Nonprofit Launch Academy: with founder, Sharmon Lebby

What happens when a neuroscience researcher turned ethical fashion entrepreneur accidentally founds a nonprofit and lives to tell the tale? She builds a course to stop you from making the same mistakes. This week, Matt sits down with Sharmon Lebby — founder of the Nonprofit Launch Academy — to dig into what it really takes to build a nonprofit from scratch — the right way. Sharmon shares lessons from her own founder journey, including the mistakes that led her to create a comprehensive eight-module course for aspiring nonprofit founders. From why your friends make terrible board members to why you should plan your exit before you even open the bank account, this episode is a masterclass in doing good without losing your mind. **0:00 — Cold Open & Guest Intro** Sharmon Leby's scenic route: neuroscience researcher → ethical fashion entrepreneur → accidental nonprofit founder. Matt teases the full lineup: boards, paying yourself, succession, and when to say no to a friend with a nonprofit dream. **4:00 — Neuroscience, Fashion & the Accidental Nonprofit** How a biology degree, a spontaneous clothing line, and five women in sustainability led to Sharmon's first nonprofit — by sheer hubris. She learned she had no clue what she was doing. Matt reassures: none of us do. **8:00 — Boards Make or Break You** Sharmon's biggest early mistake: recruiting friends instead of building a strategic board. Matt's rule: a great board = great org, a terrible board = game over. How to start with a skills assessment. **11:45 — The 5 Board Archetypes & When to Pay Yourself** The five people every board needs — from a compliance mind to a community voice. Then: when can a founder realistically start taking a salary? Sharmon says build a "dream budget" from day one. **13:48 — Succession Planning Starts on Day One** Counterintuitive but critical: planning your exit from the beginning means better systems, better infrastructure — and the ability to actually take a day off without the org collapsing. **18:40 — The 5:1 Pay Ratio Hot Take** Matt's first ED job paid $55K. Now he places people making $400K. Sharmon advocates the 5:1 rule: no CEO earns more than 5× the lowest-paid employee. They both agree: if your staff needs a second job to survive, you don't get to make $400K. **22:55 — Failure, Luck vs. Skill & Nonprofit Launch Academy** Getting comfortable with messing up. Matt asks his favorite interview question — lucky or skillful? — and they disagree. Plus: how the Academy was born from watching founders repeat the same mistakes (named with help from a thesaurus). **24:37 — Great Ideas, Terrible Ideas & What Makes a Strong Founder** A brilliant nonprofit bridging US and African entrepreneurs under AGOA. A terrible one funneling grant money back into a for-profit. And the qualities that separate a strong founder from an ego-driven one. **28:35 — When to Start, When to Join & When to Walk Away** Another org already does what you want? Find the gap — or go volunteer there first. And when Sharmon says *don't*: if you can't track money, won't do compliance, or want to shuffle funds, the IRS will come for you. Start a for-profit instead. **32:11 — Success Story & "Build Slow"** The student who tried to skip to the last module and file her 501(c)(3) immediately — then realized she needed the basics. Sharmon's advice to her younger self: *build slow*. Plus two warning signs your nonprofit isn't sustainable. **38:14 — Where to Find Sharmon & Why Hire Her** Find her at blesseddesignsco.com, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads ("where I make all my enemies"). She reads between the lines and gives words to what founders feel but can't articulate. Eight modules, build-as-you-go. **42:45 — Outro with Ashley: Lake Arrowhead Edition** Ashley joins from a lake because Matt bailed for a six-month-waitlist restaurant that turned out to be terrible. Plus the great Halloween decorating debate and a recap of Sharmon's episode.