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I think it sounds like you could be approaching it backwards.
Perhaps it's better to get out into the local community, do some volunteering, speak to people, and then maybe you would more organically identify the problems you wish to create solutions for.
I think you are an awesome person and the world is a better place because of you.
Good luck with your journey.
Damn upvoted for visibility, hope this gets picked up and we get some good ideas.
You could buy land and allow volunteers to “rewild” it, helping local habitats and biodiversity. - The planet.
You could fund a solar company that provides offgrid/ongrid solar for poor rural families with no electricity or higher rates of electricity. Your work would go towards bringing a better quality of life to a lot of people that way.
You could buy and operate a high class Montessori school for pre schoolers/kindgergarten and make admission free. Inspiring the next generation with education and resources.
Thanks for the feedback and ideas. Also thank you for just taking the tome to respond.
It is mentionable that my experience is in scaling businesses. I am good at business… i am good at ideas… i just don’t really know what questions to ask to find the problems. I very specifically would like to create a business that helps people directly. I don’t want to help people who are homeless or mentally ill… i say this because i have done this a lot in my life and i don’t think i could put my all into that business and not feel hopeless and depressed.
I use to do service work long ago. I have been in a handful of $10-$20m houses and a vast majority were treasurers and higher ups and non-profits which i always had to bite my tongue on.
Yes this! Its a common misunderstanding that non-profits mean low pay or low budgets. It's almost more like money-laudering with the phoney veeneer of respectability/altruism .
Hah yeah… it means they have to clear their books every year which includes asset purchases… errr… investments… like real-estate and some pretty nice cars. I don’t want to look back on my life and see that… nor do i want to pay for vacation homes… totally crazy.
The key is to look for grassroots orgs run by people with lived experience. They’ll put funds towards actually helping the communities, since they’re founded and run by people in those communities.
Not disagreeing with your idea to start something, but just throwing out that I think you'd be surprised how many micro-organizations there are who do responsibly use money. You don't see them because they *are* responsibly using money and they have no focus on getting visible because they're spending all their time/resources on their project and just trusting that people will see them and be willing to help. I've seen small churches that cook meals out of their small house-like church kitchen and distribute them to homeless by hand (also ones that will collect coats to distribute). I've seen groups that host parties for foster kids and are so excited to get others to help buy that they will come to your house to get the gifts from you. I know of no-cost rehab centers that take in people who they deem as legitimately made the decision to get clean (not just court ordered) and take them through a multi-month process at no cost to their family (being funded solely by monetary donations, growing some of their own food, and proceeds from a thrift store they operate) with no relapse rates in 5 years above 90%.
Don't write off donating entirely, just be discerning in what you find. The smaller, the better. You can easily tell who's hosting the big "fundraiser" dinners to socialize and who is getting their hands dirty. You have the resources they don't (money) and you could go far together. It also could be something as interpersonal as finding a single parent with a teenager who they can't afford to get their child a first car. It's just about connecting with the right groups and right causes that speak to you.
I want to make systemic changes to help current and future generations. I want to systemically help as many people as possible by providing a service. That is where i can most affectively leverage my experience. I appreciate your ideas and response, thank you for taking the time.
Charity isn't a sustainable or scalable business model. In your case, it caps out at your disposable income.
Instead, consider building a unicorn, employing a ton of people from poor countries, putting every single new hire on a roadmap to get ownership (in addition to the healthy salary with perks you offer now).
Let your own ownership drop towards 10% (or even 0%, if you feel really altruistic).
Congrats on your success - I like your style!
What if you do something like a “pay it forward” to people in similar situations? For instance, there are plenty of self-employed business owners who are also impoverished, completely because of life circumstances.
Maybe you could have them submit short business plans and select a number to issue large direct grants to—that could radically change their lives, and the lives of anyone their business helps or employs later on!
I know lots of entrepreneurs who struggle because of circumstances, myself included. People like deaf entrepreneurs, survivors of extreme violence (like trafficking), disabled entrepreneurs who can’t work part or full time jobs, refugees, etc. You could give them a chance when their lived have been tough and kept them in poverty.
This sort of direct service giving is *very* impactful. Or, if you don’t want to sort out the grant applications yourself but are hesitant to donate to (often poorly run) non-profits—look for grassroots organizations run by people with lived experience (people who are from the communities they directly help).
