Today’s focus is social impact entrepreneurship as hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis of the DO GOOD X podcast revisit their conversation with William McNeely, founder of Do Greater Charlotte. This powerful episode explores how a life-threatening diagnosis led to a purpose-driven business serving underserved communities. McNeely shares his journey from Apple executive to nonprofit leader, revealing how his lung transplant experience clarified his mission to create lasting change through educational technology and youth empowerment. Learn how Do Greater built an innovation lab using an earned revenue model, partnered with corporate sponsors, and created sustainable community development programs that serve over 400 youth annually while generating revenue through memberships and event rentals.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How to develop a mission-driven leadership approach that combines venture capital strategies with social enterprise principles to attract individual investors and build brand reputation in your community.

✅ Practical strategies for creating an earned revenue model that generates sustainable funding while keeping programs free for underserved communities.

✅ The importance of listening to your target audience by involving youth in designing spaces and programs, ensuring your nonprofit organization truly meets community needs while building authentic stakeholder engagement.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Exploring entrepreneurial journey challenges for purpose-driven business leaders

04:40 William McNeely shares his story of a lung transplant diagnosis, and a perspective shift led him to found Do Greater Charlotte

09:20 Evolution from an innovation lab truck to a permanent 8,000-square-foot creative technologies space

13:27 Nonprofit branding strategies, building corporate partnerships, and venture capital

17:37 Essential advice for starting a nonprofit organization

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Perspective shifts during crisis can reveal your true calling. McNeely's two-week prognosis became the catalyst for creating Do Greater Charlotte, demonstrating that setbacks can be invitations to discover purpose-driven work that leaves lasting community impact.

💎 Treating your nonprofit like an educational technology startup attracts different funders by developing professional pitch decks and targeting high-net-worth individual investors before pursuing corporate grants. Do Greater Charlotte secured 70% of the initial funding from venture-minded donors.

💎 Earned revenue sustainability protects mission-building adult memberships, coffee shop sales, and event rentals at the innovation lab, which generates consistent funding that keeps all youth empowerment programs completely free for students.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

William McNeely is a distinguished entrepreneur and non-profit executive with a storied career, including a pivotal role as a Market Development Executive at Apple. He is the visionary founder of Do Greater, Inc., where he has fostered a dynamic community dedicated to nurturing the next generation of creative leaders through cutting-edge technology, inspiring creative spaces, and a robust community network.

At the heart of his initiatives is the Creative Lab platform, which equips youth and young adults with critical skills in design thinking, digital creativity, and entrepreneurship. William's entrepreneurial drive is further evidenced by his successful launch of multiple businesses. His personal story is one of extraordinary resilience, highlighted by his recovery from a double lung transplant, reinforcing his...

Stillness, sound therapy, and faith are essential tools for entrepreneurs seeking clarity, resilience, and sustainable business growth.

In this powerful episode of the DO GOOD X Podcast, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis sit down with Ottavia “Tay” Lang, sound therapist, wellness educator, and founder of Dear Life Chat, to explore the transformative role of stillness in entrepreneurship. Tay shares her deeply personal journey—from homelessness and chronic stress to discovering sound therapy as a pathway to healing, clarity, and purpose. Together, they unpack how nervous system regulation, silence, and intuition help founders navigate high-pressure environments without burning out. This conversation invites entrepreneurs to rethink hustle culture and embrace faith, rest, and embodied wisdom as strategic tools for leadership and sustainable impact.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why slowing down is essential for entrepreneurial clarity and resilience

✅ How sound therapy supports nervous system regulation and emotional health

✅ The connection between faith, intuition, and sustainable leadership

✅ Simple daily practices founders can use to reconnect with stillness

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome to the DO GOOD X Podcast

01:20 Hustle culture vs. slowing down in entrepreneurship

02:34 Introducing guest Ottavia “Tay” Lang

04:42 What is sound therapy and how does it work?

