Damen Fletcher on the benefits of chess, turning chess into a fulfilling business, and creating something of value | EP 31

Today’s Episode with Damen Fletcher:

Damen Fletcher is the founder of Train of Thought, a program that gives every child access to the wonderful game of Chess. The purpose of Train of Thought is to give children the tools they need to make the right decisions in chess, but also in life. Growing up in Compton, Damen lived in a place of frequent violence and drug use. He wanted to bring a positive influence to Compton and other cities so that kids and adults can find their own path. Damen’s goal is to teach Chess all over the world and make it accessible to anyone, no matter their background.When you build something that is valuable and that people need, it will sell itself. If people see value in what you are offering, you won’t need to pitch it so hard to others.Social media hasn’t been something that Damen uses often to grow the business. Instead, he always makes an effort to have conversations with new people, creating connections and sharing what he does. In terms of hiring and advertising, they post on platforms like Indeed and use word of mouth. In the interview process, there is rarely conversation about chess itself, but rather about their values and lifestyles.Train of Thought uses tools and resources such as Asana as a project management tool, Keep for communication, and chesskid.com to manage all of their students.Damen’s biggest challenge right now is getting conversations about Chess and Train of Thought to happen in places where he is not. If Damen were a chess piece, he would be a knight! Knights will always find a way to get to its destination despite the obstacles blocking it and are willing to put themselves in danger for the greater good. Find out more about Damen and Train of Thought at https://www.chesstrain.org/Hot seat answers! Apple or Android: AppleFavorite book: Morphy’s Game of ChessFavorite chess player: Paul Morphy Favorite movie: 12 Angry MenApp you can’t live without: Apple MusicIdeal Vacation Spot: Home Best album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Best Amazon purchase in the last 6 months: Room LightsSelf-care activity of choice: A cigarFavorite TV show: The Cosby ShowBook title written about Damen’s life: Knight Vision

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