Business – Page 12 – The Optimistic Cynic

Keep the goal insight

Are we doing this wrong?

More and more we’re asking ourselves, how can we support the new generation of social entrepreneur. The Gen Y’s (and an increasing number of Gen Z’s) are setting up businesses with a goal of making the world a better place. Environmental, community, health, whatever drives their passion also inspires them to be creative aroundContinue reading “Are we doing this wrong?”

It’s never just about the money

If you believe the movies, business is a world of corporate cut throats, prowling Wall Street looking for victims to fleece. We all know that our local businesses are nothing like that (in fact I doubt there are many in New Zealand like that), however we all still need to pause at times and rememberContinue reading “It’s never just about the money”

With business, not against business

Attending a conference about sustainable business, it quickly became apparent that the approach of this conference (and the attendees) was very much about environmental sustainability, how important it was and the fact that business just has to come on-board. The message of the conference was, this is how bad the problem is, now you goContinue reading “With business, not against business”

A Journey Begun

There was a time when doing good was left to those who ran charities, but in recent years we see a growing number of businesses taking on social and environmental issues as a core part of who they are. Businesses can play their part in building sustainable communities through sensible strategic and operational processes. HavingContinue reading “A Journey Begun”

Well said Darren Walker

The Ford Foundation in the US has said that it’s committing up to $1 billion from its $12 billion endowment over the next 10 years to mission-related investing (MRI). I really like what their President has said about MRI “We are making this commitment because we believe MRIs have the potential to become the nextContinue reading “Well said Darren Walker”

Cambridge Taking on the World

This is an article I wrote for the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. I want to share it because the core theme applies to so many communities. Businesses can, and must, be a key part of thriving, sustainable communities. “I’ve noticed something about business in Cambridge recently and it excites me. We all know thatContinue reading “Cambridge Taking on the World”

Your passion is your pitch

I believe that the standard “elevator pitch” works best when you’re selling widgets or when your business is so well known, that the pitch is just brand recognition. Your “passion pitch” doesn’t tell your whole story, it shares you enthusiasm and encourages people to want to know more. Tell people why your business excitesContinue reading “Your passion is your pitch”

Be better than that…

Yesterday I wrote a blog about disability services but thinking about it again, the thrust really does apply to all business. Traditional benchmarking quality against your competition limits your outcomes. We should always aim to give the customer the best possible experience, not just a better experience than they can get elsewhere. We keep sayingContinue reading “Be better than that…”

Growing The New Wave

How we can grow and develop our social sector A white paper from The Optimistic Cynic End Fragmentation We need genuine collaboration towards shared goals. Organisational interests need to take a back seat in our drive to achieve these goals. We need to look for partners outside of our specific sector to broaden ourContinue reading “Growing The New Wave”