The Manifesto is incredible because it it gives one single-minded powerful first step in how to make the world a better place. It does not tell me to “drink tap water” or “give to charity” or “save the rainforest”. It does not burden me with guilt or shame for my current behavior (I fly a lot). Instead it tells me to look in the mirror and to begin taking myself seriously. As a human. Do the things I care about. Enjoy the last bite. Share my passion with others.
It is hedonistic sustainability. Making the world better does not start with fixing someone else. It starts with fixing me. That is the first step. That is what the Manifesto reminds me to do.
These are incredibly wise words. With the proliferation of social media, it’s easy to say, “Look at me!” / “Support my cause!” / “You should do it this way!” / etc. etc.
While it’s OK to announce to the world what other people should care about, looking at people’s attention as “media properties” that needs to be “acquired” certainly seems dehumanizing and won’t inspire someone to care about your needs.
I’m all about social entrepreneurship and using market principles to bring about positive change in the world, but do I feel like sometimes, I’m just thrusting my views upon the world to get people to buy into the idea? I certainly do.
I love how Mathias phrased his take on the Holstee Manifesto. It’s about living meaningfully and being true to yourself. It’s pursuing what you care about and giving your dreams a chance to succeed. According to that view, what social media enables is to show the world that you walk the talk - that your words are not empty and you are living your passions.
So find meaning in your life and live it.
(I need to remind myself on this more.)
StartSomeGood: The Blog: Meet the Team: Clem Auyeung -
Clem Auyeung collaborates with ventures to help them polish and launch their campaigns. Before transitioning into this role, he started out doing a variety of behind-the-scenes projects for StartSomeGood — such as analyzing feedback on campaign experiences and researching startup…
My interview on StartSomeGood blog! Thanks Nicole!
Honestly, it was a spur of the moment. But I now know it was within me, all this time, waiting to be launched.
I’ve created a blog/website before. I’ve had multiple Tumblr and Wordpress accounts. Especially on Tumblr, I’ve devoted so much of my time here - since 2009 - that I could probably fill a month of my life.
When I started writing, I wrote about whatever that interested me. And I had a lot of interests. If anyone is thinking of starting a blog, I’d recommend just starting. It’s an excellent way to learn and think about diverse topics. Writing helps you clarify your thoughts.
But the problem I ran into later was a lack of focus. I didn’t know how all the pieces fit together. Jumping from topic to topic seems inevitable, but what I found was that the lack of focus doesn’t help you ask deeper questions and discover connections and insights. In the hyperactive, ADD world we live in - where we get bombarded with loads of information - skimming the surfaces don’t cut it anymore.
And I lost the motivation to write and do all the research along with it. I stopped learning and discovering.
I’m sure the internet is littered with half-assed, neglected blogs. They fall off to the wayside, waiting for resuscitation.
Since discovering what I’m truly passionate about, I’ve decided to start anew and really give the website the time and effort it deserves. I plan on putting out high-quality posts that have a tangible goal. In the true startup sense, we go through many iterations before getting it right - right?
The site is called Ethnomica. It’s still an infant… or an embryo, really. I want to focus on entrepreneurship and cities. Here is the article in Details magazine that sparked my imagination and I used it as a fodder for my concentration. I also hope to develop this site as I apply for grad school.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris for Social Earth! Go here for the original article.
Christopher Brereton is one of the founders and is the lead Guru for PictureHealing. He and the team have developed a way to engage nonprofits, brands, and passionate do-gooders through an iPhone app that uses photo-sharing to form communities around charities. Through sharing photos, each do-gooder can earn donations up to three charities of his or her choosing, as PictureHealing gives 50% of its profits to its charity partners.
It’s no surprise that the current economic condition has put a strain on the nonprofits’ abilities to experiment with how they resonate with their supporters and gain new ones. Christopher’s zest for collaboration and boundary-pushing breathe fun and irreverence into how a younger generation can create social impact through technology. I’ve caught up with Christopher for more details. Did you know that he once played in a rock band?
I read that you’ve had a pretty interesting road to social entrepreneurship. There was this “moment” where you decided to change course. Could you tell us about that?
Absolutely. I grew up in a rock and roll band, traveling with my best friends around the country playing music night after night for a small indie label until I was 21. When that all ended I came home and used my graphic design background to catapult me into marketing positions. Within a few years, I was the Marketing Director for a wealth management company wearing a full suit and tie to work every day, making great money… and that’s it.
