Lori Muñoz Malcolm shares how she turned her passion for giving into an inspiring startup

Lori Muñoz Malcolm, Community Strategist and Founder of Heartpress, is an inspiring woman that has built her business around strong values and meaningful relationships. Lori has always been a true entrepreneur at heart, and her passion for giving back to the community has grown exponentially. Beginning her consulting journey, Lori had a special place in her heart for charitable organizations. Still, she always knew she wanted to make a more significant impact and connect businesses with charities.

"I wanted to bring some innovation to the charitable community, and I knew it would take a special organization to do that."

Lori had a vision of combining innovation and technology with philanthropy by matching businesses with charities that share similar values. Lori believes that connecting people and prioritizing relationships have been vital to her success. Charity is more than a one-stop transaction. Heartpress aims to build long-term relationships between businesses and charities — a truly inspiring and innovative way to give back to communities that need it most. Lori strives to give voices to charities that might not have the opportunity to connect with businesses outside of the Heartpress marketplace. One of the most impactful moments of her entrepreneurial journey has been:

"letting go of what a startup should look like and forging your own path."

How Lori Manages her fast-moving personal life while building a community of giving

Resilience and grace: these two words describe how Lori shows up for her business and her family. When Lori first began her entrepreneurial venture, she was faced with personal challenges: her son was born only two weeks after she lost her dad to cancer. This was a very difficult time for Lori, but her strength and courage guided her path to becoming a new mom while leading and managing a startup. Her resilience, grace, and integrity shine through her business, as Lori pursues her mission of giving a voice to those that need it most. 

Lori has turned inner-grief and resilience into her superpower, as she strides forward to create balance in her life. Not only is Lori spearheading a successful entrepreneurial venture, but she is also managing a busy household; with a toddler at home, Lori has nailed down the art of managing her time. After discovering the inefficiency of multitasking, Lori realized the best way to get her work done is to live by her calendar and dedicate specific chunks of time to deep work. This means prioritizing staying in touch with her team by blocking off certain days to take calls and catch up with co-workers. She uses her time and resources wisely, sticking to the business's strategic goals and only taking on impactful projects.

"Saying no is saying yes to something else."

This past year, we have refocused our priorities and taken a step back from things we once thought were of optimal importance. Lori has found this shift valuable and strives to pour her energy into impactful work regarding her business and personal life. How does she outline her priorities and avoid busywork? Lori is a master organizer, using Slack, Asana, and Calendly to keep her day in order and efficiently communicate with her team. As a Slack power user, she has created multiple workspaces for clients, marketing, admin, and community outreach.

How Lori Munoz Malcolm maintains work-life-balance

Lori manages her business and a busy household, so only 50% of her day is dedicated to working — the other half is spent with her family, taking care of her toddler, Roman. Her work schedule doesn't tell the whole story, so Lori recommends creating a master to-do list detailing everything in your work and personal life. This system helps balance her workload, by visualizing priorities in a digital to-do list. She even uses Slack to communicate with her husband and keep track of bills, fun dinner ideas, and anything else they need to coordinate! Lori is a very visual learner, so organizing information is key to her productivity.

Lori prioritizes work-life balance and has customized her work schedule to synchronize with her home life. One of her best productivity tips is to get outside! Going for a walk at lunch leaves her feeling refreshed and ready to dive into complex projects. It's key to Lori and her team's productivity that everyone respects one another's time, and Heartpress projects a culture of balance. Lori knows that working from home isn't easy for everyone, and this past year has been incredibly stressful, so she tries to respect her co-worker's personal lives and provide them with a safe space to articulate their needs. This past year has taught Lori what is truly important, and prioritizing balance allows her to bring her passion project to fruition while caring for her family.