06:14 When slowing down became a necessity, not a choice

10:45 What happens when we ignore our body’s signals

12:32 Resistance to stillness in high-stress professions

14:37 How sound therapy helps the body release tension

16:51 Stillness as a gateway to clarity and self-awareness

19:15 Building a business rooted in purpose, faith, and rest

22:51 One simple practice founders can start today

25:00 How to experience sound therapy for the first time

26:23 Rebuilding trust in intuition through silence

30:01 “Off the Cuff” rapid-fire reflections

37:44 Final reflections and closing

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Chronic stress silently accumulates in the body and must be addressed intentionally

💎 Stillness is not weakness—it’s a leadership advantage

💎 Sound therapy can support emotional regulation and clarity

💎 Sustainable businesses require founders to care for their nervous systems

RESOURCES:

Dear Life Chat – Holistic Wellness Platform

Ottavia "Tay" Lang - LInkedIn

5D Matrimony Tay Lang – Sound Therapy Album

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X - Podcast

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

DO GOOD X - YouTube

DO GOOD X - Spotify

Jay Johnson's faith guided his remarkable journey from college admissions consulting to educational technology innovation in his business. Hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis of the DO GOOD X podcast revisit this inspiring conversation about scaling a business with intention and divine direction. Jay, founder of College Prep U and Prep Intel, shares how church community support sparked his entrepreneurial path and how taking risks in business led to exponential entrepreneurial growth—expanding from 37 to 2,500 students in one year. His story demonstrates that purpose-driven business success requires both faith and strategic action, offering valuable insights for founders navigating their intentional business-building journeys.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How church community support can ignite entrepreneurial opportunities and provide critical business mentorship connections that lead to exponential growth.

✅ The importance of business collaboration over competition, as demonstrated when Jay partnered with a competitor and secured strategic partnership development.

✅ How faith-driven decision-making shapes scaling a business sustainably, from choosing not to join a franchise to developing machine learning applications for education.

✅ Why overcoming fear in business through spiritual grounding enables entrepreneurs to embrace uncomfortable growth opportunities and build nonprofit to for-profit transition models.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 The importance of intentional business building and slowing down to reflect on purpose-driven business goals for 2026

04:00 Jay shares how support from his church community launched his college admissions consulting journey

05:03 The solar eclipse moment: taking risks in business to start College Prep U independently through faith-driven decision making

07:28 Scaling a business from 37 to 2,500 students through strategic partnership development and business collaboration

12:05 Jay discusses the challenge of being ok with being uncomfortable

13:26 Launch of Prep Intel: transitioning to educational technology using machine learning applications while making resources free for student success

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Strategic partnerships can transform your business overnight—Jay's willingness to collaborate with a competitor led to a contract serving over 2,000 students, proving that abundance mentality and business collaboration can create more opportunities than competition.

💎 Divine timing and spiritual discernment matter in entrepreneurial growth—from the solar eclipse metaphor to the Watch Hour prophecy, Jay's story shows how paying attention to spiritual guidance informs critical business pivots and taking risks in business.

💎 Building sustainable educational technology requires separating yourself from day-to-day operations—recognizing that College Prep U would close if something happened to him, Jay created Prep Intel to ensure student success continued beyond his personal involvement.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Jay Johnson is the CEO and Co-founder of Prep Intel, an AI-powered platform that helps educational institutions and military recruiters identify and engage prospective students efficiently. He also founded College Prep U, providing families with expert college preparation guidance. A Morehouse alumnus, certified Collegiate Independent Counselor, and former Fortune 100 executive, Jay serves on advisory boards for The University of Alabama, Naval Academy, Clark Atlanta University, and University of Pennsylvania, and is President of the Birmingham Chapter of 100 Black Men of...

