IAM268- Charity Enthusiast Positively Impacts Underserved Youth and Children with Curated Resources

Ladana Drigo curates resources to give back in the form of charity to help kids with a community of mentors and offering scholarships.

This a live recording at the PurpleCon event.

• CEO Hack: (1) Delegating (2) Continuous education (3) Being around people who help me grow
• CEO Nugget: Stop doing stuff for free (2) Be clear about what you want and be useful (3) Have mentors
• CEO Defined: Ownership, balance, creating jobs and knowing when to lead vs follow

Website: www.myfairygodparents.org

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Transcription

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Intro 0:01

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:27

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today I have Ladana Drigo of My Fairy Godparents. Ladana's awesome to have you on the show.

Ladana Drigo 0:36

Thank you for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:38

No problem I'm super excited to have you on and I wanted to actually start everything off. I know we're meeting at the conference. So I wanted to hear how the conference was going for you.

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Ladana Drigo 0:44

It's going actually very well. I came across it literally a few days ago. On social media, I want to say it might have been Instagram. And I love the name, PurpleCon, anything I see with a con I'm like, oh, convention. So it piqued my interest. And I believe the first thing I did was I went online, and I signed up so I can get more information. And there was like a little 50% off offer. And I was like, Look, I'm going to a consultant right now. And I'm not working corporate on the side, because that's how I like to say corporate as a side gig.

So I'm not at liberty to pay. And I just said, I'm willing to volunteer my time, I just want to be there and take advantage of learning from the speakers that you guys have, because the main person that drew my attention to show you though, and I've been trying to connect with her, and I'm big on if you're trying to connect with someone, try to bridge the gap and meet them halfway. It's not always that they're going to come to you. So that's pretty much how I came across Purplecon. And I'm volunteering today. I volunteered yesterday in the middle of all my other things. But I think that the biggest thing for me is I like to show support because I expected in return.

Gresham Harkless 0:44

Awesome, awesome. Yes, it's all about energy, because whatever you put out is what comes back. Thank you so much for volunteering because it's been an awesome conference and convention.

Ladana Drigo 1:03

Thank you, Danielle and her team.

Gresham Harkless 2:05

Absolutely so I wanted to ask you for what I call your CEO story and this is what you feel is your background that led you to start your business

Ladana Drigo 2:13

Well, My Fairy Godparents has an exempt charity organization based in the DC metro area. What led me to start it is actually moving up here I'm from Dominica, so I am Caribbean, and I was raised in North Carolina and Guadeloupe, which is a French Island, neighboring Dominica and I moved up to the DC metro about six or seven years ago. And when I first moved up here, of course, I knew no one, my godmother lives here and my college sister lives here. So that's pretty much how I came to be in this area. I was actually on my way up to New York. And then Hurricane Sandy happened and I had already resigned from my job in Charlotte.

So then I had to just kind of lay low in Maryland for a little while in Bethesda. And then my college sister was like, I like your company, we haven't seen each other. I'm barely in North Carolina, you don't come to DC. So stay for three months. She's like, you don't have a job. It's not like you got anywhere to be, you don't have to pay any rent she literally left no room to say no.

So then I was like, You know what, I definitely don't want to deal with subway rats floating in the water and stuff like that, because that's what was going on. Sounds like, sometimes divine intervention, right? Or I actually had a personal story where I had to send my daughter overseas, her father was incarcerated and before he became incarcerated, we had a rift, you know, we weren't together anyways. But we had a rift and he stopped supporting her and then I end up getting evicted and I was homeless living with friends. Sounds like, I don't mind me living with friends. But my mom has a three-bedroom apartment in Guadeloupe. I put my daughter on a one-way buddy pass from one of my friends from back when I was with United Hairs. I was like girl $100 My mom had her in St Maarten and she stayed there for two, three years.

So with my daughter not being with me, as a mom, I kind of felt naked and then I was around my godmother. And then I would see like it's little things that I needed. when I got my first apartment up here, which was literally six months when I moved up here, I was not playing. And my godmother is a realtor. So she had clients that were moving out of state. So they sold me their furniture really cheap. Some of them were just free. There's like just as long as you can pick it up and just take it because we don't want it we don't have anywhere to put it and I was just like, wow, my whole godmother, the way she's taking care of me.

So that's when the idea of My Fairy Godparents came to fruition because I needed something to fill that void with the fact that my daughter wasn't around. And I still had that maternal instinct and I wanted to do things and then I also looked at it like, y I am big on giving and supporting and being a part of a community what better way than to start a charity and help the kids in the community that I'm trying to get to know so I use the charity as a way to network for sure. But it wasn't my intention to just start a charity because I wanted to work it was organic. And then I would always tell people the name came because of my godmother.