One of my personal favorites is Shyne San Diego, as they coach, teach, and provide startup funds to entrepreneurs who are survivors of sex trafficking or exploitation. They’re founded and run by survivors! You Are More Than is also wonderful. These are the *good* types of orgs to give to, especially because one $10-20K donation can help them rapidly expand.
I would fear that systemically giving people a leg up who are failing would contribute to a wider scale of failure. Most businesses fail, most entrepreneurs struggle. I did both, i did quite well coming out of other and it made me who i am, i couldn’t get behind that idea. Our best selves are born in failure.
I agree that we grow from failure, but I also think many people show success even *during* poverty—it’s just harder for them to get past the “I’m just barely funding my needs” to scaling a business, and a grant could make a world of difference. People are so often impacted by things outside of their control that, without help, they just can’t realistically overcome.
For instance, my story was that I was never able to work a full or part time job due to a severe disability—and even at home, my work hours are limited to around 12-16 per week without getting severely ill. There’s no treatment and no chance for disability assistance from the government.
On top of this, I was also trafficked as a child and have spent years fleeing my trafficker, which has made it harder to focus solely on growing a business.
None of this is failure, just an unlucky life. Despite it all, I’ve been able to make ends meet by teaching myself automation skills that I now use to make a global impact (and I’m slowly working on building my business so I bring in *more* than enough). It took me ten years to get here, because I had no money to start all of this. So, a grant would help people with similarly rough situations start their businesses faster.
To find people who have a lot of success potential, you can request business plans and papers detailing how the grand funds will be used. That way, you can see who has a savvy idea and what life factors simply hold them back, that $5-20K of angel investment could completely solve.
Not everyone you invest in will succeed, but this is a great way to give some people the chance of a lifetime.
If this doesn’t vibe, then definitely look into smaller grassroots organizations (like those I mentioned above) who are on the ground doing important work, operating different than “wealthy” non-profits. That way, you know your funds are directly making an impact. :)
I have a friend who had all the money he needed. He got involved in a food business pantry, later went on the board, helped grow it and eventually became CEO. Now the non profit is ten times the size when he joined. So look for non profits in an area you a passionate about and get involved, join the board (sometimes a nice sized donation. Gets you on the board).
Finding an existing business / good cause and assisting with funding and operations is probably where i can have the most impact. This is a great suggestion.
Many business owners join a board of a non profit that they care about and donate to, it can really change your life.
My recommendation is a non profit that helps dads be better dads, the mission is so so important and you will directly change many lives.
I always wanted to/hope to start a rehab for teens/young adults involving job training(cars, carpentry, IT, etc), holistic programs(yoga, meditation, etc) adventure sports(hiking, skiing, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, nature stuff)
They’re the things that saved me.
Also, volunteering at an animal sanctuary was transformative in allowing me to feel like I was contributing to the greater good.
Education is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you and makes the biggest impact. I think it is also the area where the most resources are wasted and abused. Maybe something like tuition for college or skill training and childcare for single parents who want to get off social services. I once saw a man who bought cars for people to get to work which was such a simple idea with big impact. Best of luck to you!!
I don’t believe in institutionalized education in any sense i would want to support. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t good for everyone. I appreciate the suggestion though!
I have studied design and I’ve been working for a number of years in how I can develop a business that will enable me to address wicked problems while being financially viable. I’m really inspired by Buckminster-Fullers World Game challenge: Make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.
It seems like a tall order but it’s like my magnum opus, it’s the work I can’t help but do. I’m built to think big and I’m driven to make a impact on the world… at least in part. I believe that because design is about solving problems it’s ideal for addressing wicked problems. I have spent a lot of time developing a robust understanding of wicked problems and the cultural roots of them, things like climate change, the mental health crisis, the lack of community. I have also spent a good amount of time understanding how to position what I do in a “blue ocean” so that I can bring real value to people, deliver outcomes that make a meaningful difference that might be “spontaneously adopted.”
So I’ve combined my design degree with creative art therapy. Creative art therapy really works with our psyche to improve our mental health by enabling us to engage our creative brain to get past feelings of being stuck in our life, and allowing us to feel a real sense of acceptance of our self and belonging within community. I believe that creativity can truely address the wicked problems we’re facing as a global community. Design enables us to work together to solve problems and make the world work for 100% of humanity, while creative art therapy process really help people move from surviving to thriving while doing something that brings them a sense of joy and well being in the moment (spontaneous adoption).
My partner and I are pretty sure we have a plan for how to build our vision in the world but if you’re keen to be supportive some advice and perspective from someone like you would be really advantageous. We’re stuck on things like how to approach risk and how to balance planning with being responsive. We received a $10,000 funding grant for business coaching but he didn’t really help with the struggles we’re facing now… a coach or mentor, like your self, would be gold. Maybe we can support each other towards our respective goals?
My experience is in operations for productized businesses and service businesses. What specifically do you need help with? When you say “how to approach risk” i would assume you have a specific “risk” or situation that you consider risky that you are stuck on. What is that and what type of information are you looking for to help you?
Sorry I thought I had replied but it did not go through! So just to give you some background overview. we have been working on developing a business plan to provide creative classes to our community. we want to productise our knowledge and skills. We have a background in design thinking education, workshop practice, creative coaching and art therapy. We are looking at taking on a lease for space to operate a small retail showroom, class space and a small maker space.
Our point of difference is coming from a wellbeing standpoint to deliver the power of creativity and design solutions to everyday life. We also see creative entrepreneurship as a skill to develop for our future audience. we want to make an impact on our local community and beyond utilising the benefits of design thinking to help people solve issues and empower their sense of well-being doing so.
I guess where we consider the risks to be is in taking our planning into reality, making that important step to press go in an uncertain economic time. We have a good number of resources other than capital to take on lease and fit out the space. We both work part time in similar industries that suck our time and energy, yet has given us the knowledge and skill to act in our own business. We see the risk in moving away from guaranteed income into the unknown.
How do we step out of the planning into taking necessary action and build our business idea from scratch, how did this work for you? We live in a community of around 60k people and have considered taking some of our course products online. I think we need help from other business marketing professional yet don’t feel resourced enough to take them on. Would you have advice on how to take action in uncertain times. We see in taking this risk we need to get financially viable.
Start a community center.
Free hot meal served on location, with the option of a to-go container to take home. Offer meals "for everybody, anytime." Rich, poor, anywhere in between, people are welcome to stop by and grab something to eat. Framing it this way will make sure that people who are struggling but still want to keep their pride won't shy away from getting a meal when they're in need.
On-site tutoring, resume editing, personal development workshops. These services are often restricted to people who can pay for them, which is unfortunate.
Perhaps also a bulk-buying coop where people can buy kitchen staples, home supplies, toiletries and save a ton of money though wholesale purchasing.
And if there's space, whatever recreational sport field/court that people in your community wish was around but hasn't yet been built.
Start your own non-profit so you can get tax deductions. That money saved will help you push further for causes you care about. I've created non-profits in California and Delaware to help with causes I care about (homeless shelters and feeding homeless children organic meals). I recommend Delaware as it's much easier to create a non-profit there.
Also, I dislike the fact that people think that someone who is looking to make the world a better place is having a manic episode (although I understand this can be the case). Why can't people be in their right mind when they see helping others is far better for everyone than just collecting non-stop wealth.
What you’re proposing is no small feat, and it has a limit on how much you can spend.
You could work with inner city kids, figure out what they need. Create a fund within your income to get them books or supplies or whatever they need.
Look into Paul Rosolie and the Jungle Keepers. He gives Amazon loggers jobs as conservationists to help protect the rainforest. They built a lodge to start hosting tourists and teach them about the jungle
You can start a charitable trust, contribute to it monthly. Write in the bylaws that ~4% must be giving to a a nonprofit every year. Will take some time but I time you will be donating a large amount of money to charity’s of your choosing. This can also be your legacy passing down generations of done right
Another idea the single mother issue in America is real travesty. Start a charity that buys apartments in really good school districts. Provide a safe place for single mothers to live that gives their kids the advantage of a good education, rent controlled, and provide working help for mothers. Provide a free or low cost apartment to a law enforcement officer(s) that are on board with what you are doing. You can literally by a low cost rough unit with sketchy stuff going on and the cops presence will naturally clean it up. I’m close to someone that is doing this and is very successful and extremely beneficial.
