Suz chats with Sheryl O’Loughlin who says there’s a dark side to entrepreneurship, but it’s possible to run a startup in a healthy, joyful way. In this conversation, we dive into Sheryl’s vast experience as a CEO, founder, mentor, and advisor to pull out key lessons she’s learned at critical moments in her career. Walk away with tips for launching and growing a successful business while maintaining a fulfilled life.

Scaling a Business with Heart: Sheryl O'Loughlin

IDEO’s Creative Confidence Podcast shares candid conversations with creative leaders, changemakers, and innovators navigating today’s most pressing challenges. Through real-world stories and insights, we explore how to lead with creativity, build resilient teams, and drive innovation. Grounded in IDEO’s 40 years of expertise in design thinking and innovation, each episode offers inspiration and practical tools for audacious leaders at every stage of their careers. Hosted by Mina Seetharaman, Head of New Ventures at IDEO, the podcast brings a human-centered lens to the complexities of making more courageous futures.

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VDC started its journey in 2001 with SDG vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized being a peoples centered organization. VDC envisioned for a society which well be free from inequality and injustice. A society where no child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Over two decades of relentless efforts to make this happen. VDC has embraced new ground s and opened up new horizons to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to bring meaningful and the most time bound services especially for the poor and disadvantaged. A community focused and people centered approach has been adapted by VDC while consideration has been given to the national policy and Sustainable development goals (SDG) as its guiding principle
VDC  act as  dynamic organization  expanding its  development  interventions  across 8 upazillas under Rangpur district of Bangladesh covering    poor, ultra poor, youth, women, disable  and  vulnerable people.
Introduction
VDC is a non government organization formed in 2001. The aim of VDC has been to create a self-reliant development process among the rural poor by extending support for getting themselves organized and making united and collective efforts to improve their socioeconomic condition. The activity extends from the formation of primary groups with an average membership of 30 to the creation of groups’ broader organizational structures at the village, union and upazila levels. The beneficiaries of VDC are men and women of the two large sections of the rural population, i.e., the farmers, marginal peasants, landless, rural professional groups including fisher folk, weavers, potters, etc. VDC prioritize the beneficiaries considering women, youth and socially and physically vulnerable peoples.
VDC emphasize capacity building of the community peoples through organizing training. Training plays a crucial role in the VDC process and through this activity development education is imparted to the people to raise the level of their awareness, confidence, capacity and skills. There are two types of training are organized:  Human development and practical skills. The subject areas of human development training courses include: social analysis, development concepts and approaches, analysis of development constraints, techniques of building organization and staff members, public relation, communication, development management, leadership and participatory development. Practical skills training courses provide the skills that are required for making efficient use of the resources and for effective implementation of social, economic, ecological and environment projects.
VDC support members through providing  credit and technical assistance to the groups specially for women, youth and socially excluded portion of the members to take up income and employment generating projects in various fields such as agriculture, irrigation, fish cultivation, bee keeping, animal and poultry birds rearing, homestead gardening, social forestry, Embroidery, computer, electric, tailor ,handicrafts and marketing of products, etc.Other programmes that VDC has initiated include: popular theatre; participatory research; development support communication through video medium; health and nutrition education; literacy and women’s programmes.
 Activities
Homestead Plantation
Social Forestry
Nursery
Establishing and Protection of Rights of Vegetable Producing Farmers (EPRVPF)
Fish Cultivation 
Legal Support of disadvantaged women 
Marketing support of craft artisan
Promoting Pro-Poor Policy Reforms and Public Services for All (2010-2012)
Income Generation Activities
Monitoring and Evaluation :- 
Human Resource Development
Development of staffs: 
 Development the skill of local leaders: 
 National and International Day Observation
Cultural Activities

vdcbangla@gmail.com; 
+8801738-626402

Scaling a Business with Heart: Sheryl O'Loughlin

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