342 | Radical Business with David Gaines
David Gaines is the CEO and Chief Visionary for La Terza Coffee and the author of the newly released book Radical Business, The Root of Your Work and How It Can Change the World. I'm also honored to say David interviewed me in October of last year for the Social Enterprise Alliance podcast where he has just recently stepped down from being Board Chair after a long term there, and we also got to connect in person when David was recently here in Albuquerque for an event called Creating a Community of Business for Good, which David was the key speaker and organizer and helped us connect with each other in just a beautiful way.
This episode is sponsored by the coaching company of the host, Paul Zelizer. Consider a Strategy Session if you can use support growing your impact business.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Climate Entrepreneurs in New Mexico: Interview Transcript: Radical Business with David Gaines
NOTE: While it’s not perfect, we offer a transcript and the below summaries by Castmagic for those who are hearing impaired or who don’t find listening to a podcast enjoyable or possible.
You can read the full transcript of this episode here
Key Topics on Radical Business with David Gaines
Focus on Local Economy and Social Impact Movement
Connecting local economies.
Sharing best practices.
Supporting each other in the social impact sector.
Audience Engagement and Support
Encouragement to reach out to David Gaines for catalyzing local initiatives.
Emphasis on the value of listeners’ work and commitment to impact.
Contact Information for David Gaines
Website: davidgains.com
Email: david@davidgains.com
Paul Zelizer’s Business Advice
Importance of finding a niche or "one thing."
Examples like selling shoes.
Need for a specific focus to align needs and values.
Influence of "Good to Great" by Jim Collins
Role in shaping Paul’s understanding.
Importance of finding a niche.
Starting Small and Gradual Impact
David’s advice on making a positive impact from wherever you are.
Examples like running programs and employee empowerment.
Growth and Transition Challenges in Purpose-Driven Businesses
Podcast’s audience focus.
Challenges in transitioning from a startup to a sustainable business.
Assessing Goals and Passion
Necessity of reassessing and re-evaluating in alignment with revenue and impact.
David’s personal experience with incremental progress.
David Gaines’ Entrepreneurship Journey
Initial creation of his own work to volunteer.
Venture into coffee and owning a coffee roasting business.
Social impact through coffee and coffeehouses.
Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in Coffee
Focus on women growers, particularly from Honduras.
Impact of additional income on community projects like building schools.
Employee Self-Care and Alternative Success Metrics
Businesses prioritizing employee self-care.
Example of Positive Energy Solar.
Future Plans and Importance of Slowing Down
David’s plans for growth and hard work.
Necessity of slowing down for better outcomes.
Realization about Competition and Collaboration
Viewing competitors as allies in making a better world.
Introducing the "7 seeds" of social impact: supply chain, team members, customers, community, competition, the environment, and self-care.
Recommendations for New Social Entrepreneurs
Focus on the hedgehog concept from "Good to Great."
Importance of excelling in one area before expanding.
Involvement with Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA)
Local and national level engagement.
Transition from chapter model to encouraging local gatherings.
Defining “Good” in Social Impact Business
Complexity of defining "good."
Challenges the binary nature of social impact.
Principles of Radical Business
Rooting business practices in bettering the world.
Treating others as you want to be treated.
Living wages in the supply chain.
Quality before the social mission.