So you want your startup to “do good” — WTF do you do first?
- In the second post on baking social good into your startup, expert Susan McPerson explains how to make “ doing good” work for everyone.
- “Do it from the beginning, and you will reap the benefits down the road.”
- Scared that investors will worry you’re putting good before profit? Here’s how to easily win them over, and make them even more impressed.
Startup success is almost always measured in cold hard profit. But that doesn’t tell the whole story: the ripple effect of your business is measured in lots of other, human factors. What if your startup was also measured by how it made your neighbours happy? Or helped less fortunate communities grow?
In Part One of this inspiring duo of posts, business sustainability expert Susan McPherson explained why you should “bake in” social good from the get-go. Now she explains how.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is the tricky part, but as Susan — of McPherson Strategies — explained, it’s not actually that difficult at all. At TOA Berlin 2016, she shared advice that will ensure you do the right thing whilst you’re busy disrupting things.
She recommends enjoyable community-focussed tasks which actively strengthen all the other hard work that you do. It’s not simply putting your money where your mouth is: Susan emphasises the power of planning, being true to your mission, and the unmistakeable pleasure that comes from helping.
Dig into her toolkit for social good — and transform you, your startup and the lives of the people around you…
Start early.
“None of this happens overnight. With startups, it is easier to turn a rowboat around than a cruise ship. So if you can bake these tips and tricks in from the beginning, it’s going to help you over the long haul.
“If you set these systems up right at the beginning [i.e. before investors], you don’t have all of those layers of bureaucracy that will say, ‘Ah, we don’t want you investing in that nonprofit because that may hinder the profitability back to the shareholder.’”
Plan carefully how you’re going to do your good thing.
“First and foremost, focus. You need to set a plan in place — and if you don’t there’ll be no way to measure or pivot or change along the way.
“So think: what is the business of your company? What is the ethos in the DNA of your company?
What makes sense for you to do, given the industry you’re in?”
We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
“We should be listening twice as much as talking. If you want to get your employees involved, give them a say at the beginning.
“Whether you’re a five member team or a 100-member team, survey them, poll them, and find out what they’re passionate about. Specifically ask about picking up causes, or choosing a partner to support, or deciding on a non-profit partner.”
Make your operations environmentally friendly.
“Again, this is easier to do at the beginning. Whether it’s LED lighting, limiting your use of plastics, or allowing your employees to telecommute so that they’re not spending money on fuel — all of this can help you save money.
“At the same time you’ll continue to attract the best talent and the best long-term customer base.”
Hire an inclusive and diverse workforce.
“This one is particularly important to me. We live in a multicultural, multi-coloured world.
“If you want to be solving the hardest and most challenging problems, you need all kinds of opinions, ideas, and inclusion within your workforce. Do it from the beginning, and you will reap the benefits down the road.”
You pick your friends based on values: well, you should pick your partners in the same way.
Hire local and sustainable vendors.
“Use really tough scrutiny to look at who you are paying. Peel back the layers — are they environmentally sound? Are they socially conscious? You pick your friends based on values: well, you should pick your partners in the same way.
“And think what you can be doing locally. From a budget perspective it would be a lot less expensive, and it also can give you a really nice glow from the perspective of your reputation in the media.”
Tap into existing networks.
“There’s all sorts of social innovation groups and chapters throughout the world. In the United States, we have Giving Tuesday, which has now gone global.
“It’s a day of giving, and celebrates the notion of giving back on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It is now a day where thousands and thousands of nonprofits really state what their mission is — and a lot of huge corporations and startups showcase their support.”
Finally: consider becoming a benefit corporation.
“There are over 1800 benefit corporations around the world: brands such as Patagonia and even Unilever are becoming benefit corporations.
“This is a way to be measured and looked at: based on your environmental and social give-back in addition to your profitability.”
Don’t miss Part One, where Susan explained why you should “bake in” social good from the get-go. It’s inspiring, concise, and will help make whatever you do, do good!
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This talk was edited for clarity and length.
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