Social Impact Tech: Charles Odom of Painted Circle On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact

An Interview With Jilea Hemmings

Create Value — Value comes in many forms. It can be money, access, exposure, experience, connections — the list goes on. No matter what it is, there should be value in what you are building. Think about the value that you create and for whom. And know if creating value for one comes at a cost for another. Some people will do things for you as a favor, but a successful business must be built on real value being there for your stakeholders.

In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Charles Odom.

Charles is a veteran of the travel industry with professional experience across six countries. After more than a decade focused on business development and guest experience for a tour provider, he is now working on Painted Circle, a new travel platform designed to be more supportive of inclusive businesses as well as local communities. Charles holds a degree in International Development from American University in Washington, DC and sees tremendous potential for tech to help travel and exploration have a positive impact on our communities.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?

I grew up in the suburbs of Columbia, SC. As a kid I was obsessed with trains, planes, and blocks. Building all kinds of structures with a variety of materials kept me busy for hours and my parents were sure that I would become an architect. But when I was two years old I took my first plane ride. From that point on travel became a passion and over the years we took a number of family trips, seemingly going a little further each time. During elementary school we traveled to Africa and more than ever before I was transported into another world. I feel incredibly fortunate that my family was able to travel and give that gift to me. Nothing we did was fancy or extravagant, but the experiences were life enhancing. It’s no wonder to me now that I am working in travel and using that same drive to build things to create new tools for travel and exploration.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My first job in the tourism industry, many years ago, was as a tour guide in Berlin, Germany. My personal history with Berlin goes back a long time — I was a student there years earlier and have spent a large portion of my life in the city. Although I now live in North Carolina, I will always consider Berlin one of my homes. It’s a place where many unusual and unexpected things happen, and as a tour guide interacting with dozens of people each day one certainly has the opportunity to have a multitude of interesting experiences. One of the more memorable bike tours I gave was for a private group on the same day as a large parade. Rather than being stuck by the crowds we joined the parade to move around town and get to all the sites — everyone in the group felt like a celebrity.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There have been some wonderful people with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work, and I feel that I have learned something from each of them. And quite honestly I’ve also learned from those who were challenging. I’ve been privileged with having in my circle those who reinforce and motivate me, but also those who have pushed me to really reflect and grow. Despite the countless people I’ve met through work I would say it is my spouse who gives me the most support. We are from different countries, speak different languages, and work in completely different industries. As a scientist, he has a unique way of looking at the world and our conversations are a mixture of dialogue and art. His own motivation for professional excellence is inspiring, and his support of me and my startup is invaluable.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I was pretty young when I read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Lesson number two is to “begin with the end in mind.” This one really stuck with me and has influenced a great deal of my professional life. Often working on a limited budget and without being handed a defined roadmap I’ve spent a great deal of my career reverse engineering the ways to get to our end goals. Particularly in business I think it’s vital to have a vision of where you are going in order to set off in the right direction and stay the course.

But I think there is also a dark side to living by the rule of beginning with the end in mind. I have also found myself unable to take the plunge on some projects because there was too much uncertainty. So this life lesson has also taught me another lesson, which is to sometimes ignore it. I love the sentiment of “begin with the end in mind” but I think the most important word is “begin.” As I have grown professionally and continue to have new experiences I feel that we aren’t really working towards an end but rather a constant procession of milestones. Recognize when you have enough of your end goal in mind and just start.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

First and foremost, I consider myself pretty observant. I don’t like being on stage, and I avoid being the center of attention. Surprise parties for me are a strict no-go. But I’m not a hermit. I enjoy listening, watching, and learning and then trying to create by doing. Oddly enough one of my most fun jobs was as a tour guide in front of groups every day. But my observant side played a role in that position as well as when I later advanced to being a tour trainer and manager. The things you can learn by observing as you are working with others helps you to know how you are doing and if you need to change your approach. If you are paying attention, you will see if your group is engaged, distracted, having a hard time hearing, or if they seem bored, exhausted, or disengaged. Fast forward to working at a director level and those same skills of observation are needed just as much to make sure that your team is engaged and prepared for success.

The second skill that I think is important, and one that we all have to work on every day, is being communicative. At one level, it can be challenging to translate ideas into words that others understand. On another level, the ways in which we communicate can have a profound impact on performance and happiness, and if things get done correctly. One of my most difficult positions so far has been as a staff manager. It was a challenging role because our company really did care about how our staff were doing and wanted to take staff feedback on board. One of the things we were able to do is provide multiple avenues for information to flow from directors through the team, and for the team to connect with directors. Everyone communicates differently so it was important to put several options out there including newsletters, regular drop-in meetings, and easy one-on-one sessions.

A third skill that I think is important is to be resourceful. There may not always be an off-the-shelf solution to each problem or challenge we will face. It’s great to be able to create your own solutions from other tools. For example, if your company can’t afford an elaborate client relationship system or database manager, there are some steps you can take with readily available and often free tools that will absolutely move the needle. Knowing how to use free tools and furthermore knowing how to combine them together to create custom solutions can be a game changer for small businesses.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive social impact on our society. To begin, what problems are you aiming to solve?

