Welcome to the second issue of TMRRW™
What a week it's been for us here in the Bundjalung Nation (Northern Rivers and South East Queensland), and beyond. Dr Kate Charlesworth, Councillor Climate Council of Australia, couldn't have summed the situation up any better –
"Climate change isn't something that is going to happen. it has happened. And we are now living with it."
As we come together as a community, both from near and afar, it's more apparent than ever that while leadership isn't coming from above, it is very much happening from within. Which brings us to the focus of this issue of TMRRW™ – the role of purpose within brands and organisations.
Within the TMRRW™ community we have a lot of conversations about purpose, and the opportunity leaders have to use business as a force for good. We wanted to explore this in more detail by posing the question – can doing good for the world also be good for business?
It's worth noting that we're not just talking about big, global brands here either – businesses and organisations of all sizes can take the learnings of this issue on board and realise the benefits of being purpose-driven.
Until next time,
Nick Hoskin
Co-founder, TMRRW™
[Re:port]
Always start with ‘why?’
How purpose builds better businesses
Right now, tens of thousands of companies around the world are asking ‘what do we stand for as a business’, and ‘what is our purpose?’
On the first page of his book Do/Purpose: Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more, Howies and Hiut Denim founder David Hieatt says this about purpose driven companies:
"These companies have a reason to exist above just to make profit. They have purpose. Yes, we admire the product they make. But the thing we love the most about them is the change they are making."
This is the key difference of a purpose-driven company – they stand for something, and can communicate that effectively. If your products or services are WHAT you do, your purpose is WHY you do it.
Not too long ago, the prevailing wisdom was that profit and corporate social responsibility were mutually exclusive pursuits. But the tide has changed, bringing with it an opportunity for business leaders to take charge and fulfil environmental and societal needs where other leaders are not – and realise greater commercial success as a result.
We speak to a range of business leaders from across our global community to get some purposeful insights, including:
– Clare Hieatt, co-founder of Hiut Denim
– Sally Hill, founder of Purpose Conference
– Ed Boyd, co-founder and executive director at think tank ReGenerate
– Luke Dean-Weymark, co-founder of B Corp marketing and PR agency Compass Studio
[Five Things]
5 Things that will help you be more purpose-driven with Julie Mathers
Julie Mathers is a purpose-driven leader and the founder of Flora & Fauna, a B Corp and Australia's largest eco store.
We caught up with Julie following the announcement of her departure from Flora & Fauna, as she prepares for the exciting next chapter of her own purpose-driven journey. Julie shared some words of wisdom to help other leaders make their businesses more purpose-driven. Read them here.
[My Journey]
My Journey with Dr. Clinton Schultz, founder of Sobah Beverages
Dr. Clinton Schultz started Sobah, a non-alcoholic craft beer company, with his wife Lozen in 2017, after a conversation with his son.
“One of my boys, who was about six at the time, pulled me up on my drinking habits and shook his little finger in my face. ‘Dad, can you stop drinking silly drink?’ he asked. I rolled over, all hung over and said, "yeah, you've got me,” says Schultz. "And that was it. That was the start of my Sobah journey and the start of this whole Sobah beverages entity that we've created now.”
After a successful equity crowdfund on Birchal last year, which valued the business at $11M, Sobah is another great demonstration of how doing good can be good for business. We asked Clinton to share a bit more about the journey he’s been on to build a successful purpose-driven business. Read his story here.
[Better Businesses]
Some of the purpose-driven businesses we love
[ICYMI]
News and happenings you may have missed...
– It's easy to feel helpless with the recent devastation the Northern Rivers (home to TMRRW™) and South-East QLD, but there's plenty of ways to support (both on the ground and from afar) at RecoveryProject2022.com
– The IPCC released their Sixth Assessment Report last week and it clearly shows the clock is ticking on climate and Australia is squarely in the cross-hairs. The Climate Council have pulled out some of the key insights.
– The New Happy have created an amazing diagram that shows how to break down big goals into tiny steps, an effective method of driving behaviour change.
– Andy Marks is at it again with The Pillow Tote – bags made from end-of-life luxury hotel bed linen, with 100% of sales going to Groundswell Giving.
– Creatives are “looking for purpose, not just a pay check”: a survey of more than 10,000 freelance designers from 144 countries, has revealed 85% of freelancers want to work for clients who share their values.
– Design, Climate, Action: Leaders in design education are teaching a new generation how to think like sustainability innovators rather than designers.
[Community Board]
Keep up with what's going on locally
Upcoming Events
– The Transitions Film Festival showcases groundbreaking documentaries about the social and technological innovations, revolutionary ideas and trailblazing change-makers leading the way to a better world. February 18 – March 13.
– The Blackbird Impact Summit is a startup-focused online event uniting founders, operators and investors on action-focused sustainability topics over three days from March 15 – 17.
– Registrations are now open for the Boomerang Labs Acceleration Program 2022. This is a free, selective program exclusively for circular economy entrepreneur with exceptional experts, mentors, coaches and events. Applications close March 18.
– Applications are now open to the new Ocean Impact Accelerator Program, supporting startups with scalable solutions that can make a meaningful impact on ocean health. The program provides guaranteed investment (~$100k), mentors and guidance, introductions to investors, professional support & master classes. Applications have been extended to close on March 24 2022.
– NSW Circular is hosting The Australian Circular Economy Forum 2022 on March 21 – 22. It will be held online, and bring together our network of large corporations, banking financial and investment bodies, NSW research organisations, and all levels of government.
– Circular Economy Victoria are organising an IRL (yes that's right In Real Life) Circular Economy Community Networking in Melbourne on Friday the 25th March, between 5 & 7pm. It's a catered event with networking activities, aimed to make new connections and spark ideas for future circular economy innovations.
Opportunities
– The Circle Awards (presented by us, TMRRW™) are coming back to AUS & NZ for 2022. We'll be announcing more soon, but we're currently looking for a Community Manager / Event Co-ordinator to help us make them bigger and better than last year.
– Dumbo Feather are currently looking for an Editor and a Marketing Manager (also working with Small Giants Academy).
– Compass Studio have an opening for a Performance Marketing Coordinator.
Have an event or opportunity you'd like us to include in the next issue? Support TMRRW™ and reach an audience of like-minded people by booking a spot in the Community Board. Get in touch for details
Help us make a better TMRRW™
TMRRW™ is made possible thanks to the support of brands that share our values. If you want to help us create a better future, get in touch to discuss partnership opportunities
