IAM2452 – Charity Enthusiast Positively Impacts Underserved Youth and Children with Curated Resources
Special Throwback Episode with Ladana Drigo
Ladana Drigo is the founder of My Fairy GodParents, a nonprofit based in the D.C. metro area that supports underserved youth and kids with incarcerated parents.
Her experiences with homelessness, single motherhood, and community support inspired her to create a charitable organization that connects resources to those in need.
Ladana discusses the power of giving, how being authentic opens doors, and why it’s essential to build genuine community — not just as a charity but as a human being.
She emphasizes the value of authenticity in branding and relationships, the importance of community collaboration, and the necessity of balancing leadership with humility.
Furthermore, Ladana blends her entrepreneurial skills and personal drive to uplift others, especially youth navigating difficult circumstances.
Website: My Fairy GodParents
Previous Episode: iam268-charity-enthusiast-positively-impacts-underserved-youth-and-children-with-curated-resources
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Transcription:
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Ladana Drigo Teaser 00:00
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. 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.
Intro 00:24
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?
If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
Gresham Harkless 00:51
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, it's awesome to have you on the show.
Ladana Drigo 01:00
Thank you for having me.
Gresham Harkless 01:02
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.
Ladana Drigo 01:09
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 it just I don't know. I love the name Purple Con. Anything I see with a con, I'm like, oh, a convention.
So I just was like. It piqued my interest and I believe the first thing I did, I went online and I signed up so I could get more information.
And there was like a little 50% off offer. And I was like, look, I'm a consultant right now and I'm not working corporate on the side.
Cause that's how I like to say it. Corporate is a side gig. So I'm not, I'm not in a liberty to pay.
And I just said, you know, 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 is Shelly Bell 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 expect it in return.
[restrict paid=”true”]
Gresham Harkless 02:16
Awesome. Awesome. It's all about energy because whatever you put out is what comes back.
And thank you so much for the volunteering because it's been an awesome conference and convention.
So thank you to Danielle and her team because they're the core staff. Absolutely. So I wanted to ask you for what I call your CEO story.
And this is what you feel is your background. What led you to start your business?
Ladana Drigo 02:37
Well, My Fairy GodParents is an exempt charity organization based in the D.C. metro area.
What led me to start it is actually moving up here. I'm from Dominica, so I'm Caribbean, and I was raised in North Carolina and Guadalupe, which is a French island neighboring Dominica.
And I moved up to the D.C. metro about, I want to say maybe 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 at 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.
Like 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.
She's like, you don't have to pay me any rent. Like she literally was like, I'll give you 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 water and stuff like that.
Cause that's what was going on. So I was like, sometimes divine intervention, right? Right.
I actually had a personal story where I had to send my daughter overseas. Her father's incarcerated.
And before he became incarcerated, we had a rift. We weren't together anyways, but we had a rift and he stopped supporting her.
And then I end up getting evicted, was homeless, living with friends. So I was like, I don't mind me living with friends.
But my mom has a three-bedroom apartment in Guadalupe. I put my daughter on a one-way buddy pass from one of my friends from back when I was with United Air Hairs.
I was like, girl, $100. My mom met her in St. Martin, and she stayed there for, like, 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.
Like, when I got my first apartment up here, which was, like, literally six months when I moved up here.
I was not playing and my godmother's a realtor so she had clients that were moving out moving out of state.
So they sold me their furniture like really cheap some of them was just free there's like just as long as you can pick it up.
And just take it just take it because we don't want to we don't have anywhere to put it and i was just like wow you know like my whole godmother like 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, I am big on like giving and supporting and being like a part of the 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 used the charity as a way to network for sure, but it wasn't my intention to just start a charity because I wanted to network.
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.
We cannot do everything. Right now we're doing a prom project. and it's not gonna 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, more long, of how My Fairy GodParents came about.
It's just someone, like, 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 It's to give.
Gresham Harkless 06:16
Yeah, that's what I always say. A giver's gain. And a lot of times, like we 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.
Ladana Drigo 06:28
In the sense of the community.
Gresham Harkless 06:29
Yeah, it's not just a word. It's something in what the actions that people are 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 it can be for your organization.
Ladana Drigo 06:42
I think it kind of blends because I'm the type of person and with the clients that I have that I 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 got him callbacks.
Because they remember, they're like, we got to be with you, like, how many hours of the day?
