For me, business isn’t solely about making money – I believe that meaning and purpose are much more important.

 As entrepreneurs, the received wisdom is that we’re all in business to make money and provide a comfortable quality of life for our families. However, this year – especially since COVID-19 tore across the globe – I’ve struggled to find real meaning about why I am actually in business. Many times, I’ve felt helpless about a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Of course, money is vital for everyday living… but is it my main drive? No. 

Do I actually feel pretty good when something I’ve designed and created leads to a tangible result for my client? Yes. 

Do I feel that through my business I’m contributing to something other than my own and my family’s ongoing existence? Not in any meaningful way.  

Should I care about that? Quite frankly, yes. I believe everyone should. 2020 has undoubtedly been a wake-up year: floods, landslides, fires, war, poverty, suffering… and of course COVID-19. Reading about those stuck in apartments during lockdown while watching my own kids playing in the garden, the penny suddenly dropped: we are so lucky. And as the pandemic engulfed more of the world, I felt compelled to contribute more to help others less fortunate. 

While attending a Networking for Good meeting I was introduced to B1G1, and this really excited me. Why? Because I had thought you had to be a multi-millionaire like Bill Gates or Richard Branson to make a bigger impact on the world. I thought that alone, there was only so much I could achieve, so much impact I could have on helping others and making the world a better place.  B1G1 – Business For GoodB1G1 is an amazing organisation, aligned with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Goals. The platform and the projects B1G1 sponsors are transforming lives across the globe. Via B1G1, ordinary people like you and me CAN make a big impact on the world Having An IMPACT

With this in mind, I have made the conscious decision that every invoice I issue, every positive conversation I have with a potential client or collaborator, every opportunity that arises which could benefit Mashuni I will contribute to making someones life better, improving the environment or just trying to make the world a better place through B1G1.

To understand why I, doing this please read the amazing book by Steve Pipe and Paul Dunn called A Time to Rise

I'm at the start of my giving journey, I feel good about that and am excited about what we can all achieve in the future - I hope you will also feel inspired to make a difference.  Thank you