When it comes to business, it’s earning profit that’s the name of the game- and if you’re not making money, your company simply can’t continue.

However, it’s more than likely that you had motivations other than money to start up your own venture. If you want to make a difference in the world by what you do, here’s how you can go about it.

Sell something that genuinely helps people

One of your goals when starting a business might have been to genuinely help people- to provide a product or service that betters people’s lives, makes them happy or makes things easier for them in some way. If you’re in the early stages of planning your business and are looking for ideas, start thinking up solutions to problems we have in society.

• Could you start a business that helps elderly or disabled people in some way?

• Could you sell products that enable those on a tight budget to live better or that could help children improve their education?

It could be in the form of an app or software, physical products or a service.

It could be something completely new and innovative, or a standard kind of business with your unique selling point focusing on the difference you’re trying to make.

Some examples of businesses that make a genuine difference include things like meal delivery services to help those that are housebound live more independently, apps that monitor and track specific health conditions, internet cafes that those on a low budget can use to search for jobs and better their lives. There are so many directions you could go in with this.

Look after your employees

By looking after your employees, you won’t change the world but you will change their world. People that are happy at work enjoy lower stress throughout their lives, and makes a huge difference to them overall. Pay fairly based on their experience and what they offer to your company. Offer them the ability to train and learn more so they don’t feel as though they’re stagnating.

Promote internally where possible, which gives your employees a chance to work up the ladder rather than being stuck in a role for many years.

Of course, you’ll need to follow health and safety laws to make sure no one gets hurt too. Simple things like ensuring that the lighting is sufficient and that there are no tripping hazards being left around will prevent many kinds of slips, trips and falls. Guardrails on roof areas make it safer for anyone working outside, and regular training will make sure that anyone working with hazards knows the safest way to carry out their job.

Other ways you can look after your employees is by looking into mental health benefits. Allow mental health sick days, encourage exercise by offering a gym membership and let them work from home some days of the week.

Research has proved again and again that this is beneficial for employee health and mental health, and since much of what companies do is now online, it’s easy to implement. Another way your company could make a difference with employees is by who you hire. There are businesses that have paved the way with this, for example those offering homeless people work as a way to better their lives. Offering apprenticeships to young people can also make a genuine difference, allowing them to earn as they learn and giving them the skills they need to start their career.

Go green

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint, but as consumers there’s only so much we can do. When it comes to plastic for example, often products come packaged in single use plastic with no other alternative. It’s the businesses of the world that need to step up and make a difference here 🙂

Aim to use less water, less fossil fuels and less plastic within in your company. Recycle properly, and source responsibly. By choosing to work with or source from businesses which use things like low VOC products, sustainably sourced wood, buy Fairtrade and aren’t tested on animals, for example, you help to create more of a demand for them.

It’s easy to feel like your one little business won’t make a difference, but that’s the problem.

If we all thought like that, no change would ever get made. If we all work together and do what we can, we have the power to change the world for the better.

Partner with a charity

Partnering with a charity can be really mutually beneficial. You could pledge a certain percentage of your profits each year to them, and in return they will help to promote what you do through their own channels. This is a chance to reach far more potential customers, and is essentially ‘free’ marketing.

Partnering with a charity also helps to portray you in a positive light to your customers, and of course, the money you donate to them make a genuine difference to their cause. Partner with a charity which is somehow linked to your business for the best chance of reaching potential customers who are likely to be interested in what you do.

For example, if you’re a vet or sell products or services for animals in any capacity, then an animal charity would make good sense. If your business is focused around improving mental health then charities like Mind would be a good choice. There are women’s shelters, homeless charities, children’s charities and charities to help those in third world countries- have a think about which it would make the most sense for your business to help.

© New To HR