Running a business is often a very rewarding venture. Unfortunately, many people only view a business as successful when it earns a lot of money. This means that they often disregard the negative effect that many businesses have on both the planet and humanity.
Luckily, you don’t need to give up your business to make a change in the world – you can do both. You can easily use your business as a way to do some good in the world. There are many ways of doing this, so if it seems like something you’d be interested in, keep reading.
Support a good cause
Look, we understand that you need a lot of money to keep your business afloat. But if your business has a really good month and you are way over target, it can’t hurt to donate some money to a good cause.
If you’re still not convinced, keep in mind that this will help your business achieve a good reputation. There are many charities and organizations that you can choose to support, so choose one whose values align with your business’s. Operation Underground Railroad aims to rescue children from child trafficking, so this could be a good cause for your business to support.
Pay your employees a decent salary
We know that, as a business, your main focus is making money. However, that shouldn’t be your only focus, especially if it comes at the cost of others.
Many businesses offer their employees an incredibly low salary because they want to make as much money as possible. But that’s wrong. People are often desperate to get a job, meaning they will take nearly any job, even if the pay is low.
It’s not a good idea to take advantage of this fact. We’re not saying that you should pay your employees double their current salary, but try and pay them enough that they can live a comfortable life.
Think of good initiatives
You need to get people involved in whatever it is you’re trying to do. Whether these people are your employees or your customers, the more support you have, the better.
This means that you need to think of good initiatives that will motivate people to get involved. For example, you could encourage employees to bring in old clothes to donate to charity. If this alone isn’t motivating enough, you can offer to give a prize to the team who donates the most.
You’ve also probably done some form of a fundraiser for your business, so why not have a fundraiser for a charity? This could be mutually beneficial because your business will get some great publicity. Click here for some tips on planning a successful charity event.
Give donations
We’ve already spoken about supporting charities and organizations by giving money, but that’s not the only kind of donation that you can make.
You can donate your business’s resources. For example, if you are a grocery store and you have a bunch of products that have not been sold before their expiration date, you can donate them to homeless shelters.
You can also donate your time and knowledge. If you have a music school for children, why not offer a free class now and then for children whose parents can’t afford to send them?
Support small businesses
People often think that businesses shouldn’t support other businesses, but we disagree. After all, by supporting another business – especially a small business – you are doing some good.
But how exactly can your business support small businesses? First of all, if you need a business to supply a specific product or material, have a look around and see if any small business can help you before you run to a chain supplier.
You can also offer to stock a small business’s items in your store since they are more likely to get more customers this way. If you’re struggling to find small businesses to support, we have good news for you: WhatsApp is working on a way to make it easier to find local small businesses!
Be ethical
The easiest way to do some good with your business is by not doing any harm. So, what exactly does this mean? Basically, you should not knowingly do something if you know that it is harming the environment or people.
It can be very easy to lose sight of what’s important when you enter the business world. You may start to support unethical businesses, or do your business transactions in a way that cheats people out of their money.
That’s why it’s important to stick to your morals, even in the business industry. While many people say that emotion should be kept out of the business, we believe that it keeps people on the right track and helps them do good rather than bad.
Recycle
Perhaps you’re already trying to do some good and help the environment at home, and now you’re looking for ways to bring that to your business. Recycling is a great first step, as it doesn’t require much time or money.
Of course, recycling in a business is a bit different from recycling at home, but the key idea remains the same. Be sure to implement these recycling tips in the workplace to make the process run smoother.
Make small changes
It’s the small changes that add up, especially when you’re running a business. Therefore, instead of trying to do one thing that makes a big difference, try to implement a few smaller changes and you will start to see the effects.
An easy way of doing this is by getting rid of single-use plastic. Rather offer people reusable bags and paper straws.
In conclusion
When you run a business, it’s important that you don’t lose sight of what’s important. We only have one earth, so everyone should take care of it. And while money is an important factor in a business, it’s not all that matters. By spending some time and money on small changes, your business will be making a big difference and doing some good in the world.
