Speaking Engagements

Meaning, Mission, or Money

I find it very interesting how for profits and non-profits seem to adopting each others best practices.

On my post on August 20, for example, I wrote about how corporations are creating membership programs to build customer loyalty. The post was titled:
Corporations Coop Membership Marketing.

On the other hand, many associations that I interact with seem to be increasingly concerned with the bottom line. They want to justify programs with ROI.

The post from a friend of mine on his blog provided another example of this merging of world views. My friend’s blog,
Every Square Inch, is focused on integrating faith and business.

His post highlighted
Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, business author, and former Apple marketing whiz, who talks about how to successfully launch a start up in his book, The Art of the Start.

According to Kawasaki, the most important part of a start up business isn't your business plan; it's the desire to "make meaning"; or for those of us in the non-profit world it’s the desire to accomplish the MISSION.

Here's part of what Kawasaki says:

The core, the essence of entrepreneurship is to make meaning...

Many, many people start companies to make money. I have found the companies that are fundamentally founded...to make the world a better place, that make meaning...they are the companies that succeed.

If you make meaning, you'll probably make money but if you set out to make money, you won't make meaning and you probably won't make money either.

Kawasaki goes on to say that there are three ways to make meaning:
  1. Improve quality of life

  2. Right a wrong

  3. Prevent the end of something good

If you're interested, you check out the entire video clip. It's only a couple of minutes long.

What do you think of businesses focusing on meaning and mission and associations focusing on profits?

No comments: