4 Insights to Help You Build A Thriving Conscious Business
In the FYSO accelerator, we asked Meghan French Dunbar, the Co-Founder of Conscious Company Media as well as Founder & Boss Lady at www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com to speak on the topic of “purpose” and share her entrepreneurial journey.
Here are the top 4 insights from our interview to help you build a thriving conscious business:
1. Don’t be afraid to cold email & put yourself out there
When Meghan launched Conscious Company Magazine, she cold emailed John Mackey, the Founder & CEO of Whole Foods, to see whether he’d be open to being featured on the cover of their first magazine.
He said yes and the interview with John led the magazine to wind up on Whole Foods shelves across the country at launch!
When it comes to cold outreach, the worst people can say is no.
In fact, Meghan and her team had a target list of 20 people they wanted to feature in the magazine and 18 ultimately said yes!
It’s also worth mentioning we were able to get Meghan to speak at FYSO thanks to a cold email.
2. People want to support companies that align with their values
Meghan shared that after interviewing Rose Marcario, the CEO of Patagonia, Rose told her something she would never forget:
Meghan also pointed out that a research study conducted by Cone Communications Global supports this claim, where 93% of adults surveyed worldwide demonstrate more trust and loyalty for an organization that is socially responsible.
Last, but not least, Meghan shared that the research study showcased in the book, Firms of Endearment (examples of “Firms of Endearment” include: Costco, Whole Foods, method, REI, Patagonia), suggested that the public companies they studied that were driven by purpose and passion outperformed the S&P 500 14 to 1 over a period of 15 years!
Be bold enough to stand for what you believe in.
3. Trust your gut
When asked what the biggest takeaway Meghan had from interviewing more than 41 world-changing women for the World-Changing Women Podcast (which is fantastic, by the way), the top trend that Meghan noticed from interviews with these incredible women was the importance of listening to your gut.
Meghan also pointed out the importance of self-care and slowing down enough to have a quiet space in your life to be strategic and look at the big picture.
4. Very clearly articulate your company’s purpose and the “why” of what you’re doing
Meghan shared that even though she ran a mission-driven media company, for the first four years they didn’t have their “why” clearly defined. They also didn’t have a process for measuring their impact.
After their 2018 acquisition, Meghan finally took the time with her team to go deep on articulating a clear company purpose and values with the support of a consultant.
When you know clearly what your purpose is, then it will become clear what to prioritize as an organization. Once Meghan and her team took the time to really get to the heart of their company’s “why” it clarified so many strategic decisions.
Overall, Meghan is an incredibly inspiring and insightful leader, so I hope you will consider watching our full interview.
However, if you’re short on time and you lead an organization, I highly recommend you, at minimum, take 5 minutes to watch Meghan’s interview starting at 15 minutes in to hear how Meghan and her team were able to integrate values into their organization.
As entrepreneurs and innovators, it’s up to us to raise the bar, to be bold, to set a clear vision, and, above all else, to commit to doing what is right.
Are you working to build or grow a kicka** purpose-driven business? Sign-up for my weekly e-newsletters & you’ll receive a free 101-page founders guide as a welcome gift.
Originally published at https://christinamarienoel.com on August 13, 2020.