Many of us love to travel. And many of us book travel activities and experiences through popular travel sites. What many people don’t realize is that most travel sites retain a large portion of your purchase as a commission. With my background as a tour operator, I have seen first-hand how costly this can be to businesses. These steep commissions prevent many hard-working businesses from realizing their revenue potential and often stunt growth prospects. As a traveler, I also know that this traditional arrangement doesn’t add value to our experiences. We think the traditional commission setup is a problem.

But as we set out to find a solution, we uncovered more problems and missed opportunities. How do we know when we travel if the businesses we give our money are inclusive of all guests? How do we know if we are welcome? How do we know if those businesses aim to have a positive impact on the environment? How does our travel-related economic activity have a positive impact on the communities we visit? And looking at all these questions amidst a backdrop of social turmoil, how could we find a way to bring people closer together? Quite interestingly, it was only when putting all these problems on the table that we started to see solutions emerging.

How do you think your technology can address this?

Painted Circle is about bringing more stakeholders together on one platform so that we can work together to address these challenges and create more value for more people. As we took a deep dive into the issues and strategized about possible solutions, we realized that radical new technology was really not needed. All the pieces of the puzzle are already here, but not being optimized together. The Painted Circle platform is an invitation for people to exit silos and circle up to find simple yet meaningful ways we can let the economic prosperity driven by travel positively influence other parts of our community.

The strategy was simple, and started with finding a way to promote business on our site without charging them advertising fees or sales commissions. We made Painted Circle a free marketplace for businesses to create listings and showcase what they offer. But we do ask businesses for two important contributions: First, instead of taking a commission we ask businesses listed with us to extend a special offer or perk to their guests. We compile these special offers and create an online coupon book that is available to our site members who want to pay to access all those great offers. This way everyone can use our site for free, and those who want to access more can upgrade.

The second thing we require for businesses listed on Painted Circle is an agreement to our Inclusivity Commitment. This is an affirmation that all guests will be welcomed and offered a great experience. We feel that being inclusive is good for business, and it helps people feel confident and safe when they travel. We give businesses an opportunity to include with their listing the steps they take to welcome a variety of different types of guests, including seniors, LGBTQ+, families, and many more. But at the heart of our Inclusivity Commitment is simplicity, that all guests are to be welcomed and respected, and that civility is a foundation of good business.

Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?

As a former director for a tour company, I always wanted to see a way for our business to be found on travel sites without losing so much money to commissions. It was unsettling to see the effect these commissions had, both from decreasing the profits we could use to grow our own business, to knowing that there was no value-add for guests.

While finding a better way to handle commissions was the catalyst that kicked off the Painted Circle startup, it was the social turmoil over the last few years that infused passion into the project. Our country is seeing an ongoing struggle for racial justice, inclusion, and economic opportunity. More and more we were seeing communities splintering with an “us and them” mentality. Communities started looking full of silos, and started looking just like the travel-related issue Painted Circle is working to solve. As I reflected more on my own professional experience my frustration with reseller commissions was put into perspective. There was a much more powerful goal our platform could have to make a difference not just for finances, but for people. And not just for some people — for all of us.

How do you think this might change the world?

It’s great to think something you create will change the world. I don’t know if that will happen, but I hope Painted Circle will be part of the journey of coming together to make the world a bit better. We aren’t introducing radical new technology or completely rewriting the old rules. We are coming forward with a more ethical way to put the pieces together, driven by shared value and shared contribution.

If we can build a culture around respect, we really open the door to tremendous opportunity. Painted Circle is designed to be a financially successful venture, and one that is aimed at generating success for others, too. We want to move beyond the old, extractive way of doing business to one where we are adding value and creating the possibility to regenerate communities. I hope Painted Circle will be positioned as a leader in this effort, and open the door for others to find ways of coming closer together rather than further apart.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

There will always be those who leave a negative review, or decide they don’t want to go to a business that is friendly to LGBTQ+ customers or that is owned by minorities. But the way these things are made most negative is by not learning from them. And more than that, these are opportunities for us to learn about ourselves.

Over the past year I’ve learned that I have a role to play in systemic racism. As a gay man married to an immigrant and part of a multi-racial family I have always considered myself very open minded and certainly not racist. So why then are almost all of my professional contacts other white guys? Why was the staff and customer base at my previous company almost all white? Why do the majority of people at the conferences I go to all look the same and have such a familiar narrative?

It’s not a coincidence. And the realization that has hit me is that it is not enough to simply not to be racist. We have to work harder to start to bridge the gap. We have to be allies for each other. There will always be detractors, but I honestly feel that most people want things to be right, and want to start healing and prospering together.

Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)

Have a Vision

Just like “beginning with the end in mind,” having a vision and a purpose is critical. While all the details may not be clear at first, you should have a general idea of where your product and your business can go. Think about what happens if things don’t work as intended and how you can switch gears. On the flip side, consider what you will do if your product is a huge success so that you can ride the momentum and get to the next level. Start with a vision and make sure there is room to adjust. Know your non-negotiables and know what you can change along the way. Check in regularly to make sure you are still on course.

