The Container Store

Conscious Capitalism: A Mechanism for Prosperity

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 [...]

Drawing the Name for Innovation Open 2010

Have a Sustainable Start-up? Ready to Accelerate? Take Note.

Exposure. Credibility. Funding. New ventures need some combination of these to move from burning passionate idea to market success. Sustainable Brands Innovation Open, a business plan competition for sustainable enterprise, will offer up all three to one winning start-up. I don’t often plug competitions, but Sustainable Life Media, Sustainable Brands Innovation Open’s parent organization, has [...]

Andy Mercy, CEO of AngelPoints

How Do You Measure Something As Elusive As Impact?–Interview with Andy Mercy

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 [...]

It’s Time for an Evolution: Creating the Superior Nonprofit*

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 [...]

SXSW

Come See Me at SXSW

    Doing good is a business strategy, here’s how to start and how to do it better. That’s the flag I’ve been flying for three years and 250 blog posts. Next week, I’ll be speaking with a group of entrepreneurs and employees practicing varying levels of social sustainability (and, I hope, some who dismiss it [...]

Investing in Women & Entrepreneurship

Ticket Giveaway to Conference on Investing In Women & Entrepreneurship

Every March the world takes a closer look at women–how many own property, are employed, run businesses, have bank accounts, are literate, or have clean drinking water. The list is long and diverse, and while these issues deserve attention throughout the year, March serves as an annual review of the progress made toward women’s livelihood. [...]

Find Your Super-consumers and Build For Them

We’re in an era of the super-consumer. Consumers are attuned to the companies and supply chains behind the items they buy. While today’s consumers stil boycott, they buycott more. I love Amazon but spend my dollars with Better World Books when I have the option. I’m not boycotting Amazon, I’m buycotting Better World Books. As [...]

Social venture funding

Want Social Venture Funding? Prepare Yourself

Interested in getting funding for your social venture? Think about these three areas: 1) building a solid business (yes, it must be able to sustain itself financially), 2) identifying the right investors and 3) preparing yourself. I write this blog to help you build strong businesses and I’ve identified 25 potential investment sources for you [...]

Jobs for change

Jobs That Let You Give a Damn

My goal is to see more people growing more social businesses. Most of you are entrepreneurs, business owners and intrapreneurs working hard to create change. But some of you are looking for your (next) opportunity to do just that. This collection of job lists is for you. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s quality. Staffing [...]

Emboldened business

An Instinct For Better

I’m gratified– …that the conversation is turning from Why? implement a social mission to How? …that increasingly more entrepreneurs, veteran business owners and employees are testing ways to connect their passion to product and profit; and …that I’m able to support you, the entrepreneur, business owner or employee (four times as many people contact me [...]