Because when you work, especially, like, I've done some acting, like, that's my little passion.
If I could be the next Angelina Jolie or whatever, Angela Bassett, that would be awesome for me.
I'll still have my businesses and my charity, but I'm definitely, like, the acting type.
But I was just like, oh my gosh, I want to make sure that you, well, for me, 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 like, it is people do business with who they like.
And then after that comes, are you qualified? Because you could be the best candidate, the most knowledgeable, but a serial A-hole.
And they will go hire the next best thing because they don't want to deal with a serial a-hole 24 hours for whatever, length of the project. You have to be likable and it has to be genuine.
Gresham Harkless 08:02
Yeah. It's so funny is 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 X, Y, and Z, but you're likable.
Are you coachable? Do you have energy? Do you want to work? Things like that. It's like, it's crazy because so many people, sometimes we get so focused on the how, which is definitely important sometimes, the certifications, things like that.
But we forget sometimes that people want to be around people that they like. And if you're likable, that is helping you win that popularity contest.
Ladana Drigo 08:35
Yeah. It's not, it's not even more so like, what can you offer me is 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 like a shy person.
So I would have to say my secret sauce is me. And I feel like anybody that answers that question, they 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 09:02
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 09:13
I had to learn this one. Mines is 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. It's three letters. So keep it simple.
Gresham Harkless 09:30
Yeah, and it's all about having those people around you to be able to do that. But like you said, I struggle with it myself to being 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 them to do it.
Ladana Drigo 09:44
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 that 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 like diplomatic and understanding because I may not have all the answers.
I might have a degree. I might have the years of 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 sometimes that's what I encounter, they're trying to figure it out.
They're still going through business development or brand development or artist development.
And it's just a matter of just kind of, you know, being quiet and letting them get that out.
I really don't think that we should have people around us that just tell us what we want to hear or 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 Young Leaders of America Network on Facebook and doing like I did, I did a fundraising little online seminar. I got a certificate at the end. But I learned so much.
Gresham Harkless 10:59
Right. Love those CEO nuggets and CEO hacks. So 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 hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?
Ladana Drigo 11:13
Stop doing stuff for free. Because there's free and there's barter. And I'd rather barter.
Because I see value in people. And I know the money's gonna come. I'm not there yet, but I know the money's gonna come because of the feedback that I get.
And the fact that I hear some clients say, man, I wish I could pay your retainer. Like, I like working with you.
You keep it real with me. You're likeable, 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, like, 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 may know you wanna get connected, cause that's happened to me.
I don't know exactly how I can, I hate to use the word use, but it is, you have to be useful.
I have to be useful to you, and you have to be useful to me. 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, then you're a user.
Gresham Harkless 12:26
Yeah. 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 and win.
It should be like one of those win-win opportunities where everybody's kind of getting value.
Ladana Drigo 12:40
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, OK, 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, and you want to help me.
How can you help me but steal my clients? I really feel like that energy coming off of people, and it's unfortunately mostly female.
I don't get that energy from males, because they're like, I'm good, I'm secure. But I just feel like some females just have insecurities that males don't.
And I know somebody's going to hear this and probably not like it. This is my opinion and opinions are like air holes.
Gresham Harkless 13:31
Everybody has one, right? Yeah, but this is unfortunate because, but I would say the good part is that I always say if something's not going to work out, I'd rather know yesterday than wait till today.
So it's greater to get those vibes early on. Yeah, exactly. Then early on. So, absolutely love that.
Thank you for that CEO nugget. And now I wanted 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 13:56
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 it's a company of one, my question is then, what are you really doing?
I feel like we… I remember I used to attend a church called Destiny. Destiny Harvest is just now called Destiny Church.
And the slogan was, never do 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, feed your neighbor's kids, because it shouldn't be all about you. There's no army of one.
Gresham Harkless 14:53
Sometimes you hear this self-made and things like that. But in reality, there was people.
There was a community. There was somebody that did X, Y, and Z to help you out in some way, shape, or form, or fashion. But it's also good to remember that as well.
Ladana Drigo 15:07
Yeah, the self-made thing is like, you had a mom and a dad.
Gresham Harkless 15:11
Yeah, you were born.
Ladana Drigo 15:13
They had a mom and a dad.
Gresham Harkless 15:14
Exactly.
