You need to be an active member in society. The recent fires in the Amazon rainforest spread over social media, too, and there is something hopeful in seeing so many people raising their voices for environment protection. Could it have been prevented?
We sometimes hear people call someone “woke” – meaning, taking into account all the variables and seeing the big picture. Jim Carrey is woke. Dalai Lama is woke. Gary Vaynerchuk is woke af.
However, these people are rare, and for the most part, global population floats comfortably in the pool of tradition and tried practices. The Amazon fires are re-stating a century old wisdom: it’s not enough to just talk about it, you have to do it.
Why do you, as a business, need to be more socially impactful?
Be the change you wish to see
We understand – owning and running a business is hard. The employees, the market positioning, taxes, surviving another quarter in a volatile economy.
If you take a step back, though, you will realize that some of these aspects stem from what’s accepted and practiced in a society. And, while there are some parts that are beneficial, others should at least be questioned.
As a business, you have a wider reach than an average citizen. As such, you can profess your vision much more efficiently and be heard by more people.
It doesn’t matter if your business positively affects a hundred or a hundred million people. Even if it’s just one – you made someone’s life better.
And that’s just the beginning.
What goes around, comes around
Big companies have, over the last decade, pushed the initiative for greener and more sustainable production. IKEA is throwing away all its plastic products and introducing recycling, along with sustainable cotton and other materials.
You may not have the reach, distribution nor resources of IKEA, but what will happen if you do start challenging certain societal notions? Maybe it’s the way you conduct business, or hire people. Maybe you want to build more closely-knit communities within your market.
A more humane approach typically changes the perception of your company in the eyes of a consumer, from that of greedy capitalist to a woke, sustainable enterprise. This is a chain reaction, where market, inspired by your example, demands from your competitors same or similar, thus starting a series of discussions on a given topic.
Discussions lead to solutions and progress. What was once a maverick move becomes the new standard.
When should you join? A day before yesterday, but today is still good
Hopefully, you were among the first ones to join in on the action and attempt to remedy a societal aspect.
People value and discuss pioneers for a reason – we admire the courage and the initiative.
Just ask IKEA – even though they are one of the largest chain of retail stores, they still constantly ask themselves: How can we improve this?
Why is this important? Well, if you wait too long and play it safe – over time, you will just be one of those that joined when the coast was clear. Although there is strength in numbers, there is not much that’s inherently courageous or admirable about that.
And guess what? The courage and risk translate to profit for a reason. You don’t want to be left on the outskirts of what is inevitably going to change.
So, how can you improve?
Maybe you are starting to think about the ways you could contribute to a society.
What is a major way for a small or medium business to affect the change? You might want to look at scholarships.
But not just any scholarship model – the model which will help students’ lives, help you transform and market your business model, and create a community. We are shifting into a community-based economy, and a lot of people have already noticed this and are actively pursuing it.
If you are persuaded that you need to become more actively involved with society, read about the nitty-gritty of scholarship business model here and how you can adapt it to your benefit.
Then head to our website and let’s start changing society for the better.
