This Facet Hustle Highlight Q&A options Dylan Zajac, 21, a senior at Babson School. At 15, Zajac had a facet hustle thrifting and fixing computer systems. The gig impressed Zajac to discovered his nonprofit Computer systems 4 Folks, which supplies refurbished computer systems to folks in want. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Computer systems 4 Folks
When did you begin your facet hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
I began out by going to thrift shops round Brooklyn, New York, with my highschool pals, simply as a enjoyable pastime. We might take the PATH practice from Hoboken after which skate from thrift retailer to thrift retailer, typically hitting three or extra in a single day. At these retailers, we might sift by piles of outdated electronics, attempting to find hidden gems. After we discovered one thing worthwhile, we might negotiate exhausting to get a deal. Some days we purchased so many computer systems we needed to stack them on our skateboards to roll them house.
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As soon as we received the computer systems again, we might clear them up, repair them and promote them on Fb Market or eBay. Earlier than lengthy, this pastime was an actual enterprise. At one level, my whole bed room was crammed with random desktops and Apple PowerBooks. The margins have been insane, generally as excessive as 80%!
What have been a few of the first steps you took to get your facet hustle off the bottom? How did it evolve into the nonprofit you run now?
One of many key issues that made it attainable for me to start out my facet hustle was getting access to a laptop computer and the web once I was in center college. I would spend hours watching YouTube tutorials on easy methods to refurbish computer systems and studying the ins and outs of ecommerce platforms, which helped me attain a whole lot of consumers, all from my bed room.
However as I received deeper into this, I began noticing an enormous downside. On my journeys to Brooklyn, I noticed mountains of e-waste — computer systems tossed away by folks and firms who had no concept easy methods to get rid of them correctly. On the similar time, I noticed simply how many individuals on this planet (2.6 billion to be precise) haven’t got entry to the digital world. That is when the thought for Computer systems 4 Folks hit me.
I made a decision to show what I would realized right into a nonprofit. Utilizing on-line tutorials, I found out easy methods to incorporate, file for 501(c)(3) standing, create bylaws and get every part up and operating. The plan was easy: Acquire used computer systems from people and firms, refurbish them and donate them to folks and organizations in want. In February 2019, as a 15-year-old highschool sophomore, I formally started my mission to remove the digital divide. I have been at it ever since.
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What have been a few of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing Computer systems 4 Folks, and the way did you navigate them?
One of many hardest challenges was ensuring Computer systems 4 Folks may run sustainably with out me. Balancing college with operating the nonprofit taught me that there is actually no such factor as stability; you simply must make it work. Many individuals assumed Computer systems 4 Folks would crumble as soon as I went to varsity, as most small initiatives like this do. To show them fallacious, I targeted on making a stable construction the place duties like accounting, HR and program administration have been clearly outlined. I constructed proprietary methods to automate stock, shopper administration, donor administration and federal/state grant reporting, which helped us scale and run effectively.
Securing sufficient funding and laptop donations stays an ongoing problem as we work to fulfill the overwhelming demand for our providers. With a whole lot of people on our ready record, the necessity typically outpaces provide. To deal with this, we have been diversifying our funding sources, leveraging authorities grants, basis grants, particular person giving and earned income. Moreover, we’re partnering with a few of the largest Fortune 100 and 500 firms to gather their used computer systems, making certain we will proceed successfully bridging the digital divide.
What do the group’s development and success metrics appear to be at this time?
To this point, we’ve donated 3,668 computer systems to people in want, diverting over 55,000 kilos of digital waste from landfills. Our applications have empowered hundreds to entry training, safe employment and thrive within the digital world. We have raised over $1.6 million by awarded grants and donations, permitting us to scale quickly and develop our group to over a dozen full-time employees members.
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What do you take pleasure in most about engaged on this nonprofit?
I really like fixing robust issues, constructing know-how to streamline processes and dealing with a group of mission-driven folks all targeted on the identical objective. It is also extremely rewarding to obtain messages every single day in regards to the life-changing impacts of our applications and to see these outcomes mirrored in our information.
What’s your recommendation for others hoping to start out a company that makes an impression?
Let group insights drive your options; do not begin one thing simply because it appears impactful. Guarantee your efforts create a internet optimistic for the world, particularly within the nonprofit area. At first, do not depend on others to deal with the necessities. Learn to handle incorporation, taxes, accounting, operations, know-how, HR and establishing a board of administrators your self. It’s important to know what you are promoting and trade inside and outside. After you have a stable basis, construct a group that enhances your expertise and contains individuals who excel in areas like fundraising, accrual accounting or group. Lastly, do not overthink each step: Act quick, make selections shortly and maintain transferring ahead.
This text is a part of our ongoing Younger Entrepreneur® collection highlighting the tales, challenges and triumphs of being a younger enterprise proprietor.
