Introduction
Welcome back to the Entrepreneur Mindset Podcast!
Did you go into business to do more good in the world? I know so many people who become entrepreneurs because it seems like a clear path to creating a ripple effect, but when you get into the daily grind, you have to think about money, profit, costs, time, and all of the financial details. It can lead to you feeling a bit separated from your goal to do good with your business. What if you could do more good without spending a single penny. Instead you can give your time, which is valuable don’t get me wrong, but doesn’t take away from those early entrepreneur years when profit might be slim. Would you feel energized about being an entrepreneur again? I know it lights me up and fills my cup when I can give back. Today we are going to talk about inexpensive ways to do more good in the world.
Perspective: Village Impact
When I first opened my business I came across Stu McLaren and if you know Stu you will soon know that he and his wife, Amy, have a wonderful non-profit, Village Impact, that helps to build schools in Kenya so that all children, particularly girls can receive an education. When I first started hearing about Village Impact I wanted to donate, but we didn’t have a lot of extra cash at the time. I was seeing entrepreneurs donating thousands of dollars to Village Impact and felt like there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t bring $15,000 to the table like other entrepreneurs, but I didn’t have to. If doing good in the world is about creating a ripple effect, then I didn’t even need to spend a single dollar.
Now, I do donate to Village Impact in a variety of ways, but I’m still dreaming of the day when I can donate that big check of $15,000 or more. So what did I do in the meantime? I shared the mission of Village Impact whenever I could. I invited Amy to come on the podcast so that she could share her book, Passion to Purpose and her mission with Village Impact. I looked for opportunities to share about Village Impact on social media. And, if you’ll notice, I’m weaving it into today’s conversation. None of these actions cost me any money. But they each help Village Impact in furthering their impact and base of donors.
Before I forget, you can check out the interview I did with Amy McLaren in Episode 28 of the podcast. But how can you give back, do good, and create a ripple effect?
Doing Good for Less Money
Doing good doesn’t have to mean donating millions of dollars or even one dollar. There are a lot of ways that you can give back and do good with your business, but sometimes it can feel a bit murky, so let’s talk about a few low cost ways to do good.
- Take time to thank the people you are working with. This might mean a thank you card in the mail. I love doing this. An audio message saying thank you in their social media DM inbox. Or possibly a heartfelt statement of appreciation at the end of a call where someone helped you. Often those moments mean the world and provide not only encouragement to the person, but also validate that what they are doing is helpful.
- Second, give your time without strings attached. This is a tricky one. You’ve probably been the victim of the DM in your Instagram or Facebook inbox that says they’d like to offer you a free call to offer you some input or advice. You show up excited and get the conversation started only to find out that it is really a sales call. Don’t be that person who DMs in a way that sounds genuine and then turns it into a sales pitch. Instead, it was like the call I was on last week where the person worked with me for 30 minutes and then realized that he didn’t have enough time and offered to sit down with me for another hour. It wasn’t a sales pitch, it was a call designed to help me work through a specific challenge in my business. I show up this way for clarity calls inside my business. What happens is that you truly serve the person you are interacting with. They get to see more progress instead of fending off a proposal of handing over your credit card, and that is when the magic happens. You get to see progress, which is motivating, and they get progress which is a big win for them. You can offer free 15 minute calls, respond to facebook and instagram posts and provide value while expecting nothing in return. You can offer to volunteer at your child’s events. I am the Chair for the Greenville Youth Chorale’s Board of Directors, a local non-profit. It doesn’t cost me anything and I can give back by helping to build the arts for our children. This is one of my passions and is an easy yes. Yes, some people will take advantage of your time but the vast majority will remember what you did for them. They will recognize that you are dedicated to doing good and when the time is right will choose to work with you instead of someone that they don’t know.
- Third, think about what you needed most when you were in your client’s shoes and then create that thing. It might be a meditation, a workbook, an excel sheet, or a template. Create it and ask if they would like a copy. Yes, you can gather their email address but by being proactive you are saving your community of clients suffering that doesn’t have to happen. The goal is to do good. Shorten the person’s time to success and thriving.
Action Item
This week, I’d like you to think about one way that you can do good and then go do it. If you aren’t sure what you can do, here are a few simple ideas:
- Write a thank you note to your past customers or current clients.
- Reach out on social media and drop a note of encouragement. Highlight something a person is doing well and share your excitement.
- Go to an active FB group that you are a member in and find a post that doesn’t have any responses, respond.
- If you are out and about, hold the door for someone. At the busy grocery store offer to bag your own groceries especially if the checker doesn’t have any help.
- Visit with your neighbor and check in on them.
Conclusions
There is too much negative that is happening in the world. We have countries at war, inflation creating tough decisions, layoffs happening, and natural disasters leaving countries devastated.
You can do good in the world as an entrepreneur and as a human being without spending a dollar or opening your wallet. Yes, if you can donate to the groups you choose to support, please do so, but know that the ripple effect happens as a result of even small gestures and reminders of kindness.
Imagine if each entrepreneur set out each morning to do one kind thing in their role as a business owner what would happen. We would see change and isn’t that why you went into business?
I would love to hear what action you will take and how this concept resonates with you as an entrepreneur and business owner. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts, specifically, what this mindset shift will mean for you in the week ahead.
Thanks as always for listening! I’ll see you back here next week for another episode of the Entrepreneur Mindset Podcast, where a focus on mentoring, community, and implementation removes the overwhelm of building your thriving and profitable business and adds in a dose of momentum.
Until next time, have a healthy, safe, and happy week!
Show Resources:
Learn about Village Impact: https://villageimpact.com/
