When I started my journey as a social entrepreneur almost 10 years ago, I didn’t have any mentors. And much of the advice I did receive, though well-meaning, did not resonate with how I wanted to approach my work. So I wanted to share with you some of the lessons I learned along the way and initial strategies you may want to consider implementing in the first few months if you want to become a nonprofit founder.

For a city known as a magnet to Blacks, gays, and serial entrepreneurs, Atlanta has a surprisingly short list of people who check off all three boxes.

Mychel “Snoop” Dillard is a high-profile exception. At 36, the Nashville transplant who u-turned from hard-scrabble youth to Vanderbilt University alumni heads a string of successful restaurants and salon spaces across Atlanta.

Now she’s setting her sights on lifting others as she climbs. Dillard recently launched a series of business courses and a four-week mentorship program she hopes can provide tips and tricks for people starting a small business or just trying to keep one afloat.