We recently connected with Christina Vera and have shared our conversation below.

Christina, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about growing your team – how did you recruit the first few people, what was the process like, how’d you go about training and if you were to start over today would you have done anything differently?

As a co-founder of a non-profit organization, I can proudly say that I have handled every position within the organization. For the first almost five years, it was just me, my Co-Founder Maylin Sambois, and an amazing group of volunteers/interns.

As time went on and we continued to grow in terms of the girls and women we were serving, we knew we needed to figure out how to scale our organization and solidify operational capacity. It was important to Maylin and me to take our time finding the right team members. We started by onboarding team members as contractors, and eventually, we were able to grow into full-time hires.

Before even reaching that point, we took our time and evaluated our core values as an organization, in addition to our needs in terms of skill sets. We used media platforms like Handshake and LinkedIn to find team members.

If I were starting today, the only thing I might do differently is remind myself that things take time. Stay disciplined and consistent, and all things that are meant for you will work out.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Christina Vera, Co-founder, and Director of Operations for Femergy, a non-profit organization that provides girls and women with holistic skills training in Education, Leadership, Health, and Wellness to overcome gender barriers. Femergy was founded in 2014, and on January 27th, we will be celebrating 10 years!

My expertise lies in organizational leadership and multi-project management. I am deeply passionate about serving my community. Alongside co-leading Femergy, I am proud to serve in my first term as Board President of the Columbus Board of Education. With 13 years of professional experience rooted in non-profit management and small business development, I’ve had the pleasure of leading and developing teams through innovative strategy and effective communication, influencing positive change and building organizational capacity through our consulting firm, True Print for Business.

I take great pride in the work and expansion of Femergy. Last December, we secured our very own facility, the Femergy Center, which is now open not only for our programs and services but also to support other small businesses and non-profits.

When not serving in these capacities, I enjoy co-hosting our podcast, True Print for Life, which covers all things business, finance, and lifestyle.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many businesses during the pandemic, we had to quickly pivot. Our organization transitioned from in-person services and programs to a completely online format within a month.

I have always been a planner, dedicating much of my time to strategizing for the upcoming year and thinking about ways to achieve personal and professional goals. However, the pandemic taught me a valuable lesson: in the blink of an eye, everything can change. Navigating that season made me realize the importance of not overly emphasizing the long term at the expense of the present.

I began retraining my brain to focus on the next 90 days. What do I want and need to accomplish in this short timeframe? After those 90 days, I would plan for the next set of 90 days, and so on. In both business and life, there’s only so much you can control. Allowing yourself time and grace to figure out the next steps is critical.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Partnerships are key. Femergy wouldn’t have grown to this level if it hadn’t been, first and foremost, God’s plan. In addition, aligning ourselves with organizations, businesses, and individuals who shared our vision of supporting and impacting the lives of girls and women in Central Ohio played a crucial role. Spending time building two-way relationships with others is paramount. I wanted every person I came in contact with to understand the ‘why’ behind Femergy and how they could support and be a part of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.femergy.org
• Instagram: @iamfemergy
• Facebook: Femergy
• Linkedin: Femergy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trueprintforlifepodcast9398