I will never forget the day I was standing in line at my local Coffee Bean. I was on my mobile [phone], reading emails, and stressing over what my day held. After I got my beloved latte, I walked out to my expensive sports/luxury car and put my latte in the drink holder and it felt like the universe slapped me across the face! I just had this moment where I screamed in my own head “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!” I realized at that moment that all I was doing was selling my soul for a monthly paycheck. I HATED my job. I was GOOD at it, and I made GREAT money at it, but at the end of the day, I did nothing for anyone else. I just made the fat man richer (my CEO). Within a few days, maybe a week, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just quit. I needed to use my talents and ambitions to do something FAR BIGGER than work for that almighty piece of paper.
What was the seed for the idea of using photo-sharing as a way to create social impact? How has the idea evolved since you’ve started the company?
This is a great question! I love how you called it a seed! Thats so right on the money!
The seed was kind of twofold. I knew I had to start a tech company, but I didn’t know what our tech would do. So I spent a lot of time thinking about my personal philosophies and what made sense to me. One of the big things I always say to people is that when you’re lying on your deathbed, all you have left are your memories. Once I started thinking along the lines of how to capture those memories through tech, the natural direction was photos. What’s the first thing people take in a fire? Their photos. Photos tell stories. They remind us of where we’ve been. What we’ve done. Who we loved. We live through them. I knew once I started thinking this way, that I was on the right track. The seed was memories. How can we turn our memories that are SUCH a blessing for us into blessings for others?!
So what is PictureHealing? What’s unique about what you guys are trying to accomplish?
PictureHealing is different depending on where you fit in the picture. On the surface we are a mobile photo-sharing app for iPhones that allows our users to take and share photos for free to raise money for up to three of their favorite nonprofits.
If you’re a charity, we offer a suite of tools above and beyond the photo-sharing app to develop community, awareness and support for your mission.
For brands, we’re a digital media company that facilitates custom and highly targeted Corporate Social Responsibility and Cause Marketing campaigns across our platforms.
We’ve got a whiff of the company culture from your recent Screw Business As Usual Competition video. How do you translate that into how you run the business?
That video was pretty fun and ridiculous, huh!? I think the video actually translated a little of our culture into the video rather than the other way around. We like to have fun. We like to be a little irreverent. We want to turn the cultural norm of boring black tie dinner galas and silent auctions on their head and prove to people that giving back can and will be a fun and easy thing to do as part of your everyday life! Not just when you get guilted into spending $500 on a crappy chicken dinner at the local country club. Those events are great for certain people, but they’re so limiting to SO many other people who want to get involved and help out!
I’ve heard you say before that “Exposure breeds opportunity.” How does that tie in with your views on maintaining stability and embracing failure?
I say this A LOT! I truly believe that if we create opportunities to get right in the middle of something whether we think we know it or it’s completely alien, an opportunity presents itself. We encourage our team to have side projects and hobbies that they’re into — whether company related or not. We bring our Non-Profit Guru into our tech meetings, we bring our Community Guru in to our business development talks — all perspectives are welcomed. You’d be surprised at the ideas that pop up from someone who is foreign to the topic.
I just read somewhere that companies that are forced to bootstrap actually come up with much more creative avenues to release their products or services. That’s the same mentality as asking someone who doesn’t know (or think they know) the answer what they think the answer should be. They have to dig in and get creative to give you a response. Even if the answer sucks — that’s okay! That failure may spawn other creative ways to find the solutions. That creativity is what drives our sustainability in the end.
You emphasized before that the app is just an extension of Picture Healing turning online efforts into offline actions. What does that look like? How do you create a movement that resonate with the new generation of young people?
At the end of the day, I believe we are building a culture, not a product or a service. Those are extensions of the culture and ways to participate with the others who believe in the same things we do.
Our culture is the new school do-gooders. The ones who are willing to stand up to the old guard and tell them they’re doing it wrong, or that they could do what they do even better. We’re the strong youthful voices that know there is a better way, and we’re willing to take the chances!
What is the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? What barriers did you have to overcome to get Picture Healing to where it is right now?
I’d love to frame this question in a different way. I think of the challenges we face in a very positive way. If this were easy, everyone would be doing it. Instead, we get to be creative and come up with real life answers to the many challenges any start-up business faces.
I think our big challenge right now is establishing our relationships with ad agencies and brands and getting them to realize the power of the platform we’ve created. The Vans Warped Tour believes a ton in what we’ve been building and they’re giving us a really fun way to show up and prove our capabilities on a large scale! Look out for some fun promotions with Music Saves Lives for the chance to win free VIP tickets; Keep A Breast and Fine Feather Heads will be treating the ladies of Warped [Tour] to some stylish gear while making a massive donation through our tech in the process; and Oracle and Java are teaming up with us to educate the tour-goers on the benefits of how tech can get you high paying gigs and be used for social good!