Guided meditation for entrepreneurs takes center stage in this DO GOOD X episode with hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis. This faith-based entrepreneurship session offers a transformative pause from the entrepreneurial grind, inviting listeners to reconnect with their business vision and purpose-driven business goals. Stephen Lewis leads a powerful meditation drawing from Christian wisdom traditions and the words of poet Lucille Clifton, helping entrepreneurs release old limitations and embrace new year reflection. Through intentional breathing and contemplation, this episode guides under-resourced entrepreneurs to realign with their inner life alignment and clarify their business dreams for 2026.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How to use guided meditation for entrepreneurs to release limiting beliefs about yourself and your business goals while embracing new possibilities for growth and transformation.

✅ The practice of faith-based entrepreneurship through Christian wisdom traditions, learning to rest in your deep longings and trust in the business dreams that are calling to emerge.

✅ Techniques for creating entrepreneurial clarity by pausing the entrepreneurial grind, practicing mindful breathing, and reconnecting with your purpose-driven business vision for the year ahead.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Guided meditation for entrepreneurs and faith-based entrepreneurship practice for the new year

02:49 Begin meditation: Grounding exercise with breathing techniques to quiet the entrepreneurial grind and create space for reflection

04:40 Faith-based Christian wisdom of hope and conviction

06:15 Poet Lucille Clifton: Releasing old promises and limiting beliefs about your business vision and entrepreneurial capabilities

08:24 New year reflection on business iteration: Acknowledging new possibilities and the business dreams longing to be born in you

09:59 Closing invitation to rest: Encouragement to believe in your dreams and maintain entrepreneurial clarity through regular mindful business practice

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Entrepreneurial pause is essential for sustainable business growth—taking time to ground yourself through meditation and breathing exercises creates the clarity needed to discern your next moves and realign with your calling.

💎 Releasing limiting self-narratives about your capabilities unlocks business renewal and transformation—the beliefs you carry about what you can or cannot do directly impact your entrepreneurial journey and must be consciously examined.

💎 Faith and business integration through Christian wisdom reminds us that spiritual business growth happens when we rest in our deep longings and trust the dreams emerging within us, even before they become visible realities.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X Start Up Accelerator

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

Connect with Hosts:

Kimberly Daniel LinkedIn

Stephen Lewis LinkedIn

SEO KEYWORDS:

DO GOOD X, Kimberly Daniel, Stephen Lewis, Entrepreneurs, Purpose-Driven...

Successful entrepreneurship requires mindset, adaptability, and market fit. This episode explores why some businesses thrive while others fail.

In this episode of the DO GOOD X Podcast, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis explore a critical question: what truly makes a successful entrepreneur? With data showing that most businesses don’t survive past year one, the conversation breaks down why a small percentage go on to build sustainable, impactful companies.

The hosts unpack three essential drivers of long-term success: solving a real market need, having knowledge or proximity to the industry you’re entering, and maintaining the agility to pivot when conditions change. Drawing on real-world examples—including lessons from the pandemic—the episode highlights how mindset, adaptability, and a commitment to listening to customers shape businesses that last. This conversation is a practical and reflective guide for aspiring and current entrepreneurs who want to build ventures rooted in purpose, resilience, and long-term impact.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why market fit is essential to entrepreneurial success

✅ How mindset and adaptability influence business longevity

✅ The importance of pivoting based on customer and market feedback

✅ What successful entrepreneurs do differently to scale sustainably

Enjoying the DO GOOD X Podcast? Subscribe and follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more conversations on impactful entrepreneurship.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access tools and resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome to the DO GOOD X Podcast

01:17 Why most entrepreneurs don’t make it past year one

02:07 The role of mindset, adaptability, and pivoting

02:31 Patterns seen in successful entrepreneurs

03:42 Market fit and solving real community needs

04:07 Industry knowledge and building the right team

04:41 The importance of agility and being open to pivoting

05:56 Lessons from entrepreneurs during the pandemic

06:52 Growth mindset and scaling beyond limitations

07:50 Defining a “no-excuse” entrepreneurial mindset

08:28 Balancing hustle, self-care, and feedback

08:57 Additional factors behind long-term success

09:23 Advice for entrepreneurs navigating their journey

09:44 DO GOOD X resources and the “Built For This” course

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Sustainable businesses solve real problems with clear market fit

