Several months ago I was in the East Providence library with my son, Ian. Ian was looking for another kid's series to devour, and I was looking for something to occupy myself while he did so. Near the front desk, the librarians had kindly put out a display of books on starting your own business. Absent mindedly glancing over the covers, one smiling face caught my eye. It was the face of Blake Mycoskie, entrepreneur, philanthropist and "Chief Shoe Giver" at Tom's Shoes. His book Start Something That Matters was to become the catalyst for Plant22.
Small business books fall, roughly, into two classes: the instruction manual and the inspirational guide. Start Something That Matters leans toward the latter category. While it does offer some helpful instruction, along with practical pointers, its main strength is that it inspires the reader to pursue his or her dreams through social entrepreneurship.
Start Something That Matters offers a number of case studies of businesspeople who have become social entrepreneurs, describing how they have changed their own lives, and the lives of others, for the better. Reading through these small business biographies made me realize that I did not have to accept the status quo. The only thing stopping me was, quite simply, me.
This year my son entered first grade. While this occasion was momentous on many levels, one practical result was that I suddenly had several hours every week to pursue my own projects. Not being one to sit on my hands, I had already established a group called Permaculture Providence, through which I am teaching and demonstrating an agrarian philosophy that is personal, highly effective, and good for the environment. This work is rewarding and important but is unlikely to ever generate much cash income.
What struck me most about Blake Mycoskie's book was the concept that a for-profit company could be a very cost-effective vehicle for social change.
Having worked for a number of non-profit organizations over the years, I have often been bothered by the lack of entrepreneurship therein. While focusing exclusively on providing a social service might seem like the best approach, the practical upshot is often either financial insecurity or a slavish, hypocritical, reliance on dubious funders. Very few non-profits escape one or the other of these traps. The more successful an organization becomes, the more time is spent fundraising. The more time spent on fundraising, the more overhead the organization carries. More overhead means that impact is blunted and programs become more carefully calculated to appeal to large donors and reliable funding sources. Consider the many tons of glossy mailings sent out by "environmental" groups every year, or the questionable alliance between NPR and the estate of McDonalds burger billionaire Joan Kroc. What would the Kroc Foundation say if NPR suddenly started doing aggressive exposés on the ill health and environmental destruction created by McDonalds?
To understand more about how a for-profit can be an instrument for change, one would be well advised to read Mycoskie's book. Suffice it to say that small companies sometimes have more flexibility to enact change than small non-profits. And working for positive change is a great way to engage and excite your customers. Yes, as a company you will have to pay taxes, but one doesn't need to build board consensus to make big decisions, and one has more incentive to earn money for the cause that one supports.
Of course there is a place for non-profits. Deciding on the right business model is very important, and the non-profit model is more appropriate for some causes. But if you are considering starting something that matters, definitely check out Mycoskie's book. For me it was a revelation. Thanks Blake!
