so passionate about it, which makes us more vulnerable to our idea not being accepted well. Make sure your mental health is in place and that you have someone to talk to when you feel lost and alone.” — Danielle Wolter Nolan, co-founder of DNK Presents
How did you get involved with Startup Ladies?
I’ve been involved with them almost since it began — a few months after our company started. I’ve been on the advisory board since I joined and have gotten more involved this year as the co-volunteer chair and the Bloomington chapter leader. I knew the first time I went that it was a very inclusive, positive environment for people with similar interests — everyone had an idea or something they were starting. Everyone had feedback that could help someone else and knowing everyone else was leading a passionate project as an entrepreneur was great support. I’ve found so much friendship and comradery in this group; they’re just wonderful people.
What has been the most useful resource or experience for you in founding DNK Presents?
Experience. It’s been really rewarding to be a guide and be able to help someone accomplish something they never thought they could and to realize their full potential. It is equally inspiring to see what these women do after these trips. We had one woman who was in her last round of chemo when she did a backpacking trip with us. Shortly after, she finished a 14er in Colorado with her husband. Another woman was trying 50 new things to celebrate her 50th birthday.
It’s a lot of hard work being a guide and being responsible for the safety of the participants, but you figure out how to work with people in a way that pushes them yet doesn’t overwhelm them. Almost all the time people try the challenge and go back to the world and go on to challenge themselves in other ways at work or in relationships.
What’s was your favorite failure or learning experience?
Failure is inevitable; it’s all part of it. We hear about people going on a 14er or summitting Everest but we don’t hear about all the people who tried and tried and didn’t make it up. These stories are just as important because we learn from our failures and that’s where we really grow. If we aren’t outside our comfort zone our brains aren’t properly learning.
There have been different challenges; there are certain things we fail at all the time. Things will inevitably come up — someone’s not feeling well, the weather isn’t ideal — and sometimes we don’t make the best decision, but we always ask how we could have done better. We do feedback forms with participants and guides to figure out how we could improve. It’s ok for all those things to happen because that’s how we get better.
What’s the best advice you have received as an entrepreneur?
I don’t remember who said it, but someone told me:
You’ll get so many people telling you what to do and at times it can be overwhelming. Sometimes you need to go back to your core mission in business, review your goals, and see what you’ve learned. When you start a business all the information that is out there can be overwhelming and sometimes you have to look back at what your true vision. Make sure that your vision and goals are aligned with the advice you are given from other mentors or professionals.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurial students?
Just start. Starting can be researching and figuring out if your product is viable or if your idea is scalable. Just start working on it. By starting, you begin making small goals. Work backwards from those goals. Maybe you need to raise funding or get a website up — work backwards from that. You can think about it and let it simmer for so long but if you start before you’re ready then you will be ready. Just keep moving. It’s like a trail — you may go off trail but you’ll come back.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Entrepreneurship is hard — one of the hardest things you may ever do — but it is so rewarding. You will have ups and downs during your time and experience; that’s all part of it. Having someone you can count on is important. Mental health is such a big part of entrepreneurship — there is anxiety and depression and stress. We do this because we are so passionate about it, which makes us more vulnerable to our idea not being accepted well. Make sure your mental health is in place and that you have someone to talk to when you feel lost and alone.
Where can people find you?
Check out our website and email me at danielle@dnkpresents.com.
People can also do screenings of our documentary, which can be previewed at https://www.liveadventurouslyfilm.com/
