Dress for Success Founder Inspires Us to Just Do Something

While we love a good celebrity interview as much as the next gal and have been known to peruse People Mag a time or twelve-thousand, it occasionally irks us that so much adoration is poured upon actors and so little attention is paid to those people who dedicate their lives to philanthropic efforts.  To help you identify someone to look up to besides the Real Housewives of wherever, we interviewed Dress for Success Founder and current Do Something CEO Nancy Lublin for her thoughts on how she’s accomplished what she has, and how you can do the same.  Prepare to be truly inspired (by something other than Pinterest) for once! 

BGG: We read that you started Dress for Success using a $5,000 inheritance at the age of 23, which we find so inspiring. Could you tell us a little more about the organization, and how it began?

NL: I hated law school. I was miserable. One day I came home to find a $5k check in the mailbox made out to me. It was from the estate of my great-grandfather, who was the "American Dream" character in my family, coming here from Poland with nothing.  It was so strange to get a windfall from his death. I hadn't earned that money. Holding the check in my hands in that first minute in the elevator, I had the idea for Dress for Success.  The next day I went to school and asked a professor how to get started -- he directed me to Sister Mary Nerney.  A few weeks later, I sat around a small conference table in Spanish Harlem with three nuns and we gave birth to Dress for Success together. 

BGG: Since taking over as CEO of Do Something, you have completely turned around the organization. How did you initially get involved, and what is your vision for its future?

NL: I left Dress for Success because I think it's what founders ought to do: build things that are sustainable and then move on. I had no idea what I'd do next. It was like stepping off of a flat Earth. When I came to Do Something, it was a mess. There was $75k in the bank and the organizaiont had just laid off 21 out of 22 people.  There wasn't even an office -- everything was in boxes in storage in Queens...and that excited me.  It was like a ficus plant where all the leaves were gone but the roots were still good. 

BGG: A lot of people feel like they can’t make a difference because they’re too busy or don’t have enough money. What would you suggest as the best ways to make your contribution count for those who are short on time and/or funds?

NL:  What talents or assets do you have right now? Are you a great baker? Do you play piano? Offer to teach a cooking class at a school or play piano in a senior center. It doesn't take time or money to have an impact -- it just requires you to take action. 

BGG: In your career, you must have helped countless people. How has that affected you on a personal level?

NL: I have learned more from the clients at Dress for Success and the kids I meet at Do Something than any professor ever taught me sitting in class.

BGG: We were really inspired by your book Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, which we found particularly relevant as we try to build our own company on a dime (and seeing as Broke Girl’s Guide is all about making the most of what you have!). Are there any takeaways from your book that you feel people can apply to their everyday lives, even when they aren’t running a company?

NL: Money can make a company -- or an individual -- less innovative and lazy.  Some of the best meals, best furniture, and most fun evenings are created with duct tape, noodles, and your own two feet. Never forget that. 

BGG: What advice do you have for young people who are thinking about pursuing a career in philanthropy?

NL: Skip graduate school. Don't write a business plan. Don't ask for permission. Go make a difference right now. (I mean it. Stop reading and go do something.)

BGG: Has philanthropy always been a driving force in your life, and have you always known you would work in the field?

NL: When I was in preschool, a boy (named Seth Kosto) declared all the purple crayons to be a "boy color." He said girls couldn't use them. I was mortified as purple was my favorite color. I grabbed magenta, lavender, aubergine, and every other purple-ish color and ran around the room screaming "I've got the purple!" Liberating those crayons was my first activist campaign. It's who I am.

BGG: Who are some of the heroes or role models you personally look to for inspiration?

NL: Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire!