Any contribution is important

Don Okonny knows what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Now a Washington CASH board member and formerly a coach to the entrepreneurs, Okonny built a software company from the ground up. He describes his own business development cycle: a lot of worrying, losing money, making it back, trying to get clients, and working 18-hour days. He guarantees, “I can relate to our entrepreneurs with my heart and with my experience.”

Being a coach is one way to get involved with the program, and in that role, Okonny says, “I cut to the chase. I told them what I had been through and how I dealt with situations.” He recalls a brief chat he once had with a client. She was struggling to acquire new customers in order to grow her business. He suggested a creative way for her to offer discounts to her existing customers if they provided her with referrals. “The way her eyes lit up made me realize that in a five-minute conversation, I may have suggested something that could truly make a difference in her business.”

Okonny found personal involvement as a coach inspiring, but from his perspective, any kind of contribution to the organization is worthwhile. “You’re directly contributing to building communities and creating jobs,” he points out.

“There is so much power in entrepreneurship to really improve communities and drive the economy. Give micro businesses what they need to go out on their own and create jobs,” Okonny urges. “No contribution is too small or too large,” he explains, “because whatever you contribute could help launch a business, improve a life and impact a community.”