Ladana Drigo 15:15
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 15:24
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 15:35
Well, the first thing I'd like for them to do is log on to MyFairyGodParents.org and it's 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's our relaunch, 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 or are 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 16:13
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 and dedicating your energy to it. So I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
Ladana Drigo 16:22
Thank you so much.
Outro 16:23
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.
Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at CEOhacks.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.
Ladana Drigo
00:00 - 00:22
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. 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.
Intro
00:24 - 00:50
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.
Gresham Harkless
00:51 - 01:08
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 LaDonna Drigo of My Fairy Godparents. LaDonna, it's awesome to have you on the show. Thank you for having me. 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.
Ladana Drigo
01:09 - 01:38
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 it just I don't know. I love the name Purple Con. Anything I see with a con, I'm like, oh, a convention. So I just was like. You know, it piqued my interest and I believe the first thing I did, I went online and I signed up so I could get more information. And there was like a little 50% off offer. And I was like, look, I'm a consultant right now and I'm not working corporate on the side.
Ladana Drigo
01:38 - 01:40
Cause that's how I like to say it. Corporate is a side gig.
Gresham Harkless
01:40 - 01:41
So
Ladana Drigo
01:41 - 02:07
I'm not, I'm not in a liberty to pay. And I just said, you know, I'm willing to volunteer my time. I just want to, you know, be there and take advantage of, you know, learning from the speakers that you guys have, because the main person that drew my attention is Shelly Bell and I've been trying to connect with her. And I'm big on if you're trying to connect with someone, you know, 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 RebelCon.
Ladana Drigo
02:07 - 02:16
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 expect it in return.
Gresham Harkless
02:16 - 02:37
Awesome. Awesome. It's all about energy because whatever you put out is what comes back. And thank you so much for the volunteering because it's been an awesome conference and convention. So thank you to Danielle and her team because they're the core staff. Absolutely. So I wanted to ask you for what I call your CEO story. And this is what you feel is your background. What led you to start your business?
Ladana Drigo
02:37 - 03:08
Well, my Fairy Godparents is an exempt charity organization based in the D.C. metro area. What led me to start it is actually moving up here. I'm from Dominica, so I'm Caribbean, and I was raised in North Carolina and Guadalupe, which is a French island neighboring Dominica. And I moved up to the D.C. metro about, I want to say maybe 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.
Ladana Drigo
03:09 - 03:29
I was actually on my way up to New York and then Hurricane Sandy happened and I had already resigned at 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. Like 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.
Intro
03:30 - 03:30
She's like, you
Ladana Drigo
03:30 - 03:31
don't have to pay me any rent.
Intro
03:31 - 03:32
Like she literally was like,
Ladana Drigo
03:33 - 04:01
I'll give you 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 water and stuff like that. Cause that's what was going on. So I was like, you know, sometimes divine intervention, right? Right. I actually had a personal story where I had to send my daughter overseas. Her father's 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, was homeless, living with friends.
Ladana Drigo
04:01 - 04:13
So I was like, you know, I don't mind me living with friends. but my mom has a three-bedroom apartment in Guadalupe. I put my daughter on a one-way buddy pass from one of my friends from back when I was with United
Intro
04:13 - 04:13
Air
Ladana Drigo
04:13 - 05:04
Hairs. I was like, girl, $100. My mom met her in St. Martin, and she stayed there for, like, 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, like, when I got my first apartment up here, which was, like, literally six months when I moved up here. I was not playing. and my godmother's a realtor so she had clients that were moving out moving out of state so they sold me their furniture like really cheap some of them was just free there's like just as long as you can pick it up and just take it just take it because we don't want to we don't have anywhere to put it and i was just like wow you know like my whole godmother like 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.
Ladana Drigo
05:04 - 05:33
And then I also looked at it like, you know, I am big on like giving and supporting and being like a part of the 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 used the charity as a way to network for sure, but it wasn't my intention to just start a charity because I wanted to network. 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.
Ladana Drigo
05:33 - 06:03
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. We cannot do everything. Right now we're doing a prom project. and it's not gonna 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, more long, of how My Fairy Godparents came about. It's just someone, you know, like, I didn't even mention my primary business, because I feel like it's not really the thing.
Ladana Drigo
06:04 - 06:15
Like, I want to really focus on highlighting the charity. But, you know, 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 It's to give.
