Put aside social responsibility. Forget about best practices or which term best describes what you do. Much of what I write is tactics, examples and inspiration to help you create and grow your business. But there’s no edict for social responsibility. That’s the rad (and at times frustrating) element. It’s a comparatively new idea that’s […]
Tag Archives: social mission
On the Drawing Board: How to Build a Purpose-driven Business
I’m creating a guide to starting a purpose-driven business. This guide is aimed at you, the entrepreneur or small business owner. You can help shape it by: Sharing what worked for you and other suggestions you have to entrepreneurs in the early phases of company building. I can feature you by name or anonymously. Email […]
What’s Your Vote for the Best Socially Driven Companies?
With the blogs I read, the experts I interview and the networking groups I belong to, I figured I had a pretty accurate count of U.S. companies that are crushing it with their social mission. But I don’t. And I need your help. Which companies or entrepreneurs do you know that we can learn from? […]
Is This What It Takes to Lead a Social Mission?
What does it mean to lead a company’s social mission? Social mission is how I describe all of the elements that contribute to a business being socially and financially effective. It’s more than CSR because it’s ingrained into the organization’s business model in the best cases, and leaves a shine on all company functions and […]
Why CVS’ Social Responsibility Programs Are Its Most Wasted Resource
If your company consistently runs social responsibility programs, but doesn’t take the time or have the confidence in its programs to make sure I know about them, it’s doing me and itself a disservice. Like Walgreens or Rite Aid, CVS is a national pharmacy chain. There’s no visible differentiation between it and its competitors. Maybe […]
Why Your Mission Should Alienate Some People
When you stand for something, you’re not supposed to please everyone. The misstep of trying to please everybody comes when we don’t stand for something, when we lack an internal drumbeat stronger than the chatter of the crowd. Most people know that the clothing company Patagonia* gives money to myriad environmental organizations. Fewer people know […]
How Much Does a Business Need to Believe in Sustainability to Do It Well?
“If you’re pushing sustainability because you think it will enhance the company’s reputation, you’ll have a problem with authenticity, because they’ll be times when your reality doesn’t live up to your rhetoric. But if you’re into sustainability because you think it will drive innovation, then talking about it almost becomes irrelevant.” –Hannah Joes, Nike’s sustainability […]
Your Competitive Advantage Lies in Your Social Responsibility–with Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender
I started Cause Capitalism to convince you that having a social mission will help grow your business and to show you how. I want you (and me) to be able to create a sector-changing business like Jeffrey Hollender did with Seventh Generation. Long before it was fashionable, Jeffrey took toilet paper and dish detergent and […]
Start With You: The Easiest Way to Build a Social Mission–with Renee Spears
“Why build a business with a social mission?” For Renee Spears, the reason was because she wanted a great place to go to work everyday. She didn’t conduct extensive market research and she didn’t wait until she had an MBA. She just built what she liked. It worked and now she’s helping other companies do […]
Patagonia Didn’t Wait Until the Planet Was Fixed Before Investing in its Employees. Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Either.
Part of running a business with a social mission means you work with a set of stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, investors and community) versus with shareholders. We are used to evaluating our social mission in terms of the benefits it allays to a cause, consumers or revenue. Often, employee perks are mid-ranked priorities (at best) […]
I'm Olivia Khalili. I created Cause Capitalism to show you how to grow your business by incorporating a social mission. I've worked extensively with both nonprofits and for-profits. I found that when you combine the two, you grow your profits, impassion all your stakeholders and do good in the world. Read more.
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