Meet Cindy Eggleton | CEO, Brilliant Detroit

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Eggleton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I worked leading education efforts at a local foundation. I saw what worked and what did not work. In that it was clear that changing paths early in life could change poverty generation to generation. I met my co-founders, Jim and Carolyn Bellinson, and together we knew we needed to change the typical models. The statistics were clear: 14 percent of children in Detroit were reading at grade level and over 30,000 kids at that time did not have any early learning options. We saw the problem as being a lack of coordination and access in one place. My partners had the business acumen and I had the education and impact knowledge. Brilliant Detroit was launched as a unique delivery model to early childhood development by using underutilized housing stock to create early child and family centers in neighborhoods. The approach assures that the neighborhood and families have agency. We call that with, for, and by neighbors. In 2016, Brilliant Detroit was born to create kid success neighborhoods. Today, in each location, neighbors come together for fellowship, activities and learning to assure school readiness, and provide needed support for families.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There are a few key values and practices that set Brilliant Detroit apart from the competition.

With, for and by the community – What this means is that we ask our neighbors what resources are needed most and work to provide those supports. We believe that people can best speak to their situation and what types of resources they desire rather than assuming we know best. We include the community in an ongoing way by collecting feedback after programs and via our Advisory Team which is a group of neighbors that meets monthly to guide the growth of their site.

Place-based – We want all of our sites to feel like a part of the neighborhood where they are located. This means adapting to the interests of the community, but also meeting people where they are at, literally! Our community hubs are converted houses and are therefore easily accessible to neighbors. The idea is that you do not need to have a car to access our services. Another aspect of this is hiring from the neighborhoods we are in. We believe those that live there have both a leg up in terms of networking, but also a stronger drive and passion to serve those in that neighborhood.

Distribution System – We know that our families have many needs and that critical services can be hard to access for those with no or limited transportation options. That is why our hubs also service as a distribution system, both for goods as well as services. In addition to services like tutoring or exercise classes, we also provide essentials like diapers, formula, and books.

Collaboration > competition – We believe in working with others who have similar missions. We work with numerous non-profit, for profit, and community organizations for a common purpose – Kid Success. Collaboration is also the beginning of any Brilliant site. We are always invited into a neighborhood by a group, be it a block club, church group, or just a group of community members. These community connections are our in to the community and help us connect and collaborate with those in the area.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am all about relationships, so I would want to carve out a lot of time to hang out and connect with my friend over a nice meal or in a beautiful space. I also love to lift up unique local businesses. With this in mind, I would surely take my friend to Eastern Market. All of the vendors there are so passionate about what they do. I love hearing about their specialties and passion.

In terms of where I would take my friend for food and drink, I would like to shout out Leila in Capitol Park and the coffee shop in the Fisher Building – what a great space to enjoy a hot drink!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As I mentioned before, the success of Brilliant Detroit would not be possible without the support of my co-founders Jim and Carolyn Bellinson. I want to call out Jim particularly as he and I are a great example of the power of partnerships. Jim is highly active in Brilliant Detroit serving as our board chair and being an amazing champion of Brilliant. A few things I value about Jim are that he is a great listener and that he loves push back. He is focused on impact and stays true in certain key areas. He always reminds me of our organizational value of “do the right thing,” which is not always the simple or easy choice. Jim brings to the table a variety of skills including business acumen and the ability to scale. When we first started the conversation that led to Brilliant Detroit’s creation it was clear that the community needed to be at the center. It was ultimately Jim who came up with the idea of converting houses into family hubs. He and Carolyn asked me to run the organization based on my experience in the Early Childhood Education field. It may be a surprise, but at first I said no! After six months and some convincing from the Bellinsons, I came around. Now I can confidently say that Brilliant Detroit is the best thing I have ever done; in truth I have found my true purpose.

Website: https://brilliantdetroit.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BrilliantDetroit/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brilliantdetroit/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brilliantd313

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrilliantDetroit/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brilliantdetroit5234

Image Credits
Zak Bratto