Business With Purpose
Lately at bellette we’ve been developing our branding guidelines, and we’ve been looking at what it means to be Bellettians.
The core theme that we keep coming back to is that bellette is an active member of the community. We believe that the community you live in is only as strong as what you put back into it. Everything we do, all our goals and strengths, are focused on what we can do to add to the place we live.
Why?
Because what is business without purpose? What is money-making without something worthwhile to show for it? We don’t think that success is measured in fancy cars and big houses, we look at the tangible results that we can see come from our work. Strong and valuable personal relationships, a community that is growing together and supports each other in the good stuff.
There is a lot to be said for businesses who want to create positive change, in their local community and in the world. We’ve all got the opportunity to do some good with our skills.
We wanted to use this space to point out some businesses who are doing some really great things. Promoting positive social outcomes in what they do, and giving you the opportunity to support these causes through your business.
These guys really do.
Who gives a crap came from a realisation by a group of friends that there are 2.4 billion people across the world don’t have access to a toilet. It started with a crowdfunding campaign and a whole lot of toilet humour and has since become a successful example of making change through business.
50% of profits from Who Gives A Crap products goes to building toilets and improving sanitation standards in countries that need it.
TOMS operates on the one for one model of helping people in need. It started with shoes, every shoe bought meant a shoe given to a child in need. This for profit business model has worked so well, they have since broadened their scope.
The business now also sells eyewear to help restore sight, coffee to provide safe water and bags to give birth kits for the safe delivery of babies.
The bottled water industry in Australia is worth about $600 million a year. This didn’t sit right with the people who started Thankyou. water. Knowing that there were 900 million people in the world who didn’t even have access to safe drinking water on a daily basis, when in Australia it’s safe to drink water from the tap.
Thankyou. give 100% of their profits to the causes they support. They started as a bottled water business, providing safe drinking water in third world countries. Since then they have expanded into foods, body products and most recently, baby supplies.
Zambrero is another business operating on the one for one framework. This one though, is a healthy Mexican food franchise and they like to call it, plate for plate.
These guys have store spread all across Australia (yes, they ARE in Darwin!), New Zealand, Thailand and Ireland. These stores are their way of combating world hunger. With every meal that is bought, a meal is given a to someone who might otherwise starve.
This one is Melbourne based and their cause is fighting homelessness.
A bit different to some of the businesses we’ve talked about above. The main focus of HoMie is to create a way out of homelessness through real means. They provide new clothes, training and job opportunities to people that need a hand up and off the streets.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be in Melbourne to support this cause, you can buy their products online too!
These businesses have the sole focus of doing good for the wider community. They are a great example of ways that businesses can create change in the world.They can make us feel a bit better about our own consumerism too when we support them.
There are plenty of businesses who promote good causes in less obvious ways and plenty of opportunities for businesses to get on board with great causes through what they do.
Some other ways that businesses can push positive causes could be through sponsorships, awareness campaigns, pro bono support of events and causes, or through other creative ways that pop up. They can get involved locally, even clients and customers can get involved. Pay it forward movements are a great influencer of social change and can bring communities together. Tip jars or donation tins are another obvious way that people can directly give to a cause through a business.
It goes to show that it’s not hard to influence positive change. Whether it’s in your local community, giving back to where you live, or supporting the big global issues. It certainly makes the rat race more enjoyable when you’re working towards a good cause.
Originally published at https://bellette.com.au.