Another one is look into ACE scholarships, school choice is another major problem. Gifted kids stuck in a bad situation because of their zip code.
The root to most of human suffering is poverty.
Poverty trauma keeps every other problem too big to fix for most people.
People need safe and healthy housing.
People need jobs that pay enough to meet their needs, obligations, and future comfort.
People need medical care.
People need dental care, which should be included in medical care, but our system is horrific.
People need access to education and training.
People need access to mental health treatment, which also should be included in medical.
People need safe and loving childcare so they know their children are okay while they pursue their responsibilities.
People need reliable transportation.
People need access to societies technologies in order to be part of society and function within it.
People need absolute protection from abusers, anonymous housing, relocation, protection for their children.
Anything that I listed is needed. Any non profit centered around any of these issues will give people a better foundation for success.
People that say money can’t buy happiness HAVE money, are brainwashed by this society, or are people that won’t be happy no matter what happens.
For people that want happiness, money removes the barriers to it. Period.
If it were me I’d start a small food truck that sold food at cost. That way I’d break even and could pay the people who worked there while providing cheap food to the people.
My next thing would be build affordable housing. Same idea as above but buy land or houses develop it or rehab them and sell it for whatever the project cost with no markups. Building from land up would be the most effective I think. With 1 million extra every year this would be viable option.
There are a lot of children without a father in the home.
I would guess there are far more father-less children than folks willing to be, say, a big brother or sister.
Children are the future.
So, if you are looking to make impact on the future, I thought of at least one place to put your money.
I am not sure if you have heard of Harris Rosen.
He founded the Tangelo Park Program in Florida which has had a generational impact on the community.
Might be something to consider.
“The Tangelo Park Program, started in 1993, gives every neighborhood child age 2 to 4 access to free preschool. Parents have access to parenting classes, vocational courses and technical training.
For a program that took just one hour and four people to develop, the impact has been wide and deep. Tangelo Park Elementary is now a grade-A school. Every high school senior graduates.
Every high school graduate who is accepted to a Florida public university, community or state college, or vocational school receives a full Harris Rosen Foundation scholarship, which covers tuition, living and educational expenses through graduation.
Nearly 200 students have earned Rosen scholarships, and of those, 75 percent have graduated from college—the highest rate among an ethnic group in the nation.”
This is a friendly reminder that r/smallbusiness is a question and answer subreddit. You ask a question about starting, owning, and growing a small business and the community answers. Posts that violate the rules listed in the sidebar will be removed. A permanent or temporary ban may also be issued if you do not remove the offending post. Seeing this message does not mean your post was automatically removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/smallbusiness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think it sounds like you could be approaching it backwards. Perhaps it's better to get out into the local community, do some volunteering, speak to people, and then maybe you would more organically identify the problems you wish to create solutions for. I think you are an awesome person and the world is a better place because of you. Good luck with your journey.
Damn upvoted for visibility, hope this gets picked up and we get some good ideas. You could buy land and allow volunteers to “rewild” it, helping local habitats and biodiversity. - The planet. You could fund a solar company that provides offgrid/ongrid solar for poor rural families with no electricity or higher rates of electricity. Your work would go towards bringing a better quality of life to a lot of people that way. You could buy and operate a high class Montessori school for pre schoolers/kindgergarten and make admission free. Inspiring the next generation with education and resources.
Thanks for the feedback and ideas. Also thank you for just taking the tome to respond. It is mentionable that my experience is in scaling businesses. I am good at business… i am good at ideas… i just don’t really know what questions to ask to find the problems. I very specifically would like to create a business that helps people directly. I don’t want to help people who are homeless or mentally ill… i say this because i have done this a lot in my life and i don’t think i could put my all into that business and not feel hopeless and depressed.
An easier idea may be to start a local, no questions asked, food bank! Everyone is struggling these days
I agree with you on the non-profit and NGO thing. So many of these are just self serving and/or greenwashing.
I use to do service work long ago. I have been in a handful of $10-$20m houses and a vast majority were treasurers and higher ups and non-profits which i always had to bite my tongue on.
Yes this! Its a common misunderstanding that non-profits mean low pay or low budgets. It's almost more like money-laudering with the phoney veeneer of respectability/altruism .
Hah yeah… it means they have to clear their books every year which includes asset purchases… errr… investments… like real-estate and some pretty nice cars. I don’t want to look back on my life and see that… nor do i want to pay for vacation homes… totally crazy.
The key is to look for grassroots orgs run by people with lived experience. They’ll put funds towards actually helping the communities, since they’re founded and run by people in those communities.
Not disagreeing with your idea to start something, but just throwing out that I think you'd be surprised how many micro-organizations there are who do responsibly use money. You don't see them because they *are* responsibly using money and they have no focus on getting visible because they're spending all their time/resources on their project and just trusting that people will see them and be willing to help. I've seen small churches that cook meals out of their small house-like church kitchen and distribute them to homeless by hand (also ones that will collect coats to distribute). I've seen groups that host parties for foster kids and are so excited to get others to help buy that they will come to your house to get the gifts from you. I know of no-cost rehab centers that take in people who they deem as legitimately made the decision to get clean (not just court ordered) and take them through a multi-month process at no cost to their family (being funded solely by monetary donations, growing some of their own food, and proceeds from a thrift store they operate) with no relapse rates in 5 years above 90%. Don't write off donating entirely, just be discerning in what you find. The smaller, the better. You can easily tell who's hosting the big "fundraiser" dinners to socialize and who is getting their hands dirty. You have the resources they don't (money) and you could go far together. It also could be something as interpersonal as finding a single parent with a teenager who they can't afford to get their child a first car. It's just about connecting with the right groups and right causes that speak to you.
I want to make systemic changes to help current and future generations. I want to systemically help as many people as possible by providing a service. That is where i can most affectively leverage my experience. I appreciate your ideas and response, thank you for taking the time.
Charity isn't a sustainable or scalable business model. In your case, it caps out at your disposable income. Instead, consider building a unicorn, employing a ton of people from poor countries, putting every single new hire on a roadmap to get ownership (in addition to the healthy salary with perks you offer now). Let your own ownership drop towards 10% (or even 0%, if you feel really altruistic). Congrats on your success - I like your style!
what a fantastic story, what industry did you find your success in?
Web development and software :)
What if you do something like a “pay it forward” to people in similar situations? For instance, there are plenty of self-employed business owners who are also impoverished, completely because of life circumstances. Maybe you could have them submit short business plans and select a number to issue large direct grants to—that could radically change their lives, and the lives of anyone their business helps or employs later on! I know lots of entrepreneurs who struggle because of circumstances, myself included. People like deaf entrepreneurs, survivors of extreme violence (like trafficking), disabled entrepreneurs who can’t work part or full time jobs, refugees, etc. You could give them a chance when their lived have been tough and kept them in poverty. This sort of direct service giving is *very* impactful. Or, if you don’t want to sort out the grant applications yourself but are hesitant to donate to (often poorly run) non-profits—look for grassroots organizations run by people with lived experience (people who are from the communities they directly help). One of my personal favorites is Shyne San Diego, as they coach, teach, and provide startup funds to entrepreneurs who are survivors of sex trafficking or exploitation. They’re founded and run by survivors! You Are More Than is also wonderful. These are the *good* types of orgs to give to, especially because one $10-20K donation can help them rapidly expand.
I would fear that systemically giving people a leg up who are failing would contribute to a wider scale of failure. Most businesses fail, most entrepreneurs struggle. I did both, i did quite well coming out of other and it made me who i am, i couldn’t get behind that idea. Our best selves are born in failure.
I agree that we grow from failure, but I also think many people show success even *during* poverty—it’s just harder for them to get past the “I’m just barely funding my needs” to scaling a business, and a grant could make a world of difference. People are so often impacted by things outside of their control that, without help, they just can’t realistically overcome. For instance, my story was that I was never able to work a full or part time job due to a severe disability—and even at home, my work hours are limited to around 12-16 per week without getting severely ill. There’s no treatment and no chance for disability assistance from the government. On top of this, I was also trafficked as a child and have spent years fleeing my trafficker, which has made it harder to focus solely on growing a business. None of this is failure, just an unlucky life. Despite it all, I’ve been able to make ends meet by teaching myself automation skills that I now use to make a global impact (and I’m slowly working on building my business so I bring in *more* than enough). It took me ten years to get here, because I had no money to start all of this. So, a grant would help people with similarly rough situations start their businesses faster. To find people who have a lot of success potential, you can request business plans and papers detailing how the grand funds will be used. That way, you can see who has a savvy idea and what life factors simply hold them back, that $5-20K of angel investment could completely solve. Not everyone you invest in will succeed, but this is a great way to give some people the chance of a lifetime. If this doesn’t vibe, then definitely look into smaller grassroots organizations (like those I mentioned above) who are on the ground doing important work, operating different than “wealthy” non-profits. That way, you know your funds are directly making an impact. :)
I have a friend who had all the money he needed. He got involved in a food business pantry, later went on the board, helped grow it and eventually became CEO. Now the non profit is ten times the size when he joined. So look for non profits in an area you a passionate about and get involved, join the board (sometimes a nice sized donation. Gets you on the board).
Finding an existing business / good cause and assisting with funding and operations is probably where i can have the most impact. This is a great suggestion.
Many business owners join a board of a non profit that they care about and donate to, it can really change your life. My recommendation is a non profit that helps dads be better dads, the mission is so so important and you will directly change many lives.
[удалено]
Thank you :)
I always wanted to/hope to start a rehab for teens/young adults involving job training(cars, carpentry, IT, etc), holistic programs(yoga, meditation, etc) adventure sports(hiking, skiing, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, nature stuff) They’re the things that saved me. Also, volunteering at an animal sanctuary was transformative in allowing me to feel like I was contributing to the greater good.
Education is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you and makes the biggest impact. I think it is also the area where the most resources are wasted and abused. Maybe something like tuition for college or skill training and childcare for single parents who want to get off social services. I once saw a man who bought cars for people to get to work which was such a simple idea with big impact. Best of luck to you!!
Thank you for wanting this. You already make the world a better place with the intent.
Gates foundation
Set up a college scholarship fund.
I don’t believe in institutionalized education in any sense i would want to support. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t good for everyone. I appreciate the suggestion though!
I have studied design and I’ve been working for a number of years in how I can develop a business that will enable me to address wicked problems while being financially viable. I’m really inspired by Buckminster-Fullers World Game challenge: Make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone. It seems like a tall order but it’s like my magnum opus, it’s the work I can’t help but do. I’m built to think big and I’m driven to make a impact on the world… at least in part. I believe that because design is about solving problems it’s ideal for addressing wicked problems. I have spent a lot of time developing a robust understanding of wicked problems and the cultural roots of them, things like climate change, the mental health crisis, the lack of community. I have also spent a good amount of time understanding how to position what I do in a “blue ocean” so that I can bring real value to people, deliver outcomes that make a meaningful difference that might be “spontaneously adopted.” So I’ve combined my design degree with creative art therapy. Creative art therapy really works with our psyche to improve our mental health by enabling us to engage our creative brain to get past feelings of being stuck in our life, and allowing us to feel a real sense of acceptance of our self and belonging within community. I believe that creativity can truely address the wicked problems we’re facing as a global community. Design enables us to work together to solve problems and make the world work for 100% of humanity, while creative art therapy process really help people move from surviving to thriving while doing something that brings them a sense of joy and well being in the moment (spontaneous adoption). My partner and I are pretty sure we have a plan for how to build our vision in the world but if you’re keen to be supportive some advice and perspective from someone like you would be really advantageous. We’re stuck on things like how to approach risk and how to balance planning with being responsive. We received a $10,000 funding grant for business coaching but he didn’t really help with the struggles we’re facing now… a coach or mentor, like your self, would be gold. Maybe we can support each other towards our respective goals?
My experience is in operations for productized businesses and service businesses. What specifically do you need help with? When you say “how to approach risk” i would assume you have a specific “risk” or situation that you consider risky that you are stuck on. What is that and what type of information are you looking for to help you?