💎 Successful entrepreneurs stay agile and open to pivoting

💎 Mindset and continuous learning fuel long-term growth

💎 Scalability requires feedback, self-awareness, and resilience

RESOURCES:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X - Podcast

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

DO GOOD X - YouTube

DO GOOD X - Spotify

DO GOOD X - Instagram

Built For This Course

Connect with Hosts:

Business idea validation is a critical step for founders, yet most skip straight to building. In this DO GOOD X podcast episode, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis welcome back early-stage founders expert Sweta Govani, who shares her proven Happy Paying Customer System. Sweta reveals why getting paying customers before creating your minimum viable product is essential to de-risking your venture. She breaks down the common mistakes founders make, explains her "laziest way to solve the problem" approach, and provides actionable steps for customer discovery through research and sales calls. Learn how to validate (or invalidate) your idea efficiently, when to pivot versus persevere, and the critical questions to answer before quitting your day job.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How to validate your business idea by focusing on problem validation rather than solution building, and why understanding "whom do I solve what problem for" should be your first milestone as a founder.

✅ The strategic approach to getting your first paying customers using research sales calls and the "build a bridge" methodology that transitions conversations from research to sales naturally and authentically.

✅ When to pivot, persevere, or pause your entrepreneurial journey based on qualitative signals and customer acquisition feedback, plus the critical self-assessment questions to answer before leaping into full-time entrepreneurship.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Sweta’s Happy Paying Customer System for early-stage founders and what it means to validate without building: focusing on problem validation over solutions

05:57 Discussion of the realistic time it takes to validate your business

10:00 Defining minimum viable product versus solution and the "laziest way" approach to getting paying customers first

14:43 The most common mistake founders make in building a business

19:06 How do you know when to pivot, stop or persevere

23:04 Critical questions before quitting your job: setting business parameters and finding your first target customer through customer discovery

30:00 Practical steps for finding paying customers, embedding yourself in communities, running research sales calls and tracking happy paying customers

34:18 Off the Cuff rapid-fire questions: Sweta's resilience practices, superpowers, and how faith shapes her business model and entrepreneurial journey

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 The most prominent mistake founders make is building too early based on assumptions rather than validation—focus on the "whom do I solve what problem for" question first, and remember that business idea validation means being willing to invalidate your hypothesis through customer discovery conversations.

💎 Getting paying customers before building your product market fit solution dramatically reduces risk and burnout—use the five-stage framework from idea to 100+ customers, where research and sales calls help you understand problems deeply before pitching solutions.

💎 Success in the entrepreneurial journey requires both practical steps and internal clarity—define your vision for success, set business parameters aligned with your life goals, and focus on revenue-generation milestones rather than vanity metrics to build a sustainable business model.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sweta works with ambitious professionals to validate their business ideas and land their first 100+ Happy Paying Customers through her proven Happy Paying Customers™ System, which combines research-driven positioning, micro-tests, and a repeatable go-to-market playbook for the 0 to 1Million dollar stage. After...

Full-time entrepreneurship requires more than just passion—it demands preparation. In this DO GOOD X podcast episode, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis dive deep into the critical question: when should you transition from side hustle into full-time entrepreneurship? They explore the essential elements of business readiness, including financial planning, an entrepreneurial mindset, legal structure, and the development of sustainable business systems. Whether you're working a nine-to-five while nurturing a viable business idea or standing on the edge of taking the leap, this conversation provides practical guidance on when to transition from a side hustle to a full-time business with clarity and confidence.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How to assess your business readiness by evaluating your finances, mindset, available time, and support network before becoming a full-time entrepreneur