What’s next for Picture Healing? What can we look forward to from the team?
PictureHealing has a lot of fun up and comings! We’re focusing hard on some really great CSR campaigns to raise a ton of money for our charities over the summer and leading in to the rest of the year. Our big focus right now is to enter the marketplace with our flexible tech and make some incredible impact!
For aspiring social entrepreneurs, what advice would you give someone looking bring their idea alive?
You have to go ALL IN — find something you’re truly passionate about and build great teams. The team is far more important than your idea. Your idea will evolve with time if you have a good team to help you take it there. Teams don’t always mean that you have to spend money. At PictureHealing, we are entirely run by volunteers at this point. This will change soon, but in the meantime, we’ve built an incredible group of people all banding together to change the world without spending a dollar!
Thank you Chris for sharing your experience with us!
Thank you! We really appreciate your support and helping us spread the word!!
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This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
“The question shouldn’t be, “What’s the next big thing?” but “What’s the next big culture?” — Alexis Madrigal at The 99% Conference
The basic elements of creativity: copy, transform, combine.
remix
(via sarahjuddwelch)
I remember clearly the first time I read the Holstee Manifesto. It was a fall evening, around 11 p.m., and I had just come home from a long and draining day at work. As I prepared dinner, I scrolled through my Facebook feed aimlessly, a bad habit I turn to when I’m particularly restless. One friend had posted about a cool new travel film festival (oh hey, Mikey K.) and as I clicked to his page to learn more, it hit me. Boom. Words that I had been desperately needing to read, coming at me one right after the other.
“This is your life.” — YES. Why did I just spend 13 hours of it at the office?
“Do what you love and do it often.” – Travel. Reading. Yoga. All hobbies that had somehow been replaced with weekend work days and whiskey.
“If you don’t like something, change it.” — But how?
“If you don’t like your job, quit.” – Ahhhh, that might be one way.
“If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.” — …or Facebooking.
“If you are looking for the love of your life, stop. They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.”
I was sold.
Things didn’t really click, though, until a few months later, on a long journey from New York back home for the holidays, where I finally had time to unplug and reflect. By the time I disembarked, two things were clear: (1) I was miserable and (2) something had to change.
That New Year’s, I made a vow to start pursuing more of my passions, and I also made a resolution to be more conscious in my consumption and decision-making. Springtime was spent taking classes on sustainability, voraciously reading about social enterprise models, blogging about ethical fashion, and planning coffee dates with people I thought could teach me something about this exciting new world of social responsibility I had just discovered.
One of those coffee dates led me to the Holstee family, and I have felt humbled, honored, and inspired from the moment I met them. Whether it’s chatting over tea, dining potluck with free-flowing wine, or dancing the night away at Burning Man, their genuine goodness and zest for life are infectious, and it’s clear that they embody the words of the Manifesto in the best way possible.
In the next month, I’ll celebrate my 26th birthday and the one-year anniversary of the day I made the difficult decision to leave my job. In the past year, I have rediscovered myself, traveling to nine countries, reading loads and loads of books, and revitalizing my yoga practice. I also spent several months in Cambodia researching artisan social enterprises, started a small ethical fashion business that will launch this summer, and established myself as a freelance writer specializing in subjects that I’m passionate about.
Without a doubt, my exposure to the Manifesto and my time spent with the incredible people behind it have contributed to a whirlwind adventure that is just getting started. My gratitude is too great for words.-Jessica Marati
Love this.
“Most importantly, remember that you are not special. There were a million other kids on this path before you and there will be another million after. Most of them either went nowhere or turned out to be nothing. Even the successful ones might still flame out or be assholes. What does this mean? It means don’t get high on yourself. Don’t tell yourself a story. Be quiet, work hard, and stay healthy. It’s not ambition or skill that is going to set you apart—notice I didn’t mention those things a single time. It’s safe to assume you’ve already got them covered. What will set you apart, what is rare, is humility, diligence and self-awareness.” — Expert advice from Ryan Holiday: Advice to a Young Man Hoping to Go Somewhere (Or Get Something From Someone Successful)
Rules are made to be broken, so some say. But unlike skipping school or sneaking into the house after the curfew, some rules bind our hands so tightly that the chain leaves a scarring tattoo.
We have tried to break the invisible links of poverty in Africa for decades with aid, relief, and development but as Sabrina Natasha Premji described in a recent blog post, such interventions to “save Africa” more often than not, spark a disastrous domino effect, however well intended.
