A Day within the Lifetime of Entrepreneur Lora Lakanal, Co-Founding father of Namastray

In honor of Worldwide Ladies’s Day (March 8), we’ll characteristic a feminine entrepreneur each week for your complete month — supplying you with an unique, first-hand look into 24 hours of their day. This week, we’re getting up shut and private with Lora Lakanal, who co-founded Namastray, a 501(c)(3) non-profit cat rescue & lounge along with her buddy Tori Viola.

Their mission brings a couple of aware strategy to cat rescue and adoption. “Working within the type of a lounge, Namastray will supply a soothing atmosphere to hang around with the adoptable cats. Our lounge will function a foster house whereas our crew works to seek out placement for the entire cats in our care. A zen house freed from cages permits friends to work together with the cats in a pure setting. We are going to supply quite a lot of providers reminiscent of yoga, meditation, sound baths, and workshops that can profit the people and felines.” Their mission brings a couple of aware strategy to cat rescue and adoption.

“My co-founder Tori Viola and I are each employed full time till Namastray opens its location, which you’ll be able to assist make attainable by way of our Indiegogo marketing campaign. A time off collectively is a time to get issues completed, and appears like this…” Learn on to see how Lori spends her day in San Diego, California. Then scroll down for a short Q&A to get to know her higher and get impressed!

Eight A.M. I get up and set an intention for the day. I analyze the To-Do listing for the day with an oat milk latte, and a cup or two of inexperienced tea, relying on the size of the To-Do listing. 

9 A.M. I meet up with Tori for a vinyasa circulation yoga class at our favourite studio Sojourn. 

10 A.M. Get some gas for our jam-packed day. We’re each enormous followers of breakfast, and identified to create some fairly epic plant-based meals! 

10:30 A.M. Undergo and ship out any excellent emails, examine our Indiegogo web page, and our social media channels. 

11 A.M. Replace our social media channels and our Indiegogo web page. We publish updates recurrently, and have interaction with our backers as a result of we discovered preserving energetic is essential! 

12 P.M. These days, we’ve been viewing properties as potential places for Namastray. Namastray is a singular idea and would require a location with distinctive renovations, together with an open-minded landlord, however we’re lucky to reside in a really receptive metropolis! 

2 P.M. Assembly with our board members to map out our plan of motion post-Indiegogo marketing campaign. Our board members are an important a part of Namastray, and we couldn’t be this far in our journey with out them! Throughout a gathering, we’ll go over the whole lot — from planning upcoming fundraisers inside our neighborhood to discussing challenges to engaged on subsequent steps to securing our location. 

5 P.M. We take a fast break to get pleasure from some dinner. 

6 P.M. It’s TNR time! We’ve got been volunteering with ECAR as trappers for his or her Lure, Neuter, Return program. As trappers, we assist seize stray cats in order that they might be neutered, after which returned to their house. Since San Diego is consistently in kitten season, TNR is the efficient and humane approach to management the overwhelming feral cat inhabitants. Being a trapper is much like a sport of Pokémon GO in actual life. Should you’re focused on serving to, please take a look at eastcountyanimalrescue.org!

9 P.M. We go our separate methods, and we each work on our yin yoga observe at house. 

10 P.M. One final spherical of going by way of emails, testing our Indiegogo web page, and social media channels whereas I unwind with a cup of chamomile tea.

Now that you simply’ve gotten a glimpse of what their day is like, get extra inspiration in our unique Q&A with co-founders Lora and Tori beneath!

INDIEGOGO: How did you develop into an entrepreneur? 

TORI: I feel we each all the time have been entrepreneurs at coronary heart. We realized a very long time in the past that working onerous towards one thing you don’t care a lot about is nerve-racking, however working onerous for one thing you like is ardour. We’ve got all the time felt the must be of service and to dedicate ourselves to a calling.

IGG: What makes your small business distinctive?

LORA: Certainly one of Namastray’s essential targets is to assist reshape pet adoption as we all know it. The cat cafes that impressed us paved the best way as a cage-free method for cats to work together with potential adopters in a pure setting. What is going to make Namastray distinctive might be its emphasis on yoga and wellness. I’ve my 200 energy vinyasa yoga certification, and lately we each acquired licensed as yin yoga instructors. Self-care is extraordinarily vital, particularly for these within the rescue neighborhood, yoga not solely satisfies that want however it is also a way of enjoying and bonding for the cats. Cats are zen masters and we will all study a factor or two from the best way they calm down!

IGG: What’s your greatest recommendation for ladies entrepreneurs?

LORA: My largest piece of recommendation for feminine entrepreneurs is to belief your instincts. In case your coronary heart is telling you to do one thing, then it’s essential go for it! Don’t let others maintain you again and particularly don’t let your self be the one to carry you again. Manifest your desires and work in direction of them each rattling day! 

IGG: Any instruments you advocate to anybody beginning their very own enterprise? 

TORI: Our greatest instrument is our neighborhood. A non-profit group merely can’t thrive with out one. I assume any for-profit enterprise additionally wants folks of their nook cheering them on and believing of their work. 

LORA: Some apps which have been nice instruments are Canva for making flyers and creating content material, Planoly to schedule posts forward of time which has been extremely useful in our hectic lives, VSCO to edit images our cute cat images, and good ol’ Google Docs to maintain vital information collectively. A guide we love that’s a bit extra particular to our subject, however we consider is a crucial learn for cat house owners or these within the rescue neighborhood is Hannah Shaw’s Tiny However Mighty. 

IGG: What’s your favourite Indiegogo marketing campaign? 

TORI: Properly, we’re bit biased. My favourite Indiegogo marketing campaign of all-time was The Catcade, an arcade-themed non-profit cat rescue and lounge in Chicago. We expect their idea is essentially the most distinctive cat cafe within the nation. They have been the inspiration for our personal mission to dig deeper and discover our area of interest, as a result of it is vitally difficult to succeed as only a cat cafe alone. I put on my Catcade T-shirt perk on a regular basis once I’m volunteering! Additionally, an honorable point out is HUNU, the collapsible to-go espresso cup, as a result of I’m a caffeine addict, who hates single-use plastics. Additionally, the Grimalkin Tarot, a ravishing cat-themed deck of playing cards. 

To help Namastray, take a look at their Indiegogo marketing campaign web page.

To study extra about their group, observe on Fb and Instagram.