We're delighted to introduce you to Entrepreneur of Impact Award winner Shelly Tygielski of Pandemic of Love. She is one of the amazing, everyday entrepreneur heroes doing good things for the world & her community during the COVID pandemic. We hope you're just as inspired by her story as we are!

Tell us a bit about your business & how it came to be.

Pandemic of Love is a grassroots, volunteer led mutual aid organization that was started in mid-March as a response to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As a community organizer and mindfulness teacher, I was really concerned for our community members who were about to lose their jobs, or are hourly wage workers or rely heavily on tips to make ends meet. We were being asked to stock up on supplies and get ready to shelter-in-home and I knew that many people couldn't easily do that because they could barely even make it to the end of each week. I immediately began to think about how I could most efficiently and effectively match individuals in need with those in our community who could fill that need and settled on creating two google forms - a Give Help form and a Get Help form. This is how the concept for Pandemicoflove.com was born. Within 24 hours our form was shared dozens of times and within a few days we had thousands of shares and recognition from celebrities and others in positions of influence who expanded the Pandemic of Love reach to every corner of this country and then, globe.

Pandemic of Love helps individuals in need of financial assistance due to COVID-19 meet those needs by directly matching them with individuals who are in need. The two parties transact directly - meaning that Pandemic of Love never sees one dollar from the transaction or touches any funds. In a sense, Pandemic of Love's structure is a disruption to the traditional non-profit model since it has no overhead and connects people directly. A by-product has been the friendships and bonds that have formed from these transactions.

How was your business affected by the COVID pandemic? What shifts did you have to make in order to continue operating?

COVID-19 actually inspired this organization in the first place! In just 12 weeks since inception, Pandemic of Love has matched over 187,000 donors with persons in need with direct donors who have transacted over $25M and have been facilitated by our network of over 650 volunteers globally, across 180 micro-communities.

You were recognized by the community as an Entrepreneur of Impact! Tell us about your efforts to create a positive impact during the COVID crisis.

I think that Pandemic of Love has shown that good things can also go viral - things like hope, faith and love. Love is infectious and can also be the cure for what is ailing us right now in this crisis of humanity we are facing in this country and around the globe.

What quote or motto you live by?

Even Superman is Clark Kent most of the time.

What does the world need more of?

"Why Not" people. I always say there are two types of people in the world, the why nots and the what ifs. The "what ifs" analyze everything to the point where it paralyzes them and they never take action or get their idea off the ground for one reason or another. The "why nots" just go for it and trust that they can modify, shift, fail and then pivot and grow - and that there is no such thing as actual failure.

In 3 words, what does it take to be successful as a business owner?

Compassion. Mindfulness. Courage.

If you were to impart one tidbit of wisdom to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Don't overthink things. There is value in developing a process, yes, but not at the expense of inaction. Intention is not impact.

To connect with Shelly and learn more about her work, visit the links below.

Websites: Pandemic of Love | YURU

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We help women entrepreneurs build powerful, purposeful, and profitable businesses. Through actionable education and meaningful opportunities to connect, we cultivate growth-minded entrepreneurs to achieve personal success, while positively impacting their local community, economy, and causes they care about. We believe entrepreneurship is a force for greater good and our mission is to help YOU succeed. Join us inside the Hatch Tribe Collective!