The latest project of UsTrendy founder Sam Sisakhti has been met with vigorous accolades — from those who are among the least likely to be customers of the online fashion portal he launched nearly 10 years ago.
The entrepreneur and philanthropist, based in Boston, last year established a nonprofit arm of his business, called Believe In Yourself (BIY). Its mission is to empower underprivileged girls by providing new, fashionable, and special-occasion dresses just for them — and that includes dresses for the holidays coming up.
“It is the belief of our organization that every young woman should feel confident regardless of her physicalities or financial circumstance,” Sisakhti says on the BIY website.
Less than a year old, BIY already has racked up some impressive accomplishments. Due in part to the bolstered self-confidence that often accompanies wearing fashion-forward attire, girls across the country have been attending their first dances — from daddy-daughter soirées to high school proms, homecoming festivities, and church events.
Sisakhti has helped outfit them all.
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Beneficiaries have included children and teens in such cities as Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Bangor, Maine; Nashua, New Hampshire; Chicago; and multiple sites across Boston. Sisakhti plans to expand to New Jersey and New York within the next several weeks.
The nonprofit works with established organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to identify potential recipients. As an arm of UsTrendy, BIY is uniquely positioned to address the fashion-based needs of the girls it intends to serve.
Many of the more than 20,000 designers from all over the world who offer their wares on the website provide UsTrendy with samples. Sisakhti reports he initially gave those samples away to celebrities — but soon realized those dresses could be put to far better use.
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He hadn’t been in the fashion business long when he began to realize a problem — in the form of pressure on young girls to achieve a certain body type or to dress in nothing but pricey designer clothing. When he became aware of the issues for young women, he addressed the problem with tools at his disposal: clothing and connections.
BIY’s goals for its recipients stretch far beyond a snazzy dress or stylish pair of shoes. BIY intends to offer resources to help address body image, cyberbullying, and other issues experienced by so many young women today. It hopes to accomplish this by establishing connections between the clothing recipients and mentors who can guide and advise them in person or online.
“A lot of times, it isn’t ability that distinguishes people — it’s persistence.”
Sisakhti has big plans for the mentorship aspect of the program — and hopes to involve volunteer mentors to encourage the girls on an ongoing basis. He counts the need for volunteer mentors as one of the organization’s most pressing.
In an interview with LifeZette, Sisakhti described the three main types of mentors the company hopes to recruit to connect with the girls. First are those who have successfully overcome obstacles in their lives to accomplish vocational and other life goals. The second group includes psychologists or mental health professionals who are experienced in helping girls cope with bullying. The third are professionals in the health and wellness industry — who can offer insights on positive body image and overall self-esteem.
Sisakhti sees himself as the first type of mentor. “I got rejected by 152 investors,” he said, in describing his own rocky path to entrepreneurial success. After repeated failures, he finally pitched his idea for a fashion website to venture capital investor Tim Draper — whose other successes include Tesla, Skype, and Hotmail. And the rest, as they say, is history.
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Sisakhti hopes to impart the value of persistence that led to his own success in building UsTrendy from the ground up. The company he launched about a decade ago has seen substantial and continued growth. “A lot of times, it isn’t ability that distinguishes people — it’s persistence,” he said.
Sisakhti is a millennial. “Since we [millennials] grew up in the technology era and so much was at our fingertips, we became accustomed to instant gratification,” he said. Of the takeaways he’d like to provide to others in his cohort, he advises, “Be patient. Things don’t happen overnight.”
He often works with college students at his alma mater, Brandeis University, and reports hearing students’ stories of wanting to start their own businesses — but regrets that many give up quickly when not immediately successful. Sisakhti says millennials must be willing to listen and learn.
That is what that helped him make a financial success of UsTrendy. In turn, his financial success enabled him to fund BIY out of his own pocket, at least thus far.
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Sisakhti told LifeZette that BIY just recently received its 501(c)(3) status. Though not yet set up to receive direct financial donations from donors in every state, the company should have that ability within the next month.
BIY aspires to reach as many girls in need as possible. It hopes to achieve its philanthropic goals by partnering with designers, mentors, and donors. To donate new designer dresses, volunteer as a mentor, or support the cause financially, visit Sisakhti’s website at BelieveinYourself.org.
Michele Blood is a freelance writer with a passion for children’s literature. Based in Flemington, New Jersey, she leverages her background in psychology in her work for publishers, businesses and NPOs.
(photo credit, homepage image: Salvation Army Prom Dress Boutique, CC By 2.0, by Salvation Army USA West)
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