Shining a light on men creating positive impact through business
Today is International Men’s Day which aims to highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being, improve gender relations and promote gender equality not only for men but for everyone. Here at The Good Business Club, we’re proud to be creating and encouraging a more gender-balanced workforce, and we wanted to take a moment to focus on the positive work some of the men that make up the Club are doing in the good business world. Meet Shiv Misra (Roots and Hoots), Adrian Ashton (Social Enterprise Consultant), and Sam Raife (Brand Ambition).
Shiv Misra
Founder of the ever-popular vegan supermarket Kindly of Brighton, Shiv’s next venture into sustainable business was partnering with Co-Founder Ram to bring Roots & Hoots to life: a zero-waste online supermarket delivering plastic-free groceries and household goods to the doorsteps of those living in Sussex.
What does being a good business mean to you?
For me, the definition of good business is really defined by John Elkington’s triple bottom line. It nicely defines what a good business should be, with the focus not only on people and profit but also on the planet. The key reason why I started my business was to provide people an option to shop sustainably and hence do good for the planet. This not only contributes to the health of the structure within which the business operates, but it also helps construct an environment in which the business can thrive.
I also feel that we are living in very exciting times where many business owners are beginning to add meaning and purpose to what they do thus making a positive impact on the world. At the same time, consumers are expecting and demanding businesses to care about their impact on society and hence forcing businesses to become good businesses.
“We have not only reduced overall waste levels, but we have also shown that such a model, which is beneficial for the entire society, can be run commercially and hence put a bit of pressure on big players to adopt such a model. “
Why did you start your business and what impact have you created in the world?
Our vision is to move from a throwaway economy to a reuse economy to lessen the impact of regular shopping on our planet.
We help our environment-conscious customers to cut out the plastic, lessen their environmental impact and lead a zero-waste lifestyle by providing accessible, affordable, and convenient ways to shop sustainably using reusable packaging and refillable products.
We believe that we have created a genuine circular model which can be replicated by many players in the food and grocery sector and hence curb a lot of wastage associated with the delivery system. We have not only reduced overall waste levels, but we have also shown that such a model, which is beneficial for the entire society, can be run commercially and hence put a bit of pressure on big players to adopt such a model.
Ultimately the wastage issue can only be tackled if the public is not just made aware of the perils of wastage but also provided a viable alternate system. By pioneering such a system we are offering this viable alternate system, thus bringing about a revolution in the antiquated delivery system where no consideration is given to the amount of wastage created.
We know running a business is tough. What has been one of the biggest challenges and what/who has made an impact on your journey?
The biggest challenge to overcome was to get people to accept this new way of shopping (when people are used to the comfort of selecting the packaged food from supermarkets). It probably didn’t help that we started this business in the middle of a pandemic when people were less open to trying out a new service that they were not familiar with. However, having said that it was our loyal customers who made an impact on our journey as we had some customers who took the plunge and tried our service and they recommended to their friends and almost the whole community was grown through the efforts of our customer.
So for any new business, trying out something new, I would recommend being persistent in your approach and efforts and getting your initial set of customers behind you, and let them be the voice of your brand.
“I would recommend being persistent in your approach and efforts and getting your initial set of customers behind you, and let them be the voice of your brand.”
What can readers do right now to support your business?
The way you can support our business is by trying our new service and giving us your valuable feedback. Please visit our website at www.rootsandhoots.com and let us know how we can make the service better.
Better still, if you are within delivery area (We deliver to an area of 25 miles around Brighton), then place an order and let us know about anything that you would like to change in the process. Please let your families and friends know about us. The only way we can make a difference, is by more people trying the service and moving from a single-use economy to a re-use economy. So help us in our journey to fight plastic pollution and be a member of our community.
Adrian Ashton
Adrian is a recognised, approved, and accredited provider of advice, consultancy, training, and research to various social enterprises, charities, sector bodies, and other organisations. Working across various fields he is also a published commentator on policy and sector issues.
What does being a good business mean to you?
Not being a d!ck – having concern and consideration for everyone else around us, both personally and professionally in how we work, and trying to get the best outcomes for all of us in whatever it is we’re delivering.
It’s also about not being motivated by ego, or solely being in it to make as much money for yourself as you can (although there’s nothing automatically wrong with channeling a little Gordon Gekko from time to time…)
“It’s about the work I do having some small impact on the wider world so that it will be a kinder, better place for my kids than I found it to be when I was their age…”
Why did you start your business and what impact have you created in the world?
I was ‘stitched up’ on a job offer which meant that I’d relocated my new family to the other end of the country and then found myself with no income to support them with (in an age before the internet as we know it now: smartphones weren’t even a thing in those days!).
The first work I found was on a freelance basis, so I’ve been ‘jumping’ ever since then to keep supporting my family – which isn’t just about making sure there’s food in the cupboard, and rent arrears aren’t building up. It’s also about the work I do having some small impacts on the wider world so that it will be a kinder, better place for my kids than I found it to be when I was their age, as they grow up and start to explore it for themselves. That includes things like offering support pro bono; lobbying to change legislation and policy; not offering to meet people in person to help reduce the environmental impact of travel, and remaining a sole trader so I have to pay more tax – but all of which seem to attract criticism in equal measure as recognition…
What challenges have you faced trying to create a sustainable good business?
Reconciling the tensions between needing to pay bills with doing the right thing is an ongoing thing (on occasion I’ve turned work down as I didn’t feel it was in keeping with the impacts I’m trying to create in how I work – see above).
