Meet Yolanda Wright | Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yolanda Wright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yolanda, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
I am an avid book reader and am currently reading “The Non Nonprofit” by Steve Rothschild. I was drawn to this book because of the title. My initial reaction was, ‘What do you mean, a non nonprofit? Isn’t that an oxymoron?” But as I got into the book, it really resonated with me because it described the model I’ve always believed in and wanted my business to operate by. As the founder of a non-profit, I often struggle with the mindset others have around me that my business entity needs to survive off of the donations of others. Don’t get me wrong, we value the donations that have generously been given to us. They have helped us tremendously through challenging periods. In addition to the financial assistance, these donations are statements of validation. The donors are saying to us, “We believe in and support what you are doing.” That means so much to me personally, because there are days when you question the value of what you are doing. Yet at the same time, I believe enough in the service we provide to know that it can be financially self-sustaining. And that is the message behind this book. It describes how and why this business model works with real-world examples. As the CEO of a non-profit that does not see this model around me very often, this book has been a valuable resource.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I was that mom who desperately wanted my son to experience real-world opportunities to grow academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. As an entrepreneur, I am so excited to offer a service that empowers other students to do that. Yes, our focus is providing public speaking programs for students. But more than that, I see our organization as a vehicle. Perhaps you can compare us to a car designed by adults for students.

Car manufacturers understand the standard requirements to build and export cars. They also work with vendors to offer unique packages and features, allowing the car to operate optimally. These manufacturers provide safety features and ongoing support to ensure the vehicle’s safe operation. That is what we do. While we began primarily as a public speaking organization, we are evolving into an empowerment vehicle for students, and I am so excited about that. For example, I recently turned down an opportunity to present our program at a particular facility because we did not feel it would be in the best interest of the students working as interns. Yes, as an organization, we would have profited from it financially. However, the program’s implementation, as the facility was requesting, would not have been helpful for the interns working at that particular facility. One of our goals is to create opportunities for our students, not hardships.

Furthermore, our empowerment package with our vehicle includes internship programs, technologies in the form of an app we are developing, positions within the organization, and community partnerships. Under the guidance of adults, this package exposes, trains, develops, and connects students to experiences that grow and empower them. I am so excited about this.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
DAY ONE: Go for a walk along the Atlanta Beltline. Visit the cool shops, antique stores, and boutiques along the way. Stop at the Krog Street Market and treat ourselves to ice cream at Jeni’s Ice Cream to cool off. Get back on the beltline and stroll past the different parks. Stop at the Ponce City Market (which is a much bigger market) to shop around and get lunch. Return to the beltline and walk a few more miles to arrive at Piedmont Park. From there, we could roam around and sample products from the vendors that are there promoting their businesses. We could watch people playing games in the park. And if a festival is happening (and there often is), we could find a big shady tree, set up a chair or blanket, and enjoy the festival and the music. They often have local artists performing there. Then we’d go back home.

DAY TWO
If they visit during the Spring or Summer, we will go to Atlantic Station for movie nights called “Screens on the Green”. We would grab our own food, take a blanket, and find a nice cozy spot on the green. There we would lay out the blanket to enjoy our food. The movie starts at dusk, and we’d enjoy it and our meal under the open sky. We’d have a good time, and after it was over, pack up to go home to prepare for the next day.

DAY THREE
Who doesn’t like to go shopping, especially when you’re visiting from out of town? This would be a great day to take a shopping trip to one of the outlet malls like Tanger Outlets. We would spend the whole day shopping, grab lunch, and then head home.

DAY FOUR
Catch a movie day. Plan a visit to Phipps Plaza. Stop first to have sushi because there are some great sushi restaurants in that area. Then we’d head out to the theatre. Phipps has a very nice theater, and it is next door to Lennox Mall, where we would do more shopping.

DAY FIVE
Check out the local farmer’s markets and fresh vendors. There are plenty of specialty jams, barbeque sauces, and novelty items here in Georgia. There is also our famous peach blueberry jam from homegrown Georgia peaches. These items can easily be packed in your luggage for that flight home. And once you get home, you can continue to enjoy the flavors of the South. This fifth day would be dedicated to visiting the fresh open-air farmer’s markets. These markets always have some live entertainment there. Some of them offer tastings from local restaurants that are trying to get exposure. We’d spend the day exploring the markets, finding novelty items, taste testing, and enjoying whatever live entertainment being offered.

DAY SIX
Indoor rock climbing. It is a good workout. From there, we’d rest by sitting down for dinner at a restaurant like Teds Montana Grill for a good protein boost. Teds Montana has good bites and burgers. Then we’d head back home.

DAY SEVEN
Rest and recovery day. We would spend this day binge-watching tv shows or movies, eating snacks, talking about the week, and just hanging out. It would be a low-key day for relaxing before getting on a plane and flying out of town the next day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of “players” in my story who had significant roles in inspiring and supporting me to reach this point in my professional career. These people include fellow non-profit and for-profit entrepreneurs who stayed the course and showed me how they did it. It includes family and loved ones who helped me find clarity as I wrestled with the decision to own a business. And they include mentors like Freddie Allen of MRD Consultants and Shelia Waters of A Royal Affair (Miami, Florida), who helped me divide my personal self from my professional self (which can sometimes be hard to do). But if I were to sum it all up and give credit to one particular person, it would have to be God. He started working on me long before I recognized this desire. He was working on me long before I realized my specific skill or ability. And he was the one working on me when I initially rejected the idea of launching this business. He orchestrated all the significant “players” in my life who taught, inspired, and supported me. I have to give a shoutout to Him!

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