22. Jun, 2012 •
Categories: Businesses, Conscious Business, Events •
by Olivia Khalili
With support from Axialent and the Conscious Capitalism Institute, I attended the Conscious Capitalism Conference last month. For two days, I immersed myself in learning and in true, unabashed conversations on topics I had felt, but hadn’t yet developed the vocabulary for or a real awareness of. The teachers ranged from CEOs of publicly traded [...]
3 Comments
13. Aug, 2011 •
Categories: Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Ray Anderson, the CEO of InterfaceFLOR, died this week. He called himself a radical industrialist, and stood as an icon for many on account of his brazen–and successful–efforts to transform InterfaceFLOR, an industrial carpet manufacturer, into a responsible business. Perhaps most importantly, he demonstrated that intolerance for environmental exploitation can be highly profitable. In illuminating the [...]
2 Comments
27. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Consumer Behavior, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
How did a travel company grow its revenue by 42 percent during the recent economic stall? It attracted more customers (around $150 million worth) because it aligned its business model with sustainability. “Sustainability is at the forefront of our business model because of customer demand,” says Gap Adventures CEO, Bruce Poon Tip. A demand that Bruce [...]
0 Comments
21. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Panera Bread’s pay-what-you-want model is working. One year ago this week the Panera Bread Foundation openend its first Panera Cares Cafe, a store that looks in almost all regards like the company’s 1,453 others. The prime distinction is that this St. Louis adjacent cafe lists suggested donation amounts instead of mandatory prices and accepts whatever [...]
5 Comments
13. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Walmart’s $4 prescription drug plan, which makes nearly all prescription drugs available for $4, has generated more than $2 billion in savings for its customers, with a specific benefit to Medicare recipients and the uninsured. But it wasn’t launched as a social responsibility initiative. It was launched as business strategy. And it’s proven extremely successful, [...]
3 Comments
13. Apr, 2011 •
Categories: Build a Purpose-driven Business, Businesses, Cause Marketing •
by Olivia Khalili
Companies that practice conscious capitalism benefit from putting their employees first. The Container Store, REI and Joie de Vivre have shown this to be true, even as the lagging economy has pushed other companies to downsize. At The Container Store, employees are prioritized over customers and shareholders. It’s a core company principle that influences all business decisions. Full-time employees earn an average [...]
3 Comments
29. Mar, 2011 •
Categories: Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Involvement, Evaluation, Interviews, Podcast, Tools, Web/Tech •
by Olivia Khalili
If you measure progress, you can improve it. But how exactly do you measure the growth of something as elusive as impact? That’s what AngelPoints, Andy Mercy’s company, does well, which is why I invited him to do a Cause Capitalism interview. Andy founded AngelPoints after stumbling into a volunteer experience at work and being underwhelmed [...]
0 Comments
24. Mar, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Rants & Raves •
by Olivia Khalili
Like business, I believe nonprofits should be rewarded when they demonstrate financial success and laid to rest when they don’t. (I can feel jaws dropping and arrows hurtling toward me). Businesses are held financially accountable by the market. Increasingly, we’re holding them accountable for their social impact as well. We reward humanistic companies with our [...]
6 Comments
11. Nov, 2010 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses •
by Olivia Khalili
Ever wonder how other entrepreneurs and small business owners build businesses that reflects their values? What areas do others tackle first? Which of their efforts have been most successful in terms of impact and revenue? Which have been the most challenging? Social innovators and small business owners Peter Korchnak and Megan Strand found themselves fortunate [...]
4 Comments