Gresham Harkless
06:16 - 06:28
Yeah, that's what I always say. A giver's gain. And a lot of times, like we mentioned before, you know, 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, you know, godparents. And definitely. In the sense
Ladana Drigo
06:28 - 06:29
of
Gresham Harkless
06:29 - 06:42
the community. Yeah, it's not just a word. It's something in what the actions that people are 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 it can be for your organization.
Ladana Drigo
06:42 - 07:10
I think it kind of blends because I'm the type of person and with the clients that I have that I, you know, 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 got him callbacks. Because they remember, they're like, we got to be with you, like, how many
Intro
07:10 - 07:10
hours of the day?
Ladana Drigo
07:10 - 07:11
Because,
Gresham Harkless
07:11 - 07:11
you know,
Ladana Drigo
07:11 - 07:17
when you work, especially, like, I've done some acting, like, that's my little passion. If I could be the next Angelina Jolie or whatever,
Gresham Harkless
07:17 - 07:18
Angela
Ladana Drigo
07:18 - 07:19
Bassett, that would be awesome
Gresham Harkless
07:19 - 07:19
for me.
Ladana Drigo
07:19 - 07:24
I'll still have my businesses and my charity, but I'm definitely, like, the acting type.
Gresham Harkless
07:24 - 07:24
But
Ladana Drigo
07:25 - 07:54
I was just like, oh my gosh, I want to make sure that you, well, for me, 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 like, it is people do business with who they like. And then after that comes, are you qualified? Because you could be the best candidate, the most knowledgeable, but a serial A-hole. And they will go hire the next best thing because
Gresham Harkless
07:54 - 07:54
they don't want
Ladana Drigo
07:54 - 08:02
to deal with a serial a-hole 24 hours for whatever, you know, length of the project. You have to be likable and it has to be genuine.
Gresham Harkless
08:02 - 08:13
Yeah. You know, it's so funny is because a lot of times, even like when you're hiring, you know, 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 X, Y,
Intro
08:13 - 08:13
and Z,
Gresham Harkless
08:13 - 08:15
but you're likable. Are you coachable?
Intro
08:15 - 08:15
Do
Gresham Harkless
08:15 - 08:16
you
Intro
08:16 - 08:16
have
Gresham Harkless
08:16 - 08:24
energy? Do you want to work? Things like that. It's like, it's crazy because so many people, you know, sometimes we get so focused on the how,
Intro
08:24 - 08:24
which is
Gresham Harkless
08:24 - 08:35
definitely important sometimes, the certifications, things like that. But we forget sometimes that people want to be around people that they like. And if you're likable, that is, you know, helping you win that popularity contest. Yeah. It's
Ladana Drigo
08:35 - 08:40
not, it's not even more so like, what can you offer me is why should I hire you? Why should I work with you?
Gresham Harkless
08:41 - 08:41
Why
Ladana Drigo
08:41 - 08:54
should I renew your contract? You know, why should I stick with you? And I mean, I'm not like a shy person. So I would have to say my secret sauce is me. And I feel like anybody that answers that question, they should be their secret sauce
Intro
08:54 - 08:55
because there's no
Ladana Drigo
08:55 - 09:02
other you. No matter what skills you have, only you can deliver and think the way you can. Yeah, no one can take
Gresham Harkless
09:02 - 09:13
that from you. 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
09:13 - 09:27
I had to learn this one. Mines is 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.
Gresham Harkless
09:27 - 09:28
It's
Ladana Drigo
09:28 - 09:30
three letters. So keep it
Gresham Harkless
09:30 - 09:44
simple. Yeah, and it's all about having those people around you to be able to do that. But like you said, I struggle with it myself to being 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 them to do it. And I would
Ladana Drigo
09:44 - 09:48
even say another hack is I hate people around me that just tell me what I want to hear.
Gresham Harkless
09:48 - 09:49
Because
Ladana Drigo
09:49 - 10:01
I'm not that 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
Intro
10:01 - 10:02
to
Ladana Drigo
10:02 - 10:33
be like diplomatic and understanding because I may not have all the answers. I might have a degree. I might have the years of experience. But if I'm dealing with a client, for example, they know what they want because they're the person that's you know, running their business, they are their brand. And if they don't know, and sometimes that's what I encounter, they're trying to figure it out. They're still going through business development or brand development or artist development. And it's just a matter of just kind of, you know, being quiet and letting them get that out.
