Business owners and entrepreneurs aren’t usually only in it for themselves. A lot of people want to create businesses that support hundreds, if not thousands of people, and to have a positive impact on the world. This doesn’t always mean making philanthropy a part of your business’s marketing plan. Sometimes, doing good for the sake of doing good is enough. Fulfilling your business’s corporate social responsibility and using your own experiences and expertise to help others can be just as rewarding and netting record-level profits. But how do you do it?
Find a cause to work for
One of the easiest and most direct ways to help do some good is to use the resources and wealth you have acquired to help towards a cause. There are multiple ways to help out, as well. You can have your business proceeds and resources go directly to helping local community initiatives. You can share a proceed of the profits during a themed sales campaign. You can even donate directly. A lot of successful entrepreneurs like to oversee the good done with their proceeds done directly, like Arthur Blank, who set up the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, allowing you to be a lot more involved in the day-to-day work done using the money you provide.
Help others reach success too
If you’ve managed to net some success for yourself, then you probably have a lot that you can teach others, as well. Current business owners can play a large role in fostering the new generation of entrepreneurs, as well. This can include helping your employees with development plans and programs but it can also mean looking at your local and connected communities to offer them the opportunity to learn how to lead from one of the great leaders. For instance, the US-NI Mentorship Program, founded and overseen by Declan Kelly provides just one example of how to use your existing reach to help those in the community you came from. Mentorship, training, and building networking groups amongst young entrepreneurs can help you influence the business world well beyond your own achievements.
Ensure your business is firm in its values
To many, their values are not just represented in the way they do business, but in the business’s identity, itself. Some brands are synonymous with certain values. For instance, IKEA has become largely known not just for massive stores full of easily assembled furniture, but also for an ongoing dedication to sustainability throughout all of its practices; this is something that is now recognized globally. Similarly, Clover Group, a developer in the senior living sector, has made it clear that they stand to foster community and develop a strong culture of caring, education, and empowerment for both those living within their facilities as well as the community at large. As such, if you want to make it clear that you stand for certain values, then they have to be reflected in the products and services you provide, how you provide them, and how your workplaces operate, as well. For instance, by ensuring that your employees are ethically and equitably treated in the workplace or relying only on suppliers that don’t contradict your espoused values.
Not everyone’s way of giving back looks the same. Whether you choose a cause that means something to you, help young business-minded people, or ensure that your workplace meets the values you espouse, there are plenty of ways to make sure you’re leaving a positive mark on the world as an entrepreneur.