And I was like, I want to be somebody's godparent. And I feel like we all should be a godparent. And literally what My Fairy Godparents does, is we curate resources, we are not the end-all-be-all, and we cannot do everything. Right now we're doing a prom project. And it's not going to be on my own that I can find X amount of tuxedos or suits and gowns for boys and girls because we actually help boys and girls with our prom project. So that's really the long and short of how My Fairy Godparents came about. It's just, I didn't even mention my primary business, because I feel like it's not really the thing. Like I want to really focus on highlighting the charity. But it came from doing the PR and learning that the best way to kind of network and bridge the gap and let people know about you is to give.

Gresham Harkless 5:51

Yeah, that's what I always say giver is gain. And a lot of times, as I mentioned before, if you put that energy out, it comes back to you. So I appreciate you. Yeah, I appreciate you for doing all that. Because there's a lot of people that need, godparents and definitely a sense of the community. Yeah, it's not just a word. It's something in what the actions that people were doing. And I love that you're doing that with your charity. So I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And this is what you feel kind of distinguishes you or sets you apart, or can be for your organization.

Ladana Drigo 6:18

I think it kind of blends because I'm the type of person and with the clients that I have that I know to consult for as far as PR public relations, I tell them to just be their authentic self because you are your brand. Like I don't care where you want to be. 10 years from now, people are going to do business with people they like. I remember hearing Kevin Hart saying when he was on set, he was like the most bubbly person. And that guy had callbacks because they remembered, we got to be with you like how many hours a day because when you work, especially I've done some acting that's my little passion. If I could be the next Angelina Jolie or whatever, Angela Bassett, that'd be awesome. I still have my businesses and my charity, but I'm definitely acting tight. But I was just, oh my gosh, I want to make sure that you will, for me, when what I got out of Kevin Hart is you just have to make sure that people like you like it is a popularity contest.

We don't want to believe it. But it is people who do business with who they like. And then after that comes Are you qualified because you can be the best candidate, the most knowledgeable, but a serial Ahole. And they will go hire the next best thing because they don't want to deal with a serial Ahole 20 flowers for whatever led to the project, you have to be likable. And it has to be genuine.

Gresham Harkless 7:38

Yeah, it's so funny because a lot of times even like when you're hiring for a company or even if people you want to be around just like you mentioned, a lot of times you look for those soft skills, not necessarily if you know how to do XY and Z, but you're coachable and you have energy and want to work on things like that. It's like it's crazy, because so many people, you know, sometimes we get so focused on the how, which is definitely important sometimes because certification is things like that. But we forget sometimes that people want to be around people that they liked. And if you're likable, that is you helping you win that popularity.

Ladana Drigo 8:11

It's not even more so like, what can you offer me why should I hire you? Why should I work with you? Why should I renew your contract? why should I stick with you? And I mean, I'm not a shy person. So I would have to say my secret sauce is me. And I feel like anybody that answers that question, should be their secret sauce because there's no other you no matter what skills you have only you can deliver and think the way you can. Yeah, no one can take that from you.

Gresham Harkless 8:38

Absolutely, absolutely. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Ladana Drigo 8:49

I had to learn this one and mine is to delegate. I mean, because for me, you're the chief executive officer, you're not the Chief, do everything be everything to everybody. The acronym isn't that long, three letters. So keep it simple.

Gresham Harkless 9:07

Yeah. And it's all about having those people around you to be able to do that. But as you said, I show within myself to be able to give people the opportunity and also empower them to do that. But you have to give them something to do if you want to do it.

Ladana Drigo 9:19

And I would even say another hack is I hate people around me that just tell me what I want to hear. Because I'm not the type of person if I don't have anything good to say I'm not a quiet person, I get quiet something is off with the energy or I'm trying to understand what it is that you're trying to do, because I don't agree with it. But I'm trying to be diplomatic and understanding because I may not have all the answers. I might have a degree I might have a user experience. But if I'm dealing with a client, for example, they know what they want because they're the person that's running their business. They are their brand.

And if they don't know and then sometimes that's what I encountered. They're trying to figure it out. They're still going through business development, brand development, or artists development. And it's just a matter of being quiet and letting them get that out. But I really don't think that we should have people around us that just tell us what we want to hear, or that that are just like us, because how are you growing? And we also should not always stay in the same area, we should continue our education. And even if it's just going online, and going to the Young Leaders of America network on Facebook, and doing as I did, I did a fundraising little online seminar, I got a certificate at the end, but I learned so much.

