“But where’s the money?”
A colleague was talking to the CEO of a fast-growing small business about a partnership opportunity.
The CEO said, "well, this is something we believe in, something we want to have happen," and then he continued, "in fact, it's something my partners and I want to be able to support in our personal and our corporate lives."
But he declined, because, times are tough, the company is small, they need all their resources, etc.
If you aren't willing to live your values now, when will you start?
A company that begins with its priorities straight–about how it will keep promises, treat its workers, support causes it believes in–will rarely have trouble becoming the kind of company that does this at scale.
But if you put it in a folder marked "later," it may never happen.
[A marketing PS: It turns out that small organizations that stand for something and act that way usually have a better shot at earning our attention, our trust and our commerce. So yes, doing the thing that you believe in will get you better employees, better customers and more growth. I love it when things happen for the right reason, don't you?]