So how can we move beyond merely dictating their needs, relying on our “us versus them” attitude to solving extreme poverty?
Even though I joined StartSomeGood only a couple months ago, it has been an incredible journey thus far empowering courageous risk-takers and off-the-beaten-path rule-breakers start some good. Co-founders, Alex Budak and Tom Dawkins, created a crowdfunding platform for social entrepreneurs because they believed that these impact-preneurs are the most capable people to uplift the members within their own community and create long-term change.
As such, we are doubly excited to launch two campaigns focused on Africa – with a third on the way - to help these young, creative leaders ignite their ideas, together! All three are part of the YouthActionNet fellowship, which provides young changemakers with ideas, resources, and connections to other like-minded people around the world, ultimately strengthening the global peer-to-peer support system. The younger generation’s instinct for rebellion might be the only thing that could shatter the status quo and ignite a path towards a more prosperous future.
Benard Wakoli is the founder of YaYa Education Trust (YET). YET is committed to alleviating poverty and combating “gender apartheid” toward women and girls within the rural Mumias district in Kenya. He created the Community Goat Bank Project to enable women entrepreneurs to become financially independent while also providing food for the family. By donating the goat’s offspring to another marginalized woman in the community, she will empower another to rise out of poverty. The increased income allows these women and girls to afford education and health services while increasing awareness for human rights and leveling gender discrimination.
Kwabena Danso co-founded The Yonso Project in rural Ghana, which provides community-based education and empowerment for the Yonso community. It uses scholarships, microfinance for rural women, Teach for Rural Ghana program, and Bamboo Bicycle Project as a platform for impact. Its campaign, Mentoring and Guidance for Rural School Children, creates an opportunity for 200 10-18 year old kids to be educated on their rights, mentored on their goals and roles in the community, and trained on facing sex issues through a three-day camp retreat.
The Tanzania Youth Environmental Network (TAYEN) sets up student-led, environmental clubs in schools to address sustainability issues such as deforestation, climate change, the lack of clean water access, and illnesses from insufficient sanitation. It helps youths identify destructive practices and inspires them to take initiative on environmental conservation. Although TAYEN’s campaign is forthcoming, keep an eye out for this organization incubating the future environmental leaders of Tanzania.
Now, I’m not here to discourage charity donations or knock down NGOs and their tireless, passionate members who are improving lives everyday in Africa. Whether building infrastructure for safe drinking water or selling tote bags to feed malnourished children, they all help secure a better future for the marginalized, the oppressed, and the impoverished. But some rules need to be broken, including the one treating Africa as a charity case. Instead of copy-and-pasting an image of us lending a hand, why not draw one where we are linking arms together?
The impact of sharing a goat’s offspring, educating and mentoring youths, or inspiring students to take action on conservation initiatives may not be apparent in the short-term but it’s never too early to spark rule breakers who challenge the status quo. So let’s support them by making their ideas a reality!
You have an itch to launch a social enterprise. And you think your idea is potentially world-changing. But you don’t know where to begin. Coming up with an idea is the easy part, whereas executing your vision is full of twists and turns. Hear it from Bridget Hilton, the LA-based co-founder of Jack’s Soap, on how she found inspiration and turned an idea into a real (organic and vegan!) product in just four months, launching only in November 2011.
Bridget started Jack’s Soap to raise awareness and prevent deaths related to insufficient personal hygiene. Jack’s gives away a bar of soap for every one sold but it hands out locally-produced soap instead of an exact replica made in the U.S. By educating children on the importance of developing effective hand-washing habits, Bridget hopes to reduce the incidence of preventable diseases like cholera and pneumonia. Jack’s Soap has partnered with organizations like Global Handwashing Day and it currently concentrates on communities in Ethiopia. They hope to expand their work into Uganda and Haiti in the near future.
Why did you start Jack’s Soap?
When I heard that 5,000 children a day were dying because they had no access to soap, I thought how can that be possible? Soap is the cheapest and the most effective way to prevent diseases such as cholera, typhoid, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Something so simple that we take for granted in America can mean so much to someone in a developing country. My friend Ben and I decided that we had to try to do something about it. We had plans to start a company with charity ingrained in the business plan, but when we came across this fact, we knew that starting with soap would have the biggest impact.
You went from working in the music business to the soap business. How do you see your background and prior experiences contributing to the company’s early success?
