This Aspect 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 Individuals, which offers refurbished computer systems to folks in want. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Computer systems 4 Individuals
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 mates, simply as a enjoyable interest. We might take the PATH prepare from Hoboken after which skate from thrift retailer to thrift retailer, typically hitting three or extra in a single day. At these retailers, we would sift via piles of outdated electronics, attempting to find hidden gems. After we discovered one thing beneficial, we would negotiate laborious 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 bought the computer systems again, we would clear them up, repair them and promote them on Fb Market or eBay. Earlier than lengthy, this interest become an actual enterprise. At one level, my total bed room was stuffed with random desktops and Apple PowerBooks. The margins had been insane, typically as excessive as 80%!
What had been a number 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 potential for me to begin my facet hustle was getting access to a laptop computer and the web once I was in center college. I might spend hours watching YouTube tutorials on refurbish computer systems and studying the ins and outs of ecommerce platforms, which helped me attain a whole bunch of consumers, all from my bed room.
However as I bought 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 corporations who had no thought get rid of them correctly. On the identical time, I noticed simply how many individuals on this planet (2.6 billion to be actual) haven’t got entry to the digital world. That is when the concept for Computer systems 4 Individuals hit me.
I made a decision to show what I might discovered right into a nonprofit. Utilizing on-line tutorials, I found out incorporate, file for 501(c)(3) standing, create bylaws and get all the things up and working. The plan was easy: Accumulate used computer systems from people and corporations, 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 had been a number of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing Computer systems 4 Individuals, and the way did you navigate them?One of many hardest challenges was ensuring Computer systems 4 Individuals might run sustainably with out me. Balancing college with working the nonprofit taught me that there is actually no such factor as steadiness; you simply need to make it work. Many individuals assumed Computer systems 4 Individuals would disintegrate as soon as I went to school, as most small initiatives like this do. To show them flawed, I centered on making a strong construction the place obligations like accounting, HR and program administration had 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 satisfy the overwhelming demand for our companies. With a whole bunch 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 number of the largest Fortune 100 and 500 firms to gather their used computer systems, guaranteeing we are able to proceed successfully bridging the digital divide.
What do the group’s development and success metrics appear like immediately? So far, now we have donated 3,668 computer systems to people in want, diverting over 55,000 kilos of digital waste from landfills. Our applications have empowered 1000’s to entry training, safe employment and thrive within the digital world. We have raised over $1.6 million via awarded grants and donations, permitting us to scale quickly and develop our crew 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 like fixing robust issues, constructing expertise to streamline processes and dealing with a crew of mission-driven folks all centered on the identical objective. It is also extremely rewarding to obtain messages on daily basis in regards to the life-changing impacts of our applications and to see these outcomes mirrored in our knowledge.
What’s your recommendation for others hoping to begin 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 constructive for the world, particularly within the nonprofit house. At first, do not depend on others to deal with the necessities. Discover ways to handle incorporation, taxes, accounting, operations, expertise, HR and organising a board of administrators your self. It’s important to grasp your online business and trade in and out. After you have a strong basis, construct a crew 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 rapidly and maintain shifting ahead.
This text is a part of our ongoing Younger Entrepreneur® collection highlighting the tales, challenges and triumphs of being a younger enterprise proprietor.
