This Entrepreneur Funds Her Dream Through DoorDash

The gig economy has given many people the flexibility to help their families stay afloat (and even thrive) during these trying financial times. The food delivery industry in particular saw a boom in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic; with more people sheltering in place and ordering in, more residential food deliveries had to be made. Amongst the thousands of people making these deliveries was Cindy O. Charles, founder of the literacy organization Kupanda Sisters, who saw delivering with DoorDash as her way of keeping her entrepreneurial goals alive.

Charles was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, and lived there for the first 25 years of her life. During that time, she realized that getting a proper education was difficult for her. “I had a lot of issues with my schoolwork and my classes,” she said. “I would say that … I had lots of ups and downs [growing up].” Charles describes her childhood home life as “dysfunctional” — involving bouts of psychological and physical abuse — and recalls feeling trapped and hopeless. She found her escape around 2001 when she became a flight attendant and began flying internationally to the United States, other countries in Africa, and the Caribbean.

However, Charles’ struggles in school never left her. “While that job was very successful, I really had a strong desire for education, and I always wanted that opportunity to go back to school,” she said. In 2005, she moved to California and it was there that became inspired to go back to school and continue her education. “I met a great friend who really believed in me and really supported me,” Charles said. “And she said some really important, lasting words: ‘You are bright and you have to go to college.’” Full of doubt about her abilities, yet equipped with her friend’s words, Charles moved to New York the following year, where she attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College. To this day, Charlies still lives in NYC, residing in Brooklyn. 

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With help from tutors, Charles not only continued her education, she excelled, even making the dean’s list during her collegiate years. She kept education at the forefront of her life, so much so that she noticed when her niece and nephew (who live in Guyana) also struggled with their schooling, and she wanted to help them succeed. “Jared is about 16 now and my niece Cindy is about 13. They still struggle with illiteracy,” she said. “I know how hard it was for me growing up, and the challenges. And I wanted to create a different road map for them to provide enough resources so that they can achieve their full purpose.”

Charles took the money she had saved and went back to Guyana where in 2019 she launched Kupanda Sisters, an organization designed, as Charles explains, to “attract and deliver literacy resources to promote sustainable development, cultivate lifelong learning and employability, reduce illiteracy and poverty, and reduce inequality in education.”

Kupanda Sisters was just getting started when COVID-19 swept the world, and with parents struggling to pay for their children’s lessons, it was difficult for Charles to continue with the programming. After three months of figuring out what she was going to do for income, she downloaded DoorDash after a friend suggested its income potential. “I was in the car by myself and I was thinking about these kids, that I promised their families that we’re going to work with them and bring resources to transform their reality,” she said. “I was kind of beating myself up, like, ‘How am I going to do this?’ So I downloaded the app and I accidentally clicked on the first dash, not knowing how to navigate the platform.”

Within five minutes, Charles made her first $20 while dashing in Queens, NY and felt like her way of making the impossible possible came full circle. “This is going to be the way I will get supplemental income to keep my doors open,” she recalled, “and then I created a whole roadmap in terms of how much money I want to achieve by a [specified] deadline.” From there, Charles figured out how she was going to partner with other organizations to help get Kupanda Sisters’ students get additional resources that they normally wouldn’t have access to, such as e-books and proper WiFi.

Charles dashes for a minimum of 15 to 20 hours a week and loves how simple the app makes building your schedule. “You can make it your own. It’s very flexible,” she said. “You can be your own boss. You can set realistic goals and be able to attain that once you stick to your program.” Charles also capitalizes on dashing during certain times, what she calls “peak hours,” to gain extra bonuses that can lead to more income.

With the money she earns, Charles aims to help 500 students from two schools reach age-level literacy by January 2023. “My goal is to have [over] $5,000 to invest in resources,” she said, which she plans on generating through delivering with DoorDash. Though it may be different than your typical 9-to-5, according to Charles, “Once you have the discipline, you can really make a lot of money.”