The latest program in several geared to helping entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses in the Triangle is Startup Grind. The global group, backed by Google for Entrepreneurs, is launching a Raleigh chapter led by local entrepreneur Dannielle Williams-Prades. And she is bringing a lot of energy to the job, as she explains in an exclusive Q&A with WRAL TechWire.

“I am a born multi-tasker, with two notebooks and a calendar,” the 23-year-old who moved to Raleigh from Washington, D.C. in March, explains.

“My email is my life. When you love what you do, you always make time for it!”

She needs the energy, having been hired to form the Raleigh chapter and organize its first two events (one in August, another in November). She also runs here own business, an event planning firm called Golden Affairs, and is setting up a non-profit focused on children.

“The name Golden Affairs came from the fact the people associate gold with success. So by definition Golden Affairs mean Successful Events, in which I produce,” says Williams-Prades. While the company, which is a year old, is a one-person affair, she points out confidently that it’s a “one-woman show … for now.” Her long-term plan is to expand along the East Coast.

What sets her business apart? “My company doesn’t just focus on one category of events. I create events from Social to Corporate and everything in between. I also will provide my event planning expertise gratis for non-profit (501c3) organizations.”

Then there is her non-profit. Called “Dream With Purpose,” the mission is “to create an inspiring environment for children to be further educated, display and enhance their creativity, and maintain good health.”

Why do this while growing a new business and take on the Startup Grind job?

“When I pass away people are not going to care about the last job I had or how much money I made; but they will remember how I gave back to the community,” she explains. 

That attitude is reflected in her favorite saying, which comes from Winston Churchill:

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

A self-described “military brat” who has lived “everywhere from California to Maryland and a couple of places in between,” Williams-Prades is a graduate of Bowie State University with a major in communications. 

She’ll need those skills and the lessons she is already learning as an entrepreneur to build Statrtup Grind, a group that puts on events with veteran entrepreneurs who are seeking to provide lessons learned and best practices to others.

The Road to Startup Grind

Startup Grind launched a chapter in Durham last fall and has had several events. Williams-Prades says she actually found out about the group through Instagram and decided to pursue a Raleigh chapter. 

“I chose to get involved to help other entrepreneurs in the area connect,” she says. “I am not a volunteer, but I am always looking for volunteers! I filled out the form on the Startup Grind website and the founder (Derek Andersen) reached out to me and we spoke on Skype and everything else fell right into place.”

So how can entrepreneurs benefit from Startup Grind?

“There will be other entrepreneurs to connect and build with as well as investors,” she says. 

HQ Raleigh will be the site for the first event on Aug. 21. “I chose HQ Raleigh for my events because it is located in downtown Raleigh and is a spitting image of what Startup Grind wants to conquer, which is bringing entrepreneurs together,” she says.

And if Startup Grind is to be successful, Williams-Prades points out that events will be about much more than business. 

“The mission of Startup Grind is to connect entrepreneurs in such a way that they are not just business partners, but lifelong friends,” she says.

Why is Startup Grind in Raleigh?

“Raleigh is not only the capital of North Carolina, but is home to a major center in the U.S. for high-tech and biotech research: RTP,” she explains. 

Williams-Prades also says she is not doing this alone.

“They support me 100 percent,” she said of Startup Grind, which is based in Silicon Valley. “If I have any question or ideas I cannot only contact Francisco! Everyone knows Francisco! I can contact other chapter directors in different parts of the world.”

Williams-Padres already has some advice that she shares with other entrepreneurs:

“The best advice I have received from other entrepreneurs is just to keep going and don’t give up on what you believe in.”