Business is NOT Usual: How to Create Social Change
We’ll go out on a limb here and say, no matter where you grew up and pretty independently of your background, you’ve been told that if you have your own business, you need to make money. Lots of it.
All for yourself and your business.
All through hustle, grind, pushing for the next thing, and pretty much sacrificing yourself to profit.
Sounds like business as usual, right?
But business couldn’t be further from the usual. Maybe that would’ve been true in the past.
And to be honest, the state of the world as we know it has a lot to ‘thank’ the mindset of profit before anything else, competition over community, and a fair amount of individualism - ahem, thanks capitalism and patriarchal antiquated systems!
Today, that doesn’t hold up anymore.
The new kids are holding brands and businesses accountable and the whole world is taking notice. People’s behaviors towards whether they’d buy from or engage with a business are changing - for the better. A massive 72% of Americans say they feel it’s more important than ever for the companies they buy from to reflect their values and nearly 9 in 10 consumers say they’re likely to purchase from purpose-driven companies (2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Purpose Biometrics Study).
Clearly, it’s not all about the money anymore - and maybe it shouldn’t have ever been? 78% of Americans believe companies must do more than just make money; they must positively impact society as well (2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study).
I know what you may be thinking - “of course I agree with the direction we’re going in but I’m already trying to be a business owner, marketer, and accountant at the same time, so how can I also think about making a social impact?!”
A good question! If you’re not sure how to navigate the current social climate and add a social impact part to your business, read on, we’re here to help you with some insights.
Okay, but what’s social impact?
You might have purpose as a key component of your business and not even realize it! If you have a clear sense of who you are, what you’d like to accomplish, and why you do what you do, you’re already creating impact through your work.
As a purpose-driven brand, you have a clear vision of the change you want to create in the world and are using your brand as a vessel to make a positive impact.
What does that look like in the real world? Think Patagonia.
What do you think when you think of their brand? Probably their environmentally-conscious approach to production and commitment to protecting the planet as part of everything they do.
Creating social impact doesn’t only have to mean sharing your profits or contributing financially though, it can also be just showing up like Ben & Jerry’s have done in rallies and protests in support of racial justice or LGBTQ+ rights.
So how can you create social change from your perspective as a small business owner?
I’m only a small biz owner, how can I even make an impact?
No matter what stage of business you’re in, to start including social impact in your business - go back to yourself, the business owner. Think about:
Your business values
What drives you
Your why
The impact you’d like to achieve in everything you do
Got it? Great.
Now we take those answers and save them somewhere for you to return to whenever you feel that icky feeling when it comes to selling your services, given the current climate. Those feelings of self-doubt, if it’s even your place, or you’re able to create social impact - return back to the answers you’ve saved from these questions, because YES and YES, it very much is your place, available to you, and yes, you can create social impact.
As small business owners, we have the unique advantage of being closest to our community. This opens us up to opportunities to #StartHere and start small to create impact in the environment we currently live in and occupy.
And a few gentle reminders because this work can be emotionally intense (and draining):
Be kind to yourself
You don’t need to do it alone
Lean into community action and care for support to create change
Listen to and follow the lead of Black and Indigenous voices
Tap into your unique message and vision to create change
As we try to balance running a business during this social and political climate - while also trying to create change - if it ever feels like it’s “just too much”, we get it.
So if you’re thinking… how do I bring what’s going on in the world to my business, without it taking over everything?
This is going to look different for every small business owner and creative, but what has worked for us and our community has been…
Realize that by having a business and wanting to do things “differently”, it is in fact already a political act in and of itself
Reflect on current issues and inform ourselves from reliable resources
Feel ALL the feelings - get angry, be disappointed, be loud, feel sadness or grief, allow yourself to feel joy, we need those
Then, decide your stance on the current situation and speak up or amplify other voices that have been speaking about this for a while.
A small reminder that sometimes we won’t be the most knowledgeable and it’s ok if you feel you don’t have a well-formed opinion on something. Social media culture makes us feel like we always need to make a statement, but here are a few alternatives if you feel unsure or the pressure to say something (either for fear of losing clients OR not knowing what to say):
Share resources to knowledgeable resources if you feel you don’t know
You DON’T need to make a post immediately, but we encourage you to return back to your why and business values and start from there if you feel you do want to say something
Talk with your local community and take the conversation offline
Stay in your lane! Sometimes we feel we need to do it all and we don’t! If you know how a current social event applies to your industry, life, or relationships - speak from THAT lens instead of trying to go broad.
And in more “practical terms”, creating social impact in your community can look like this:
Creating a giveback fund - set aside a percentage of your profits to go to a part of your community you feel would benefit from it. Think about empowering others with a similar background to yours or young people trying to make it in your industry.
Creating an equitable pricing strategy, for yourself and your community - AKA a tiered pricing model that determines the price of a product or service by taking into consideration the payment capacity of the final consumer.
Defining what activism looks like for you and your business - much as we’d like to create as much positive influence as possible or be involved in as many causes going on, we both know that’s not sustainable or feasible. To reflect on what kind of mental, emotional, and maybe financial space you can offer in the first place, and to which cause. How is that aligned with your business values and purpose?
You can #StartHere to add social impact causes to your business.
The world is on fire. Why even bother?
It’s never been more important than in these times of unrest to become or to stay a mission-driven business.
Creating your own community or curating it and instilling a sense of purpose around a common cause is what will keep us all fighting the fight - together!
The fire of change is fueled by people coming together, feeling empowered and adding their value. Through your business, by purpose at its core, you can surround yourself with a community in which you’ll thrive, a community to give back to and draw energy and insights from. Which is what we all need.
“If you’re looking for a community like that - where they center community, BIPOC voices, and share business development insight, You Belong Here is the place! Learn more about our programming and membership options and join the familia!”
TL;DR: Wrapping Things Up
Too long to go through everything but still, want to know how to create social impact?
As the world around seems to be in increasingly more unrest, it may feel overwhelming to add another focus to your salesperson, marketer and jack of all trades small biz owner hat. But it’s never been more important to become or stay a purpose-driven business. People everywhere are placing more trust in brands that are aligned with their own values and that show they take a stance in the face of inequality or causes they care about!
So you can #StartHere by reflecting on current issues and informing yourself from reliable resources, feeling ALL your feelings, and realizing that having a biz in the first place and wanting to do things “differently” is an act of rebellion in itself!
Practically speaking, you can create social impact in your community by:
Thinking about a giveback fund
Defining what activism looks like for you and your business
Most importantly, as this work can often be emotionally intense and draining, remember to be kind to yourself, lean into community action and care and tap into your unique message and vision to create change.
If you’re looking for a community like that - where they center community, BIPOC voices, and share business development insight, You Belong Here is the place! Learn more about our programming and membership options and join the familia!