Hey! So nice to speak with you! Can you tell our readers a little bit more about yourself? Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
My name is Kimberly Naslund. I am originally from Tennessee and currently reside in Oak Park, California where I stay active in my community. I am a humanitarian at heart as I am eager to be of service to those who are overlooked and underserved. I started working with adults who are intellectually and physical disabled in 2003 as a vocational trainer and later went on to manage a community integration day program for adults with disabilities. Now am the CEO of the Naslund & Naslund Foundation and director of the Light of Hope community integration day program for adults with special needs. I was appointed to sit on the board of commissioners for First 5 Ventura County, by Ventura County District 2 Supervisor Jeff Gorell. First 5 VC is an organization in California that advocates for children from prenatal to the age of 5 by developing and implementing systems that improve their health, education and give tools to families to assist in strengthening the bond of parent and child establishing a strong foundation in the welfare of the child. I am also a trained Classical Pilates instructor as I care very much about maintaining health of the body and mind, while assisting in the wellbeing of others as well as myself as am an advocate for Multiple Sclerosis and being able to perform Pilates helps me to maintain balance, coordination and strength to live a bountiful life with M.S. I also have a rock band, Seventh Freedom, in which I sing with my husband, Scott Naslund. More importantly, I am a helper, encourager and fighter for those who depend on me for whatever civilized service I am providing.
Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?
Being the CEO of the Naslund & Naslund Foundation is humbling and an honor. The foundation has a program under its umbrella called Light of Hope, which I am the director of for adults with special needs. I wanted to start this company to help be of service for individuals transiting out of high school. When they graduate, there are not many programs that will assist them with integrating and navigating safely in their community and Light of Hope helps to elevate one’s quality of life in a meaningful way. We also have the S.U.R.F. program (Service, Unity, Responsibility, Faith). This program helps individuals who are intellectually delayed pursue God and faith in a way that resonates with them and recognize that they too have something to give. There was a lot of preparation in order to get vendored with the Regional Center to start Light of Hope. A program design had to be submitted which took many months to complete. Therefore, I recruited my mother to assist me and asked my husband to join me on this venture. I also had to learn the laws and regulations that govern this type of program and study the format the Regional Center required for writing the program design.
If someone wants to start a business, what's advice that will help them?
I would tell anyone who wants to start a business to have a financial reserve and a financial operating plan. Build a team with people you can trust and who are as passionate about your project as you are. It will be very helpful to stay organized from the beginning and lead with transparency, diplomacy and strength.
What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?
A parent of one of my consumers cried and stated that they are so happy that their adult child is in a program where they feel a sense of belonging and trust, which is what the Light of Hope program is all about. Inclusion, advocacy and purpose. We strive to assist our participants in elevating their quality of life.
Where do you see your company in the future?
I see the Naslund & Naslund Foundation having other Light of Hope locations and providing other humanitarian services.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
The biggest misconception about servicing adults with special needs is their sense of awareness. Sometimes people do not realize that they understand everything you're saying and just because they may communicate differently or cannot always convey how they are feeling in a way that you can understand, doesn't mean that they are not intelligent, get their feelings hurt or get embarrassed. They have the same emotions as you and I.
What has been one of your biggest struggle building your business and how did you deal with it?
One of the biggest struggles was opening the business during covid. However, when my husband and I signed the lease for our office we had no idea that covid would shut the world down a few weeks later. Because of that the program did not open until 2023 and we did not receive any revenue until March of that year. We had to rely on our personal funds.
