Poonam Rahman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of two international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations designed to provide free resources to historically marginalized communities. The first international nonprofit she founded, Virtue Mental, aims to provide free mental health resources to historically marginalized communities, while her second nonprofit, Shattering Bias In S.T.E.A.M., aims to provide free academic and professional resources to young girls who are considering pursuing a career in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics), but do not have the adequate resources to do so due to their socioeconomic status and other related factors.
She has also written a book (publishing in early 2022) also named “Shattering Bias In S.T.E.A.M.” which focuses on bridging gender gaps within the field of S.T.E.A.M. and creating a more inclusive work environment for womxn.
What is Virtue Mental all about?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story and my journey as a female founder! Virtue Mental is an international nonprofit organization that aims to provide free mental health resources to historically marginalized communities. Some of the resources we provide include free psychoeducation sessions, group therapy, one on one tele-therapy sessions, professional development workshops, and more.
All of our resources are provided by pro-bono certified mental health professionals. Furthermore, some of the communities we focus on include the South Asian population, the Latinx community, AAPI, womxn, and LGBTQIA+. We were founded during the peak of the pandemic back in May 2020 and our team has been working diligently since in efforts of making mental health care more accessible and ensuring everyone has equal access to professional help.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
- I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago with two older siblings. During my elementary and middle school years, I have undergone bullying from my peers due to my racial background and “odd” name which was a strong motivating factor for me to create Virtue Mental. My mother used to pack homemade ethnic food for lunch, while all the other kids had pb&j sandwiches; this resulted in my peers constantly bullying and belittling me during the years to come. As time passed, the hurtful words and discriminatory attacks took a massive toll on my self-esteem and mental health as a young child. Through my experiences of being a victim of bullying during my early schooling years, I felt compelled to create an organization and platform which focuses on fulfilling the mental health needs of historically marginalized communities such as the South Asian community.
- In addition to my bullying experiences, early in my childhood, I realized that I had a love for philanthropic service as I was involved in my third grade student council where one of my core responsibilities as a student council executive was to raise donations for Smile Train and UNICEF. My passion and keenness for serving the global community also stemmed from my experiences at my third grade student council by observing the impact one person can make on the world at large.
- Lastly, growing up as a Bangladeshi-American, mental health was always stigmatized and was seen as a taboo topic of discussion. In many parts of Bangladesh, you are seen as less than a human being if you have a mental illness or if you seek mental health help. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to think and contemplate my experiences as a South Asian American and I came to the realization that there aren’t many resources and platforms out there that focus on fulfilling the mental health needs of marginalized communities such as my own. This realization was the motivating factor for me to create Virtue Mental: I had the passion and desire to create an inclusive and nonjudgmental platform where individuals of all walks of life can discuss mental health topics while also catering to their mental health needs.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
I would say the top three skills that are needed to be a successful entrepreneur are teamwork, adaptability and perseverance.
- Firstly, I would say teamwork because every company or nonprofit needs a team in order to work more efficiently. An entrepreneur must have good teamwork skills to be able to build a sustainable organization and efficiently delegate tasks and responsibilities among the team members.
- Secondly, a successful entrepreneur must have good adaptability skills as the entrepreneurial journey is not easy, and will have many setbacks. It is essential that one is adaptable to ever-changing circumstances and stand firm through these challenges.
- Lastly, a successful entrepreneur must have perseverance as trials and tribulations are inevitable in the entrepreneurial journey. Having a positive mindset and being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
My plans for the future include creating more resources within Virtue Mental and expanding to more countries around the world. One resource we are currently further developing is a free on-demand tele-therapy service for college students, ages 18-22 where students will have access to a mental health professional 24/7. My team and I are also planning new workshops and events that promote both mental and physical wellness, and sessions that focus on the numerous issues adolescents are facing. My team and I plan to grow the organization by creating chapters at local and international universities as we are currently undergoing the launch stages of a Virtue Mental chapter at New York Univerity and the Pennsylvania State University.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
- One mistake I have made during my nonprofit launch was overworking myself. During the brainstorm stages of Virtue Mental, I was working around 15-20 hours a day which consisted of meetings with potential collaborating partners, onboarding interns, event planning, and more. This poor habit eventually led me to burning out, and my physical and mental health wellbeing to de-escalate. From this incident, I have first witnessed the importance of time management and prioritizing one’s health before work. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
- Another mistake I have made when starting Virtue Mental is not having a team early on. I decided to onboard a team a couple months after the initial launch of the organization, but I think that was not efficient as I did not have anyone to delegate the work with. Through this experience, I have learned and witnessed the importance of having a team when starting a new initiative in order to best manage one’s time and to be more productive.
- Lastly, when starting off Virtue Mental, I did not create a social media page right away. In this digital era, social media can do wonders for one’s business or organization and reach a larger audience locally and globally.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
- Thus far, I think the biggest challenge must have been leading a large group of people on an international and national scale. In the past, I have led clubs and small scale organizations at my university, but I have never been in a position where I had to lead around 100-150 people. I tried to manage this enormous responsibility by breaking the interns into groups and having each of my board members mentor each group and ensure they understand their responsibilities.
- Also, another challenge I have faced thus far is managing my time as a full-time student and as a founder. I tried to overcome this challenge by planning out my days and priorities in advance. I also complete my academic work ahead of time if I know I will be booked with Virtue Mental related meetings that day. Post-It notes, Google Calendar and my paper planner are my lifesavers!
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- One online tool we are using within Virtue Mental is Trello which we utilize to delegate all of our tasks within the organization and we are able to track all of the responsibilities of our board members and interns.
- We also utilise a resource called Notion which is a project management website where we share documents and important information internally within Virtue Mental and with our collaborating partners.
- Lastly, we use a resource called Slack which we use to communicate with our interns and team!
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Time blocking has been a life saver for me for all facets of my life including academics, meetings, self-care, and more. I usually use a paper planner and Google Calendar to block out my responsibilities and priorities for the day. I highly recommend all entrepreneurs to use this method as you will be able to take full advantage of your day!
What is your favorite quote?
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth” the famous Muhammad Ali quote. Sometimes I feel a bit discouraged and unmotivated when things don’t go as planned but I am reminded by this quote as I realized that service is part of my life’s purpose regardless of the ups and downs I may undergo along the way. Serving others is an innate part of our being!
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
- One piece of advice I would provide to all new entrepreneurs is that the entrepreneurial path is difficult, and requires early mornings and late nights: I wish someone had told me that creating a nonprofit would be taxing and would require a lot of time and attention. Regardless of the trials and tribulations I have undergone throughout the entrepreneurial journey, creating something that will positively impact the lives of others continues to motivate me and is a rewarding feeling.
- Another piece of advice I would provide to incoming entrepreneurs is that the nonprofit and philanthropic industry is very saturated and it might feel like there are so many other nonprofits who are making more progress and are doing much more innovative projects than yours. It is important to realize that everyone is working towards the same goal: helping others and striving to make a difference.
What is your definition of success?
Success for me looks like making a significant impact on the world while helping as many people as possible through trials and tribulations. The way I will be able to achieve this is by staying passionate and consistent within our work, and having a clear vision of our definition of success. Through hard work and perseverance, I hope to create vital mental health resources and strive to eradicate the stigma that is all too prevalent and marginalized communities. I also define success as impacting the life of at least one individual through my efforts. Oftentimes, it is easy to feel discouraged if we are not assisting hundreds or thousands of people, but impacting the life of one person can truly change their life.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can get in touch with me through Instagram: @thepoonamrahman or LinkedIn: Poonam Rahman!
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