Derrin Slack is the Executive Director of ProAct Indy, an Indiana nonprofit organization committed to engaging youth in public service that educates, delights, and inspires youth and those they serve. Derrin is the senior representative for donors, volunteers, youth program participants and other stakeholders. His strong background in nonprofit management and research, allows him to act as the conduit between the needs of the community and the capabilities of ProAct to address them.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
Mickey Mauer – Local Business Man
When business started difficulties overcame:
“Selling an idea, and starting a none profit and being a social entrepreneur and I mentioned before that the idea of customer service is very nebulous so people have their own definition for it, so selling the idea around community service and wanting to show people and prove to people that this model works was really tough to start with at the beginning because people didn’t quite understand what it is that we do”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- The New One Minute Manager Book by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
- The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World (Leadership for the Common Good) Book by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
Favourite Quote:
- “We should use whatever skills we have to serve others and that’s faithfully administering god’s grace in a vary of forms” The bible
- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better” Dr Seuss
Recommended Online Resources:
Not asked
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“Always keep in mind the Q factor, what the Q factor is, is the quality of life factor, when you’re building your own business or doing your own thing, sometimes it’s hard to disconnect from that one thing and for me doing what I do for 7 years, sometimes all my conversations gravitated to going back to hey listen to what I’m doing when in reality that’s not really the case, it’s great to be passionate, it’s great to be engaged with what you’re doing however that quality of life factor is really important because you need to set aside time for your family, your friends, and the people you want to connect with on a personal level”…[Listen for More]
More About Derrin Slack:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“But sometimes you have to wait for an answer to come to you. Especially when the questions are difficult ones.” Patrick Carman, Stargazer
Other Quotes From the Chat with Derrin Slack:
- “Learn everything that you can”
- “I’m always learning from the people who are working in the spaces I’m working in, or the spaces I want to work in”
- “I’m not really concerned about you being a good employee, I’m more concerned about you being a good person, because if you are a good person you’re going to be a good employee”
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