We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Page recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Right now we are in the final stages of raising money for a $1.8 million project that will be a social enterprise, Storyteller Cafe. Storyteller Cafe will be a breakfast and lunch restaurant serving coffee as well as a boutique with local products. All the profit from Storyteller Cafe will go to support our nonprofit’s anti human trafficking work while also supporting survivors and those vulnerable with jobs and housing. We are in the final stages of fundraising and would like to break ground this Spring. In order to break ground this spring we launched a fundraising campaign where we purchased 30,000 bracelets that say “Your Story Matters” and when we sell 30,000 at $15 each we will have the rest of the funds we need to break ground on Storyteller Cafe. I am in the middle of this big risk, I have take a lot of risks previously and some have worked, some haven’t. This risk I am currently in is the biggest one yet!
Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I learned about human trafficking in 2012 and began to learn more about the root causes of human trafficking and sexual violence especially in relation to the United States. My background was in event planning and speaking so I began with putting on awareness events and spreading awareness. In 2015 we decided to become a 501c3 nonprofit to start a nonprofit cafe to raise awareness and fund to support the work. Since 2015 we have been spreading awareness and inviting people into culture change in order to decrease human trafficking and sexual violence. We have tried to start Storyteller Cafe a few different times over the years and in 2020 we found land and since then have been in the process of securing financing. It is difficult for a nonprofit to get traditional financing and for us it has been a particular challenge because we are trying to start a restaurant in a post-covid world. Banks see us as too big of a risk. We know the importance of community and the importance of having a social enterprise to support our work. The way toward culture change is sustainability; this is what we are working towards.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have been talking about opening a giveback cafe for 12 years. Securing the finances has, most of the time, seemed almost impossible. We have had many times where we have been close, but then the terms from the bank changed, a donor backed out, or the fundraiser didn’t go how we thought it would, etc. I have learned the good things don’t happen on a fast time table, and partly this is because in order to be successful and impactful in our communities we need to become resilient people. People who aren’t moved by the winds of the moment but who keep our eyes focussed on what we are uniquely meant, driven, or called to do. We have ran many small businesses in the meantime, from a coffee club (where your coffee beans came in the mail) to a food truck (that ended with covid), to a variety of shirts, mugs, sweatshirts we have branded and have in an online store. I believe our strategy as a nonprofit to use business to bring awareness and support us financially has kept us afloat when other nonprofits closed their doors because of lack of funding. I am grateful for the journey even thought it hasn’t gone how I wanted because resiliency has been built within me and this means I have a greater capacity to avoid burnout for the long haul. Having a sustainable business or organization has as much to do with the sustainability of the people as with the processes.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I have had to unlearn is one where if you just meet the right people, they will get it done for you. No one is going to be able to build your dream for you, you have the dream and must take responsibility for it and how it will impact the world in a positive way. While many people thought we simply needed to meet a millionaire to fund our project, I have been so struck and humbled by the way we actually have been funded – by individuals one person at a time – being generous with what they have, doing what they can. This is how we build communities in business and nonprofit work, by valuing the individual and honoring the investment they are able and willing to give. By serving them where they are at and giving them a place to move forward from. We are leaders in our communities and we have a great opportunity and privilege to lead people to a place of your flourishing. We can’t pass this responsibility off on someone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.storiesfoundation.org
- Instagram: @storiesfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfoundation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stories-foundation/