The Journey to Social Consciousness
It wasn’t that long ago that I was mostly unaware of the entire economy bubbling beneath the surface. This entire economy revolves around social enterprise. Sure, there have been some major brands that have poked through to become a part of the larger narrative — Toms, Warby Parker, and others, but I didn’t realize that there were so many more that are finding footholds in so many other areas. The ones that are most exciting to me are those who are selling goods and using that platform to make a difference in areas that they care about. Whether it’s by employing under-represented individuals: homeless, refugees, or those recently released from incarceration, or by giving as much as they get, whether it’s a buy one give one model, or just donating a portion of their profits to other organizations they care about.
“Once I started to dive deeper into social enterprise, I realized that you really can find almost anything you need from a social enterprise. ”
The thing that’s become clear to me as I’ve begun seeking out these companies is that you can find some really cool companies doing some amazing work and engaging in some really great causes, but it does take some effort to find them. There are organizations trying to pull them together. Bittersweet Monthly publishes a good gift guide to bring exposure to social enterprises that people can choose to spend their money with during the holiday season. you can go to bcorporation.net/directory and filter to get a list of certified b corporations.
Once I started to dive deeper into social enterprise, I realized that you really can find almost anything you need from a social enterprise. Whether you’re looking for toilet paper and toiletries to outdoor clothing, home goods, and furniture, you can support good causes with the things you need to purchase every day. We will spend a good amount of our energy highlighting these social entrepreneurs and the impact they are making via our podcast and our social channels along with this blog.
It’s entirely possible that osity will just become another isolated voice that gets drowned out by the mainstream capital market that dominates our landscape. We believe, however, that once you get a glimpse at the impact you can have, and the community you can be a part of that you’ll want find a way to seek out those who are making a difference. If we even succeed in bringing awareness to a small subsection of the population who were previously unaware of this entire piece of the economy, then we will feel that we have succeeded. We are moving closer to a tipping point, where it won’t be just a way to set yourself apart as a company, it will be an absolute requirement for doing business that your company is looking out for all those that it impacts — employees and their families, suppliers and customers, not to mention where they source their goods and how they handle their waste.