Lessons in Bootstrapping and Lean Startup From a Nonprofit

How Give n' Glow grew -- from a Northeastern University dorm room to a thriving regional charity -- provides lessons for enterprises launching on a shoestring.

Samantha Asprelli’s first headquarters for her nonprofit was her dorm room at Northeastern University.  Her organization, Give n’ Glow, accepts donated beauty products from companies and influencers and distributes them to women in need.  Her first big break came when a makeup company donated 200 jars of face cream; Asprelli had to store the jars in her dorm room.

Since then, Asprelli and her network of volunteers, influencers, and business partners have built Give n’ Glow into a celebrated regional charity, with its own distribution center and support from local organizations. Her story illustrates the power of starting lean, bootstrapping, convincing others to buy into your vision, nurturing relationships with people who can help, and strengthening partnerships and outreach.  

In this interview, Asprelli shares how she built Give n' Glow with little money but lots of commitment from others who shared her goal of giving every woman the confidence that comes from looking her best.  She also talks about the perils of trying to grow too fast, the challenges of raising cash to fund operations, and her system for ensuring that Give n' Glow thrives in the future -- a plan she describes as "focus, systematize, and sustain." Her perspectives can help both nonprofits and new businesses trying to make it on a shoestring.