What does it take to start and sustain an impactful charity like SKI Charities? Between start-up challenges to growing pains, it’s easier said than done. In the past year, our founder Shyam K. Iyer has been asked this very question many times—here are some of his best answers:
On starting a business on a budget:
“The key to start-up success is involving like-minded individuals to both finance and operate the organization. Then I hired and gave increasing responsibility to staff and beneficiaries from the community being served.”
Read the full story on opploans.com.
On the definition of success:
“Success is a balanced focus on people, returns, and the environment. Everything that makes and sustains a community, from within the community. People are the most important aspect.”
Read the full story on upjourney.com.
On more socially-conscious business trips:
“A common mistake many people make is to ignore or shy away from the importance of social customs overseas. Be open to accept hospitality and engage with respect and patience and understanding of the challenges inherent to life in their country. Try the local food, seek out conversations with varying members of the community, and take the time to sit and listen.”
Read the full story on fitsmallbusiness.com.
On the spillover effects of empowering women:
“Study after study has backed up women’s reliability as beneficiaries. On a personal level I thought a lot about my own mother and many of her peers who grew up in modest circumstances. Somehow she was given the space to get educated, follow her ambitions to become a medical doctor, and then move the USA with my father to start a medical practice. The spillover effects of her hard work include employing so many people and serving countless patients. And now with SKI Charities, when I visit our locations in Mutare or Lebu, I see women following the same path towards adding tremendous value to their families and communities.”
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On his team mindset:
“From raising small donations through our website to delegating increasing responsibility to staff and 
beneficiaries from the community being served, it takes a full network to make a vision into reality. Nine years later, my team and I have empowered hundreds of females and their families in Zimbabwe and southern Chile through microfinance to become independent entrepreneurs.”
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On the importance of critical thinking:
“Encouraging critical thinking throughout the organization is vital as local-level ownership and buy-in will determine the success of any project or enterprise. Autonomy in thought and decision-making must be shared from the entrepreneur to the field.”
Read the full story on upjourney.com.
On making international connections:
“The key to a successful trip has been to take time to cold call local experts in my field, such as Rotary Club members and NGOs, brainstorm potential solutions that address concerns while also maintaining respect for cultural markers such as age and experience, and communicating the need for compromise on behalf of the team and community served by our charity.”
