While the title of this post may sound grammatically awkward, this is not another edition of Grammar 101. Instead, we’re taking a look at a rather unconventional business strategy that may not sound perfectly viable from the get-go.
As counterintuitive as it may sound, you can run a very successful business by working to help others rather than working to help yourself. If you’ve seemingly hit a plateau, this could be the way to take your business to the next level. You can do well by doing good. Focus on doing good deeds and greater success will await you on the other side.
Take The Hippocratic Oath
Some of you are already familiar with the Hippocratic Oath that is taken by all doctors. “Above all, do no harm” is probably the best known line from this oath, reminding doctors that the health and wellbeing of their patients should always come first. They need to work in the best interests of their patients and this kind of philosophy easily extends well beyond the realm of medicine.
Whether you’re an accountant, lawyer, chef, or even a freelance writer like me, you should keep your morals and ethics in check. You do not have to take a formal oath like our physicians, but you must consider the ramifications of your business practices. In considering a tactic for expanding your business, think about the effects that this tactic may have on the environment, on your co-workers, and on society at large. Are you, above all, doing no harm?
While you may be led to believe otherwise, success is not necessarily a zero-sum game. In order for you to find success, you do not need necessarily to harm those around you. Instead, we can all work toward mutual benefit.
Thinking of Others Before the Bottom Line
And this is where you my find your greatest challenge. It’s far too easy to let your ambition get the best of you, pushing your priorities toward complete and utter greed. There is nothing wrong with striving for success, since we should all aim to be the best at what we do, but it’s also important to think of others along the way. What impact are you having on the world? Are you making a (positive) difference?
A good example of this would be a restaurant that only serves fair trade coffee. Compared to conventional coffee, fair trade coffee can add substantial costs to the business and this can cut directly into the restaurant’s bottom line. If profit came first, you’d want the cheapest coffee possible, casting aside any concerns for the wellbeing of the farmers who supply the beans.
This can be a seemingly small step, but a growing demographic in the marketplace is starting to recognize the importance of fair trade (and other similar practices). These customers may come to prefer your restaurant over the one down the street, because “the other guy” isn’t paying attention to such issues. Saying you care is one thing. Doing something about it is another matter altogether.
Beyond Corporate Responsibility
Yes, you want to ensure the success of your business and you want to keep the viability of your company in mind. You have an obligation to yourself, your family, and anyone else associated with your company. But you also have an obligation to the society around you.
Be a good corporate citizen, taking on a holistic view of the effects that your practices and tactics exert on both your bottom line and the “bottom line” of the world at large. In doing so, you may not enjoy enormous profitability early on, but in time, you may find even greater success by doing good first.
By looking out for my “client”, the students at my school, I win by having teachers using the best technology I can give them. They use it because they know that I will always make sure that they have the technology and it is in the best working order.
This method I call the flow down principle because my concentration on the supplying the proper technology flows down to the lowest common denominator, the students.
In my experience, doing good often pays off but there are always those few crooked souls who just seems to fly above the radar and prosper.
So how do you practice the concept of Societal Marketing as a freelance writer?
I wouldn’t say that I’m quite where I want to be, but I do make efforts along this line of thinking. I do what I can to minimize my environmental impact, printing out as little as I can and preferring to rely on digital records. I reach out to other freelancers and entrepreneurs, providing assistance and guidance where possible. Looking to the future, I’ve considered doing some pro bono work for a charitable organization, but it’d have to be the right kind of arrangement and the right kind of project. I still have room to grow, but I hope that I am working in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing with us the socially responsible efforts that you applied to your work.
I’m sure you’ll get there (wherever you envisioned to be) in good time.