Shreya Bhargava is a local neighbor to us here in Washington D.C. and has started an incredible cause to help the homeless community.
It is a nonprofit called District Mugs.
District Mugs introduces entrepreneurship to the homeless and low-income individuals in D.C. by teaching the homeless and low-income participants how to paint, market, and sell coffee mugs.
Their mission is to empower economically disadvantaged segments of our population by providing them with the opportunity to earn a small income while learning transferable skills.
Shreya, it is an honor to have you on the show, welcome!
[2:40] Tell us a little about yourself.
· Grew up in India
· Loads of people struggled to make ends meet
· Studied economics at Brown University
· Been volunteering in a shelter for the last year and started District Mugs shortly thereafter
· Helped over 20 people today
[4:2] What is the difference between a nonprofit business and a “regular” business?
· Purpose ownership & public support are the indicators
· The mission is to benefit society and not to make profits
· Public ownership – no one person holds all the ownership
· Income must never be distributed to any owners
[5:23] How did the idea for District Mugs occur?
· When working at the shelter, realized there was a massive gap between the services and what people actually needed
· Identified a serious gap to get these people employed by providing transferrable skills
· The goal is to teach entrepreneurship and business skills, the mugs are a byproduct.
[7:7] What are the main obstacles that stand between you and your mission, and how do you plan to overcome them?
· Time – relies on passionate volunteers, people are working free of cost
· Transient homeless individuals- need to incentivize people to come to class & get them paid faster
[8:52] What is a long term goal you have for District Mugs?
· Help participants run their own successful businesses
· 2 people currently selling on Etsy, another person at the Eastern Market
· Goals is to help people learn knowledge on business so they can start their own businesses
· Provide a full time income
[9:55] How has the company changed over time?
· Started really small scale, the idea has evolved significantly from creating mugs to entrepreneurship.
· Popup sales have worked great lately
· Great support from the DC community
· Frugal innovation- producing goods and services with as little cost as possible
[11:51] Where does most of your funding come from?
· Started with a $800 donation from a corporate donation
· Actively participating to get grants and donations
· Recently won the Beacon DC grant.
[12:51] What percentage of your budget comes from private donations, and what do private donations help you to do that your other sources of funding don’t cover?
· 80% grants from corporate donations
· 20% private donations from website or mug sales
[14:19] Do you meet at the same location every month?
· Columbia Heights in DC
· Meet on Thursdays
· Professional art teachers provide lessons
· Business workshop after the painting
· Working on getting more locations
[15:36] If I wanted to get to know the organization better, what are the best ways to learn more? Are you accepting new employees/ volunteers?
· Website: districtmugs.org
· Facebook
· Instagram
· Email: [email protected]
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Value Link Round
[17:14] Why do you think that people fail at achieving their dreams?
· It takes persistence and dedication, don’t give up!
· People are not organized enough, work and life.
[18:0] What other books or podcasts can you recommend?
· Ted Talks: How great leaders inspire action and why good leaders make you feel safe
· Ted Talks: Creative problem solving in the face of extreme limits
· Book: Pivot by Jenny Blake
· Book: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
[19:17] What is the best advice someone has ever given you?
· Being confident in my own abilities
[20:29] What is a quote that you try to live by?
· “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Einstein
