Inspire

If I told you that the well-being of others is more important than my own personal well-being, I would assume that most people could believe that statement. You could envision me with my family and friends and relate to the sentiment.

What if I instead told you that our business’ financial margin was secondary to the well-being of others? Or that the concerns for a community were a non-negotiable requirement of a potential joint-venture. Your margin is going to fall by, say, 5% because of your required donation back to the community. Would people scoff? Would you?

Let me tell you first hand, today – people do. People refuse to believe that we could put aside our personal, financial gain for an unknown third-parties’ financial gain. Why have people become so hard – so cold? Is this merely the ebb and flow of humanity? My guess is that it is. Seriously think about it – we forgot about concrete. The Romans could build magnificent structures for centuries and then, poof, the technology was forgotten. The cold-hardness kills innovation and makes you forget why it is you’re working these long days for and for whom. The focus becomes so tight on your money purse that suddenly, poof, you’re lost. Lost and out of touch with what matters. Your family and friends, exploring the world, enjoying good music and your golden retriever.

So how do you bring people from the brittle edge and back into having concern for the fellow woman – or man? I sit and ponder this question and am suddenly given the answer in music. Music, rather, is the answer. Or maybe it’s art. Could possibly be an amazing meal but whatever ‘it’ is – ‘it’ is inspiration. A persons’ simple belief that their words and actions have meaning will lift them to dream, create, succeed and then inspire others.

Inspiration can’t even use money. It doesn’t care about recessions or bank accounts but interestingly enough, inspiration will actually cause you to give money. Inspiration will open your checkbook and write a number that you couldn’t imagine strictly to help someone else. It is the cycle breaker.  It is consumer confidence & housing starts.  It is concrete.  Build our world – close your eyes and dream of what could be.

Now go do it.

LaurelHouse Studio

Demand More Better

Filed under: Business Model, giving, Human Capital

Good is GOOD.is

Today we focus on being better, not doing better,  in business.

Someone recently mentioned to us that there is no way to measure the success of a business model based on “doing good”.  This person, of whom we won’t throw around any names, is a professional (and professor) who helps business focus and become more successful.

I instantly felt better about our chances.  I mean – you can’t exactly fail if you can’t measure success.

So today I really just want to push a company that has everyone else’s well-being at heart, GOOD.  GOOD publishes a monthly magazine dedicated at giving 100% of users’ subscription money to charities or social causes.

GOOD Magazine spreads across the information highway.  For instance, a nice little video production from GOOD about the overwhelming imports from China this Christmas, one about Cornography, and finally a little diddy about internet porn.

So this holiday season, give GOOD to someone.

Disclaimer: we don’t get a dime from GOOD.  They have no affiliate programs.  No cash for subscriptions.  And you won’t be “helping me get to Europe next semester because my parents won’t help pay for a class trip“.

LaurelHouse Studio

Demand More Better

Filed under: Business Model, Human Capital, Uncategorized, Business, GOOD Magazine

our business model

{How slap-ass boring is that title?  But I had to put it – seems as if my fingers needed it t-y-p-e-d}

a new way of business

we don’t want your money

(but we do need some of it.)

we were sitting around talking the other day and decided that it was time to come up with a business model – so we did; and you just read it above. “no”, we’re not naive and we are certainly not stupid.  in our discussion on the topic we concluded that the majority of businesses on earth have, as their almost singularly top goal, profit.

how much money can that business increase in their business over the same quarter, last year? how much money do they have in reserves? how much money are they paying their stockholders?

so we asked ourself different questions.  how much human capital do we have? how many people can we help with the knowledge we possess?  and what the hell are we going to do with the buckets of money we’re going to make, anyway???

it turns out that the answer to the last question was, “well – we’ll just give it away to those that need it.”

So, in sum and balance, we want to help people.  People that need a leg up, people who want to invest in the human capital of their business, people who want to make a difference.  We hope to make a dollar or two in the process but that desire is far from top of the list in our new business model.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

It’s time for a change in the way people think about, approach and “do” business.

René Graham & Chris Lawrence
LaurelHouse Studio

Filed under: Human Capital