Ladana Drigo
10:33 - 10:59
I really don't think that we should have people around us that just tell us what we want to hear or 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 Young Leaders of America Network on Facebook and doing like I did, I did a fundraising little online seminar. I got a certificate at the end. But I learned so much.
Gresham Harkless
10:59 - 11:12
Right. Love those CEO nuggets and CEO hacks. So 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 hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self? Stop doing stuff for free.
Ladana Drigo
11:13 - 11:47
Because there's free and there's barter. And I'd rather barter. Because I see value in people. And I know the money's gonna come. I'm not there yet, but I know the money's gonna come because of the feedback that I get. And the fact that I hear some clients say, man, I wish I could pay your retainer. Like, you know, I like working with you. You know, you keep it real with me. You know, you're... you're likeable, you're funny, or you just say whatever and you crack me up, you know? But you kind of give it to me in a way that I can receive it instead of blocking you out.
Ladana Drigo
11:47 - 12:13
And I do, don't get me wrong, I do have clients where, like, 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 may know you wanna get connected, cause that's happened to me. I don't know exactly how I can, I hate to use the word use, but it is, you have to be useful. I have to be useful to you, and you have to be useful to me.
Ladana Drigo
12:13 - 12:26
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, then you're a user.
Gresham Harkless
12:26 - 12:39
Yeah. 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 and win. It should be like one of those win-win opportunities where everybody's kind of getting value.
Ladana Drigo
12:40 - 13:09
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, OK, 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, and you want to help me.
Ladana Drigo
13:09 - 13:23
How can you help me but steal my clients? I really feel like that energy coming off of people, and it's unfortunately mostly female. I don't get that energy from males, because they're like, I'm good, I'm secure. But I just feel like some females just have insecurities that males
Gresham Harkless
13:23 - 13:25
don't. And I know
Ladana Drigo
13:25 - 13:27
somebody's going to hear this and probably not like it.
Gresham Harkless
13:27 - 13:28
This is
Ladana Drigo
13:28 - 13:29
my opinion
Gresham Harkless
13:29 - 13:29
and
Ladana Drigo
13:29 - 13:31
opinions are like air holes.
Gresham Harkless
13:31 - 13:40
Everybody has one, right? Yeah, but this is unfortunate because, but I would say the good part is that I always say if something's not going to work out, I'd rather know yesterday than wait till
Intro
13:40 - 13:43
today. So it's greater to get those vibes early on. Yeah,
Gresham Harkless
13:43 - 13:44
exactly.
Intro
13:44 - 13:44
Then
Gresham Harkless
13:44 - 13:56
early on. So, um, absolutely love that. Thank you for that CEO nugget. And now I wanted 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
13:56 - 14:35
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 it's a company of one, my question is then, what are you really doing? I feel like we... I remember I used to attend a church called Destiny. Destiny Harvest is just now called Destiny Church. And the slogan was, never do life alone. We weren't created to be alone. We don't thrive when we're alone.
Ladana Drigo
14:36 - 14:53
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, feed your neighbor's kids, because it shouldn't be all about you. There's no army
Gresham Harkless
14:53 - 15:07
of one. Sometimes you hear this self-made and things like that. But in reality, there was people. There was a community. There was somebody that did X, Y, and Z to help you out in some way, shape, or form, or fashion. But it's also good to remember that as well.
Ladana Drigo
15:07 - 15:11
Yeah, the self-made thing is like, you had a mom and a dad.
Gresham Harkless
15:11 - 15:12
Yeah, you were born.
Ladana Drigo
15:13 - 15:14
They had a mom and
Gresham Harkless
15:14 - 15:14
a dad. Exactly.
Ladana Drigo
15:15 - 15:23
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
15:24 - 15:35
Exactly, exactly. Yeah, absolutely. Well, LaDonna, 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
Ladana Drigo
15:35 - 16:12
you. Well, the first thing I'd like for them to do is log on to MyFairyGodParents.org and it's 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's our relaunch, 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 or are 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
16:13 - 16:22
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 and dedicating your energy to it. So I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
Ladana Drigo
16:22 - 16:22
Thank you
Gresham Harkless
16:22 - 16:22
so much.
Intro
16:23 - 16:53
Thank you for listening to the IMCEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at imceo.co. IMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at ceohacks.co. This has been the IMCEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.
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