And as a sole trader, it would be very easy to slip into ‘bad habits’ that could quickly become entrenched and undermine my intentions – I therefore try and hold myself to account each year by publishing an impact report that’s aligned to the UN’s Global Goals and externally benchmarked against other businesses.
“Reconciling the tensions between needing to pay bills with doing the right thing is an ongoing thing.”
We know running a business is tough. What has been one of the biggest challenges and what/who has made an impact on your journey?
Over the last 16 years I’ve occasionally blogged about some of the challenges I’ve had to contend with (such as being made homeless as a family twice; supporting my parents through several illnesses that have seen them closer to death than any child ever wants so see their parents being; and such like), so there’s no one single thing that stands out in that regard.
But an ongoing challenge is people ‘standing me up’ (forgetting they’d arranged to call/meet with me or cancelling training courses I was booked to deliver on the day) – last year this equated to about £4,500 of lost earnings!
As to what and who’s had the biggest impact on my journey to date – probably the kindness and generosity that people show, if we only feel able to ask them for help or support. And Tony Robinson for leading me to become famous in some circles for my fez…
What can readers do right now to support your business?
Unfortunately, the work I do is very varied (working with domestic violence refuges to secure the investment they need to increase the number of women they can help escape; developing enterprise education curriculums with colleges and universities; running training workshops to help people realise that bookkeeping is a lot easier than they think, and that accounts are ‘quite interesting’ after all; and doing policy work around different sectors), so no easy “spread the word about…” type message I’m afraid.
But you could check out all my social media feeds and like, subscribe, etc the heck out of them: if nothing else it means that when my mum occasionally looks me up on them, she’ll be more impressed at how well my work is apparently being received and valued.
Follow Adrian on his social media channels, and sign up to read his blog.
Sam Raife
Sam is Managing Director of Brand Ambition, a Digital Brand Marketing Agency based in Leeds and Belfast. Their SEO First approach to Marketing has supported Small and Medium-sized business growth with a focus on lead generation through storytelling.
What does being a good business mean to you?
Doing good is at the heart of everything we do. As a business owner, I set initiatives that I thought would support the idea of doing good, for example, we have a company-wide profit share project. An e-commerce website that acts as a staff bonus and training ground all in one. All profits made get split between staff and the business benefits from trying new skills and techniques in a live environment.
We’re dedicated to supporting the growth of skills in our industry through staff development. But as a Marketing Agency, we also rely on the companies around us to support that effort.
“I spent years doing SEO for gambling companies but parting people with the little money they had in exchange for hope, never sat right with me.”
Why did you start your business and what impact have you created in the world?
Brand Ambition is a family business, a joint venture between my uncle and I. Prior to starting the agency, I spent around seven years doing SEO (search engine optimisation) marketing for gambling companies and their affiliates. It’s an incredibly competitive industry and to be honest, I excelled at it. The issue was the end objective. Parting people with the little money they had in exchange for hope, never sat right with me.
Now, we get to work with clients that celebrate making a positive difference to their communities and we’ve found that these organisations exist everywhere. One of our clients Keighley Laboratories is a fantastic example. As a company, they are in a very traditional industry; metallurgy testing and heat treatment, but at the heart is a family business, just like our own.
Debbie, the MD, is consistently speaking at local schools, engaging with local initiatives such as Bradford Manufacturing Week, and is a regular contributor to women in manufacturing. They employ young people teaching them very technical and important skills for the modern world and they do it all from their central base in the middle of a small town in Yorkshire.
Our job, as their marketing agency is to tell that story. Believe me, when I tell you that feels a lot better than designing campaigns to feed a dangerous habit. The impact that has had on our own business has been massive. Not only are we utilising the skills we crafted in ultra-competitive industries, but we attract better quality talent, good clients to work with, and get better results as everyone feels united in the single purpose of celebrating small businesses and telling their stories.
“Being a good business means sacrificing some traditional ideals of business growth.”
What challenges have you faced trying to create a sustainable good business?
As a business split across two countries, we have a larger carbon footprint due to the flights from Belfast to Leeds, we are looking at ways to offset this cost in the next few months.
We also face a digital skills gap, so part of our initiatives over the next couple of years involves finding ways to engage with people from all backgrounds with the view of upskilling them into the industry. We are looking at ways that, as a small business, we can support taking on and training apprentices as well as supporting skill development in Digital Marketing.
We know running a business is tough. What has been one of the biggest challenges and what/who has made an impact on your journey?
One of the biggest challenges has been staying true to our ideals and focusing away from some of the industries we have past experience in. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a member of my family as my partner. Robin’s experience in the industry is second to none and his previous experience of building an advertising agency has been a solid sounding board for any tough decisions we’ve had to make.
Being a good business means sacrificing some traditional ideals of business growth. We believe in “People before Profit”, so although the business is currently running on tight margins we are focused on growing with the objective of making a larger impact on the marketing community.
What can readers do right now to support your business?
We have a new initiative launching in 2022 focused on supporting businesses with a social conscience. Essentially, we offer cut-price marketing services where the work is fulfilled by enthusiastic and promising talent but overseen by professional, experienced marketers.
The idea is to encourage new digital skill development, but ensure that those doing the work get to work on projects that make a positive impact.
We’re calling it the Social Enterprise Marketing Project (SEMP).
If you’re reading this and have recently been looking for marketing services then come and talk to us about what you need. We can loop you in with the right talent to get things moving.
Have you got a good story to share?
Do you identify as a man and are creating a positive impact in the world through business? Share your story with us.