EPISODE-ASSETS-7

Launching a Mission-Driven Non-Profit Organization with Pamela Hirsch & Nicole Lawson of Baby Quest Foundation

April 11, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:53 — 77.4MB)

The mother-daughter duo, Pamela Hirsch and Nicole Lawson, are the Co-founders of Baby Quest Foundation, a 501 c(3) non-profit organization. Baby Quest Foundation helps people start families by providing financial assistance to those who can’t afford the high costs of alternative means of conception such as IVF, egg donation, and surrogacy.

Pamela Hirsch brings over 15 years of business expertise as Co-founder of Baby Quest Foundation. Before co-founding the non-profit, Pamela was one of the original franchise owners of The Princeton Review, a national test preparation company. In 1993, INC Magazine included Pamela in the Top 500 List of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Pamela holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish from the University of Illinois and received her Master’s in French from Santa Clara University.

Nicole Lawson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Arizona and spent over 10 years of her career as a television executive. As Director of Affiliate Relations for Fox Broadcasting Company, Nicole oversaw liaisons between network and local affiliates. In 2011, Nicole left the entertainment industry to explore the third-party reproduction sector by working as a case manager for Alternative Conceptions. She later launched Abundant Beginnings Co., a surrogacy agency through which she guides people through the process of becoming surrogates or intended parents.

Pamela and Nicole join us today to discuss how Baby Quest Foundation and Abundant Beginnings are spreading hope and assistance to people hoping to start and grow families. They recount how Nicole’s pregnancy journey sparked the inspiration behind co-founding Abundant Beginnings and Baby Quest Foundation. They discuss how Pamela’s business experience helped her navigate fiscal responsibility during Baby Quest’s early stages. They also share the importance of surrogacy access and education and outline how Entreprenistas can get involved in the mission of Baby Quest and Abundant Beginnings.

“Run the foundation as if it were a for-profit company with lower overhead costs being fiscally responsible.” – Pamela Hirsch

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This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

  • Nicole’s experience with third-party reproduction and how it led her to launch her own business
  • Why the process of getting a surrogate can be lonely
  • The year Baby Quest and Abundant Beginnings were born
  • Pamela’s early lessons from setting up and starting a non-profit
  • Leaving the entertainment industry and Nicole’s first steps toward founding Abundant Beginnings
  • The process of applying for a grant and how Entreprenistas can get involved in Baby Quest’s work
  • How COVID-19 has impacted grant applications for Baby Quest
  • How donating to a foundation like Baby Quest can help companies
  • What a surrogacy agency is, how it works, and the Abundant Beginnings business model
  • Marketing strategies and challenges for a surrogacy agency
  • How the media has shaped the public’s perception of third-party reproduction

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “In every miscarriage, you remember the exact place you were in and the emotions you were carrying. It’s difficult for women to get out of that negative space.” – Nicole Lawson
  • “Being a workaholic doesn’t hurt, but it did for me because I didn’t delegate as much as I should. I didn’t separate or balance work and life.” – Pamela Hirsch
  • “Starting a business is always challenging, but running an agency and helping others honestly and ethically is rewarding.” – Nicole Lawson

Connect with Pamela Hirsch:

Connect with Nicole Lawson:

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