Ep. 34: Suzanne McKechnie Klahr of Build

With her law degree from Stanford and a shiny new offer from a huge law firm in hand, Suzanne McKechnie Klahr was on her way to the top, but before she arrived, she decided to do one last thing that would change her life forever: she applied for a fellowship to work in East Palo Alto, which was the murder capital of the US at the time, to try to help low-income adults start businesses. Shortly after, four young high-school students walked into her office looking for help setting up their own business, and she realized she finally found the right target market. Twenty years later, her organization Build helps at-risk high school students learn entrepreneurship. I sat down with Klahr to talk following your heart, knowing when to step away, and figuring out how to start something even when you don’t know what you’re doing.