✅ The importance of having a clear, viable business idea that's been tested with real customers beyond friends and family, plus establishing business systems and technology to automate daily processes

✅ Essential considerations for legal structure, budget management, and team building to protect your business and set yourself up for sustainable growth

✅ Strategies for maintaining your entrepreneurial mindset through challenges, including managing your inner voice and having tools to navigate the entrepreneurial valley

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Stephen and Kimberly discuss the business transition from side hustle to full-time entrepreneur

03:35 Key indicators of business readiness, including financial planning, entrepreneurial mindset, available time, and building your support network of cheerleaders

05:41 Deep dive into entrepreneurial mindset: managing self-talk, overcoming mental blocks, and developing tools to navigate challenges on your entrepreneurial journey

09:39 Essential requirements before leaping: having a clear, viable business idea, budget management for 6-12 months, and establishing business systems with automation technology

12:27 Understanding legal structure options for your business, including LLC versus C Corp, contracts, intellectual property protection, and startup finances considerations

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Business readiness requires alignment across mindset, finances, and systems. Your entrepreneurial mindset must handle setbacks; financial planning should cover 6-12 months; and business systems must support operations before going full-time.

💎 A viable business idea needs validation with real paying customers beyond friends and family, addressing actual market problems with proven demand before you transition from side hustle to full-time.

💎 Strong legal structure, team building strategy, and support network create sustainable foundations—consult attorneys about structures, budget for contractors, and build your cheerleader community.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X Start Up Accelerator

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

Connect with Hosts:

Kimberly Daniel LinkedIn

Stephen Lewis...

Minimum Viable Product strategies take center stage as hosts Kimberly Daniel and Steven Lewis explore business innovation through an unexpected lens: childhood play. Today's DO GOOD X podcast episode reveals how entrepreneurial beginners can test ideas without wasting precious time and money. Drawing from Catherine Finney's wisdom, Kimberly and Stephen emphasize building a minimum viable solution with available resources rather than perfectionism. Through candid storytelling about creative problem solving and imagination, listeners discover practical approaches to product development and market testing that honor both constraints and possibilities in purpose-driven business.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

✅ How to apply minimum viable product principles to launch your business idea without overspending on unproven concepts or services

✅ Why resource management and working within constraints can actually fuel business innovation rather than limit your entrepreneurial potential

✅ The power of playful experimentation and collaborative innovation to test assumptions and develop solutions that truly address customer needs

✅ Practical listening strategies for understanding what your market wants and refining your business strategy through honest feedback and iteration

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Defining minimum viable product and minimum viable solution for new entrepreneurs, and why market testing prevents wasting resources on unwanted products

03:57 Childhood playtime as a model for business innovation and experimentation, and using imagination and flexibility to address real customer needs with available resources

07:23 Getting out of your head into action through creative problem solving - thinking big and building small

09:07 Three steps toward innovation: identifying pain points, collaborating, and stretching possibilities

11:04 The art of listening to customers and intuition in product development

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 A minimum viable solution means spending minimal time and money to test whether your market actually wants what you're building, emphasizing intentional growth over premature scaling

💎 Starting a business requires playful imagination to work creatively within constraints, transforming limitations into opportunities for authentic business planning and testing

💎 Success in entrepreneurship depends on listening deeply to both your customers' actual needs and your own intuition, allowing solutions to emerge through openness and collaboration

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X Start Up Accelerator

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

Connect with Hosts:

Kimberly Daniel LinkedIn

Stephen Lewis LinkedIn

SEO KEYWORDS:

DO GOOD X, Kimberly Daniel, Stephen Lewis, Entrepreneurs, Purpose-Driven Business, Minimum Viable Product, Business Innovation, Entrepreneurial Journey, Minimum Viable Solution, Creative Problem Solving, Product Development, Market Testing, Resource Management, Collaborative Innovation, Customer Needs, Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship,...