740. Start Before You're Ready: How Creative Futures Collective Grew from 10 to 3,500 Without a Roadmap - Jai Al-Attas

Jai Al-Attas started a record label at 16, sold it to Virgin Records at 24, and never went to college. So when he moved to LA and tried to get people from a reentry program and a homeless youth org into music industry internships, the question that kept coming back — "are these people in college?" — landed personally.He didn't have a plan. He had a chip on his shoulder and $1,800 he needed for rent. He spent it on 10 Chromebooks instead. 🩵Today Creative Futures Collective has moved 3,500 creatives through its programs in 10 cities across three countries — into Nike, Live Nation, Interscope, Forbes 30 Under 30, and one Ralph Lauren artist residency.In this episode, you'll hear:Why renaming "internship" to "futureship" unlocked doors that had been closed for two years — and what that says about the language your org is usingHow Jai and his co-founder funded the first cohort out of their own savings, and why that upfront risk was the only way to get a case study worth showingWhy he refuses to call any of this charity, and how that reframe changed who was asking whom for a favorHow COVID accidentally democratized access to the creative economy — and the alumna who did her placement from a reservation in ArizonaWhat to do when corporate partners write you a check but won't open the door you actually asked them to openYou'll walk away with permission to start the thing you've been waiting to be ready for. 🩵Episode Highlights:(3:33) From a record label at 16 to a one-way ticket to LA(5:48) "Are these people in college?" — the gatekeeping that started it all(7:24) Futureships, and paying for them out of pocket(9:21) COVID, remote work, and Naomi Glasses' path to Ralph Lauren(12:36) Scaling with Amazon, Soho House, and 10 cities (14:38) Why this was never charity — and how Untalent was born(19:13) Best Buy Teen Tech Centers and what partnership looks like(25:10) One good thing: start before you're readyEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/740Join us at The Spread!Givebutter's biggest innovation event of the year is here — The Spread, built entirely around co-creating with nonprofits like yours. 💛We Are For Good is joining forces with GB to host in-person hackathon meetups on Friday, Oct. 2, in New York, Seattle, LA, Denver, and Indianapolis, so you can build alongside other nonprofits in the community.Learn more and save your free spot today. //Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.comSay hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter