Page 46 - The Magic of Tiny Business

Chapter Two  Work with What You’ve Got and Make It Work

Who Do You Know? (And What Do They Know?)

You will read a lot in this book about the importance of
relationships. When you’re starting out, you may think
you are independent but really you are interdependent.

Whether you’re sparked to stay local with a commu-
nity café or build an app for rounding up online purchases
for nonprofit giving, you are part of a growing ecosystem
of people who understand that business is a currency for
ideas and for solving big problems. You can do good and
do well at the same time—and you need skills and ser-
vices that other folks have.

Research your favorite brands. Look for the ones that
seem to share your values. Find their origin stories, the
kernels that reveal their “whys,” and look at how they
started. Find what sparked them. Identify what you would
like to keep for yourself and what you don’t need or want.

Who are the people behind the businesses that are
doing things differently, rooting their decisions in more
than profit, and with an understanding that profit can be
used as a force for good? Businesses like Eco-Bags Prod-
ucts were created and thrive at this intersection.

“ Individually you can make a difference. Together
we create an impact.”

— Jeff Kirschner, Social Entrepreneur, Litterati

Thirty years ago, I worked in a vacuum. It was a chal-
lenge to simply get recycled copy paper and nontoxic inks,

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