Don’t be afraid to start with broad strokes and go bold with your vision. For example, you may say “I want my business to be the best place to work in the country” or possibly “I want to build a company that I can sell for a profit in 3 years time.” You can work out many of the details as you go, but knowing a general direction will help you get started and make decisions along the way that are aligned with your ultimate goals.

Easy Adoption

There is a zen principle that says the simplest answers are usually the best. Learning is an exercise that is rewarding but it takes energy, so make sure there is a clear and easy path for people to adopt your product. Don’t be afraid of doing something radical, but be prepared to lead people along the way. And keep in mind this applies not only to your customers and the product that you create, but to your staff and the tools you use to run your business.

The travel industry tends to be one that embraces innovation and new services, and I have certainly tried many new tools over the years. One place that is very important to consider adoption is within your team. One thing we developed in house at my previous job was an entire quoting and invoicing system for planning private tours for our clients. It was incredibly comprehensive, but not easy to use. While we could train our staff and make things work, there was enough friction in the system that we never got momentum behind it. In the end we abandoned the project because it was just not an enjoyable tool for our crew to use.

Use Feedback

Theories and realities are often different when it comes to rolling out a new product. Come up with a list of people who can provide you useful feedback. Your customers and promoters are easy places to start but go further. Consider people outside of your industry to get a unique perspective on what you are doing. Think of feedback not as a search for reinforcement, but of new ideas and perspectives. If getting feedback sounds too much like an echo chamber it’s time seek different perspectives.

One of my previous positions was as a Director of Guest Experience. Our company was highly driven by outstanding customer service and guest experience and our tours were consistently ranked as some of the best in the world. Many components are at play in creating a success story like that, as well as many metrics to constantly monitor performance. The glue that holds everything together was multi-directional and multi-level feedback. Guest reviews, surveys, peer feedback, and internal checks are all part of having a comprehensive feedback loop. Because our tours were so successful we would quickly use all the good reviews to reinforce what we knew were core components of our service. But we spent most of our time analyzing and acting upon the rare poor reviews. It was in those reviews where we could identify gaps in our service, cracks beneath the surface, or instances where our training and preparation fell short. The more we invested in learning, the more we saw our quality flourish and our reputation solidify.

Create Value

Value comes in many forms. It can be money, access, exposure, experience, connections — the list goes on. No matter what it is, there should be value in what you are building. Think about the value that you create and for whom. And know if creating value for one comes at a cost for another. Some people will do things for you as a favor, but a successful business must be built on real value being there for your stakeholders.

Painted Circle is filling a bit of a gap here. We see value in travel and wealth being created, but often at a cost to others. For example, we’ve seen some popular destinations become victims of their own success. Look at Venice, for example. A beautiful city that has attracted such large numbers of tourists that locals have fled and the city’s infrastructure is crumbling. Finding ways of tethering the economic activity that is generated by tourism to have a direct contribution back to the communities where this activity takes places is central to what we are building.

Partner Up

We all have limitations. Know what yours are. If you are a visionary then you may not need help with ideation or forming your vision. But the transition from vision to reality takes many skills and tools, and you may need help. Stay true to your vision and look for others who can support your creative journey.

There is an African proverb that says “if you want to go fast, go alone — if you want to go far, go together.” Sometimes as a business owner and entrepreneur you must stand firm to your vision even when you feel like you are on an island. But the time will come when you must surround yourself with others who can help you move forward. Painted Circle has started just this way. It’s been a self-funded project with a handful of collaborators. When we hit roadblocks, we reach out to our network and look for others who can join the journey, even if just for a bit.

If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?

Our world needs more allies and more people who can share their opportunities with others. Take time to look at your own life and see if there are gifts you have that you can share with others. None of us is certain that what we are building will work or succeed, but the journey and the process of creating things can be life-enhancing. Tinker, try, fail, and learn. Just keep at it. We are at a point when our economy needs businesses to go beyond providing the basics to now creating art. And luckily, there is room for much more to be created, so start making it happen! The more people we can energize to work on environmentally responsible and socially supportive businesses the better chance we have of creating prosperity for the long term.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

It’s great meeting people who can really open your mind to new ideas. And being in travel how can I not want to have lunch with Samantha Brown! Not only has she traveled to many of the places on my own bucket list, but I would imagine she is someone who could really push me to think of new features and tools that we could build into Painted Circle.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Visit paintedcircle.com to see how we are doing and of course to sign up for free. We are expecting to roll out new features over the rest of 2021 and into 2022 as we continue to build the first version of our platform. So please check us out and get involved as a traveler or a business!

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.

About the Interviewer: Jilea Hemmings is a staunch believer in the power of entrepreneurship. A successful career revamping Fortune 500 companies was not enough for her entrepreneurial spirit, so Jilea began focusing her passion in startups. She has successfully built 6 startups to date. Her passion for entrepreneurship continues to flourish with the development of Stretchy Hair Care, focusing on relieving the pain associated with detangling and styling natural black hair. For far too long, people with tender heads have suffered in pain. Until now.