I think that I’ll always be involved with music no matter what. It’s a huge passion of mine. My background in marketing & sales has been very helpful. My career thus far has given me experience in dealing with many types of people and personalities, which is important for any business leader. My experience has taught me to not be afraid of approaching anyone, no matter who they are. Also, I believe that many times it takes a person from a completely different background to make a change in an industry or put a twist on a product. It’s exciting to be in a new industry!
For those who have an idea for a social enterprise but don’t know how to move it forward, what were the first few steps you took when you had the idea for Jack’s Soap?
First of all, do your research. Are there any companies already doing this idea that you can find? Better to find one that no one is doing yet. Everyone doesn’t NEED a co-founder, but it certainly helps to have someone reliable to bounce ideas off of and be your partner in the long road of creating and maintaining a business - find someone with strengths that complement yours. If your social enterprise involves giving in other countries, make sure you secure a charity partner that is already doing great work in your area of interest. Working with up and running organizations is a huge plus - they have already laid the groundwork for donating and will be able to give you advice on the best areas to donate to. I would also recommend securing your URL and social sites as soon as you have the name for your company.
How did you decide on the business model? How do you plan on measuring impact?
The business model came first. We really believe in the one-for-one model and were very inspired by organizations such as TOMS, Warby Parker, and Krochet Kids. Making a difference through every day purchases makes complete sense. So many people are in need, and charities just simply cannot cover it all. At first, Jack’s is concentrating on small villages in areas that are in dire need, and will be measuring the reduction in disease in these areas via our charity partners.
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started out? How did you tackle it?
We started at the end of October 2011 with an idea and little money, and I gave us the goal of having a finished product and launched website by January 1, 2012. By bootstrapping our start-up in a very short period of time, I have learned so much - from how to code a website, how to set up merchant accounts, how soap is made, how to design packaging, many things that I would have never dealt with if we had paid someone else to set everything up. Building a company from the ground up and being hands-on in everything that we have done have been a major undertaking, and I’m so happy we did it ourselves. We’ve done an immense amount of research to learn about the business, the countries that we are donating to, and the global health crisis. I would highly recommend finding other social entrepreneurs in your city and getting together and discussing ideas, past mistakes, and future plans. Ben lives in San Francisco and I live in Los Angeles - we’re very fortunate to be in two cities which have thriving social entrepreneurship communities.
Wow. So Jack’s Soap has been in existence for about four months now? Why do you think you guys achieved such early momentum?
Yes! It’s been a crazy few months. Instead of starting to tell people about Jack’s after everything was finalized, we started getting feedback and really digging into our research the day after we had the idea. We focused early on building our social media pages; doing competitive research in the skin care aisles of local Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Target; and telling everyone we knew about our mission. By doing this, it forced us to really follow up on everything very quickly as we had people asking when/where they could buy the soap before our site was even up! There have been a lot of late nights at home, staring at a monitor at 3 am figuring out how to make all of this work, but when it came together so quickly it was definitely worth it. We’re of course still working out some kinks, and learning new things every day - it’s great!
When did you first realize that your idea was gaining traction? Did you have a specific turning point?
Not sure there was one turning point. Ben and I have a very specific list of goals that we want to accomplish. When we reach every small goal, it is very exciting! For example, talking to our first charity partner, launching the website, actually holding the finished product in our hands, and getting our first retailer have been high points so far.
What are some specific tools you would recommend to aspiring social entrepreneurs?
What tunes do you like to rock out to while you work? Any new artists on your playlist?
Music keeps me motivated. I have Spotify playing all day long. My favorite albums right now are Fun. - Some Nights, Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour, HoneyHoney - BillyJack, Gotye - Making Mirrors, Bahamas - Barchords, and Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire.
What is the one takeaway message you want others to know about your experience launching Jack’s Soap?
If you have an idea, I highly recommend launching it now. The only regret I have is not starting this business sooner. You don’t have forever - there is no time like the present and you have to keep the momentum going. If you wait around, I guarantee someone else will think of the same idea and run with it. There are so many ideas I have had in the past that I wish I would have jumped on before another entrepreneur did.
How can other people help you and your cause?
Tell your friends about our cause. Make better purchasing decisions - there are plenty of products out there that give back. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and give us input on what you like and don’t like about our company. We want to make it the best it can be and are always open to suggestions.
To find out more about these preventable diseases, dive in here, here, and here.
If you want to learn more about Jack’s Soap, check out their website!
[Update: Jack’s Soap is partnering with Children of the Nations to distribute soap in Haiti!]
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If you are looking to launch a social enterprise, be sure to check out seToolbelt for its immense library of resources! Or, chat with the fine folks at StartSomeGood about igniting your idea!
