Jordan Gottlieb never did well working for other people. He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 10 years old and anyone who tried to manage him realized pretty quickly that he was going to be making his own way in this world.
Talking with some of his close friends who work in the fundraising industry, Jordan recognized that there was a niche that wasn’t only not being filled, but didn’t even exist yet! He has always enjoyed learning new things and building so it just seems like a great place to apply his energies. And thus was born Go Green Fundraising.
The Go Green fundraisers feature products and ideas that are earth friendly and healthier and give their customers the opportunity to not only raise the money it needs, but to make a difference by choosing earth friendly fundraiser ideas.
What are you working on right now?
Schools, churches, sports leagues, all kinds of groups have been doing fundraisers for a very long time. But the
industry had grown stale with nearly all fundraising dollars going to junk item catalogs or to buying unhealthy foods. The entire point of Go Green Fundraising has been to create and then fill the niche of eco friendly and healthy fundraising ideas.
3 Trends that excite you?
Smarter Customers
Fundraising customers are getting smarter. They are searching the net for fundraising ideas and are putting in a lot of time to be sure that they are raising the most money possible. For companies like Go Green Fundraising that focus on providing as much information as possible, this trend among customers is a very exciting thing.
Improvements in Search Algorithms
Go Green Fundraising works very hard to provide relevant and useful information on every topic as it relates to fundraising. Google has recently announced advancements in real time search which is very exciting as new content is added every day to the Go Green Fundraising website.
3.The Slower Economy
Interestingly, when the economy slows down, so does the funding that many groups receive. That means they need to do more fundraisers and it means we can reach more groups and show them that raising money can also be good for the planet.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I had to learn very early on to deal with my ADHD. The only way I can accomplish anything is to set up accountability systems or very specific goals for myself. For example, I consider my day a failure if I don’t return all of my phone calls and emails. Similarly, my day is a failure if I don’t add at least 3 pages of content to my site.
I have many, many new ideas every day. Some are good and get applied to my business. Some are ridiculous and get forgotten. Some are funny and I just sit here chuckling about them. The good (or even decent) ones go on my white board. I try and put a number next to them to order their importance so the great ideas don’t get forgotten among the decent ones.
What is one mistake that you’ve made that our readers can learn from?
I kind of just felt my way around for a while when I very first started. If you are going to run an internet business, you need to know very well what you want to do with it. Know what market you want to target and how you want to win it. Be as specific as possible. Of course you will want to have some flexibility in your plan, but just blindly working away is maybe the least efficient way to get where you want to be.
What is one idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I think China is a bubble. Figure out how to ride out their looming crash.
What’s the best part of running your own business?
I love getting to interact with my customers. Even though it is only over the phone or through emails, my customers tend to be legitimately nice people and it’s a lot of fun helping them raise money.
What motivates you?
My kids and my wife. I always promised my wife this great lifestyle and I would really hate to disappoint her. I have pictures of my son and my soon to be born daughter hanging up next to my desk and if I start getting distracted, I remember that it’s all for them in the end and get back to work. Their pictures have saved many a day.
Connect:
Go Green Fundraising
Jordan Gottlieb on LinkedIn
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.