Being a socially-minded business and making a difference

Written by: Mara Hawkins

Do you ever wish you could run a business and make a meaningful difference in your community?  Have you thought about how to make your business processes more socially or environmentally focused? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you need to think about the Business of Being Socially-Minded!

At CYBF, a socially-minded business is a for-profit business that supports social change through corporate social responsibility, community service and/or by offering a product or service that addresses a social issue.

There are lots of examples of companies that are able to merge business and social awareness.  For great examples we can look to our very own CYBF entrepreneurs!  Blanc Cosmetics provides teeth whitening services, but for every treatment they donate $2 to Operation Smile to provide children with life-changing cleft lip surgery. Blanc Cosmetics is a great example of a for-profit business that has a heart for solving social issues.

Another example is Delivergood.org – a socially-minded business that is also making a profit.  Delivergood.org matches charities and non-profits that need stuff with people and companies that have the stuff they need in order to service their communities.  It’s like a wish list site for not-for-profit organizations, and it actually delivers.

The world of doing good and doing business have officially merged and will be a key business trend in the coming years.  The time to change your business and your community is now!

To learn more about how to become a socially-minded business, look for upcoming CYBF workshops across Alberta in 2012.