Gresham Harkless 10:35

All right, love those CEO hacks. So now I actually wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self

Ladana Drigo 10:46

Stop doing stuff for free, because there's free and there's barter. And I rather barter because I see value in people. And I know the money is going to come I'm not there yet. But I know the money is going to come because of the feedback that I get. And the fact that I hear some clients saying, and I wish I could pay your retainer, I like working with you, you keep it real with me, you're likable, you're funny, or you just say whatever and you crack me up, but you kind of give it to me in a way that I can receive it instead of blocking you out. And I do, don't get me wrong, I do have clients where they're like me, they do a lot of stuff.

And then they want to tell everybody in one elevator pitch everything they do. I'm like, You got to just figure out what you want from that person and pitch that. And sometimes you want to get connected because I had this happen to me. I don't know exactly how I can I hate to use the word use, but it is it you have to be useful, I have to be useful to you. And you have to be useful to meet. Otherwise, what are we doing? So it has to be where you see that there's a use for that person. And then the reciprocation has to be there as well, where you can give something to that person, because if it's one-sided to your user.

Gresham Harkless 10:46

Yeah, I always say that, like you want to try to create as many Win-Win opportunities as possible because you don't well, some people should not just want to be able to take in when it should be like one of those Win-Win opportunities where everybody's kind of getting value.

Ladana Drigo 12:02

Yeah, and especially with a barter, I've learned to kind of put my foot down and say, This is what I need from you versus just going with the flow. That's another thing. And I think you learn that with not just experience but mentors. Like I wish I had had mentors. I tried to seek them out. But every time I would they saw me as competition. And that's how I honestly feel it's like, okay, I'm not even making that much money consulting. Here you are talking about, you're doing PR as well. And you want me to help you when you want to help me how can you help me but still my clients, I really feel like that energy coming off of people. And it's unfortunately, mostly female. Like, I don't get that energy from males, because they're like, I'm good. Like, I'm secure. But I just feel like some females just have insecurities that males don't. Yeah, and it's definitely I know, somebody's gonna be here. I probably do not like it, but this is my opinion.

Gresham Harkless 13:08

Yeah, but this is unfortunate because I would say the good part is that I always say if something's not gonna work out, I'd rather know yesterday than wait till today, so it's greater to get those vibes. Exactly. Then early on. So absolutely love that. Thank you for that CEO nugget. And now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So what does it mean to you,

Ladana Drigo 13:32

For me, CEO means I would say, I'd have to give you several words. It means ownership. It means knowing when to follow versus lead, and then also knowing when to lead. It's balance. And it's also creating jobs. Because if you're a CEO, and as a company of one, my question is, then what are you really doing? I remember I used to attend a church called Destiny, destiny harvest, it's just not called the church. And the slogan was “Never live life alone”. We weren't created to be alone. We don't thrive when we're alone. So then if you're going to start something, then you should not want to do it alone. You should want to do it to better your environment, strengthen your village, feed your kids, and feed your neighbor's kids because it shouldn't be all about you. It's not an army of one. There's no army of one.

Gresham Harkless 14:29

Sometimes you hear this self-made and things like that. But in reality, there were people there was a community there was somebody that did XYZ to help you out in some way, shape, or form or fashion, but it's also good to remember that as well.

Ladana Drigo 14:43

Yeah, the self-made thing is you had a mom and a dad. You were born. They had a moment of exactly they probably had siblings. Every person you encounter affects you. It molds you so I don't see how it can be self-made.

Gresham Harkless 14:59

Exactly, exactly. Yeah, absolutely. Well, Ladana, I truly appreciate your time, what I want to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional, you can let our readers and our listeners know and then how best they can get a hold of you.

Ladana Drigo 15:11

Well, the first thing I'd like for them to do is log on to myfairygodparents.org. And its parents with an S at the end. Once you log on there, you can actually route through our social media. We're on Instagram, we don't tweet as much because we're still building this year is already launched.

So we're really looking for people to partner with us that have the same mentality. Our niche, or what we concentrate on supporting is for our underserved youth and youth with incarcerated parents. That is not the end all be all. Because as I mentioned, first and foremost, we're looking for partners in the community because we curate resources.

Gresham Harkless 15:48

It makes perfect sense. So we'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes as well. But I appreciate your time. Appreciate everything that you're doing as well. You dedicated your energy to it. So I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Ladana Drigo 15:57

Thank you so much.

Outro 15:59

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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