Change the world – start something that matters
My motto is Work happy, love happy and change the world. One of the people who has inspired me to change the world is Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes. I heard Blake speak at Willow Creek Community Church a couple of years ago and I was really motivated to change the way I do business. Ahhh, but I’m getting ahead of myself. You may or may not have heard of TOMS Shoes. TOMS is a for-profit company with a non-profit subsidiary, Friends of Toms. What makes TOMS so cool? They have developed (and copyrighted) the One-For-One philosophy. For every pair of shoes they sell, they give one to a really needy child. TOMS has also expanded into glasses, using the same One-For-One philosophy. They have provided free new shoes to children around the world (40 countries from Argentina and Haiti to here in the US).
As a business model, TOMS is unique: the One-For-One social responsibility message is its main marketing. It’s clear that I’m not the only one inspired by this – TOMS are now sold at stores like Nordstrom and even Whole Foods Market. TOMS has also been very creative with their marketing, participating in fashion shows, social media, college campuses, and (non-denominational) churches. So how did Blake inspire me to change the world? Not only did I buy shoes after his talk, I also bought his book, “Start Something That Matters.” 100% of the proceeds from the book go to a foundation that helps launch ideas from entrepreneurs and students. “My goal is to inspire others to go out there and make a positive impact, to start something that matters to them,” Mycoskie said. “In my book, I felt a deep sense of responsibility to share all that we have learned at TOMS over the past five years, so that others can learn from both our mistakes and our successes, and go out there and chart their own course. – Blake Mycoskie
In his book, Mycoskie spoke of social entrepreneurs like Tony Hseih, founder of Zappos; Scott Harrison, founder of the charity: water; Lauren Bush, founder of FEED Projects; Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method; and Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, building sustainable, socially conscious businesses out of their own passions. According to the One-For-One model, for every book sold, a new book is provided to a child in need.
As soon as I read the book, I decided I was starting something that matters. Although I have been a business and lifestyle coach for 10 years, I developed a new business model to include giving 25% of my business income to non-profit organizations that help people help themselves. Five who are near and dear to my heart are Kiva, SavetheChildren, CharityWater, Discovery-Austin.org, and my local church.
There are many ways to change the world; all it takes is starting something that matters.