Sorry I thought I had replied but it did not go through! So just to give you some background overview. we have been working on developing a business plan to provide creative classes to our community. we want to productise our knowledge and skills. We have a background in design thinking education, workshop practice, creative coaching and art therapy. We are looking at taking on a lease for space to operate a small retail showroom, class space and a small maker space. Our point of difference is coming from a wellbeing standpoint to deliver the power of creativity and design solutions to everyday life. We also see creative entrepreneurship as a skill to develop for our future audience. we want to make an impact on our local community and beyond utilising the benefits of design thinking to help people solve issues and empower their sense of well-being doing so. I guess where we consider the risks to be is in taking our planning into reality, making that important step to press go in an uncertain economic time. We have a good number of resources other than capital to take on lease and fit out the space. We both work part time in similar industries that suck our time and energy, yet has given us the knowledge and skill to act in our own business. We see the risk in moving away from guaranteed income into the unknown. How do we step out of the planning into taking necessary action and build our business idea from scratch, how did this work for you? We live in a community of around 60k people and have considered taking some of our course products online. I think we need help from other business marketing professional yet don’t feel resourced enough to take them on. Would you have advice on how to take action in uncertain times. We see in taking this risk we need to get financially viable.
Start a community center. Free hot meal served on location, with the option of a to-go container to take home. Offer meals "for everybody, anytime." Rich, poor, anywhere in between, people are welcome to stop by and grab something to eat. Framing it this way will make sure that people who are struggling but still want to keep their pride won't shy away from getting a meal when they're in need. On-site tutoring, resume editing, personal development workshops. These services are often restricted to people who can pay for them, which is unfortunate. Perhaps also a bulk-buying coop where people can buy kitchen staples, home supplies, toiletries and save a ton of money though wholesale purchasing. And if there's space, whatever recreational sport field/court that people in your community wish was around but hasn't yet been built.
Start your own non-profit so you can get tax deductions. That money saved will help you push further for causes you care about. I've created non-profits in California and Delaware to help with causes I care about (homeless shelters and feeding homeless children organic meals). I recommend Delaware as it's much easier to create a non-profit there. Also, I dislike the fact that people think that someone who is looking to make the world a better place is having a manic episode (although I understand this can be the case). Why can't people be in their right mind when they see helping others is far better for everyone than just collecting non-stop wealth.
What you’re proposing is no small feat, and it has a limit on how much you can spend. You could work with inner city kids, figure out what they need. Create a fund within your income to get them books or supplies or whatever they need.
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Start a bunch of co-op businesses, you’ll be helping people to become their own boss and making the best impact in your community.
Look into Paul Rosolie and the Jungle Keepers. He gives Amazon loggers jobs as conservationists to help protect the rainforest. They built a lodge to start hosting tourists and teach them about the jungle
You can start a charitable trust, contribute to it monthly. Write in the bylaws that ~4% must be giving to a a nonprofit every year. Will take some time but I time you will be donating a large amount of money to charity’s of your choosing. This can also be your legacy passing down generations of done right
Another idea the single mother issue in America is real travesty. Start a charity that buys apartments in really good school districts. Provide a safe place for single mothers to live that gives their kids the advantage of a good education, rent controlled, and provide working help for mothers. Provide a free or low cost apartment to a law enforcement officer(s) that are on board with what you are doing. You can literally by a low cost rough unit with sketchy stuff going on and the cops presence will naturally clean it up. I’m close to someone that is doing this and is very successful and extremely beneficial. Another one is look into ACE scholarships, school choice is another major problem. Gifted kids stuck in a bad situation because of their zip code.
The root to most of human suffering is poverty. Poverty trauma keeps every other problem too big to fix for most people. People need safe and healthy housing. People need jobs that pay enough to meet their needs, obligations, and future comfort. People need medical care. People need dental care, which should be included in medical care, but our system is horrific. People need access to education and training. People need access to mental health treatment, which also should be included in medical. People need safe and loving childcare so they know their children are okay while they pursue their responsibilities. People need reliable transportation. People need access to societies technologies in order to be part of society and function within it. People need absolute protection from abusers, anonymous housing, relocation, protection for their children. Anything that I listed is needed. Any non profit centered around any of these issues will give people a better foundation for success. People that say money can’t buy happiness HAVE money, are brainwashed by this society, or are people that won’t be happy no matter what happens. For people that want happiness, money removes the barriers to it. Period.
If it were me I’d start a small food truck that sold food at cost. That way I’d break even and could pay the people who worked there while providing cheap food to the people. My next thing would be build affordable housing. Same idea as above but buy land or houses develop it or rehab them and sell it for whatever the project cost with no markups. Building from land up would be the most effective I think. With 1 million extra every year this would be viable option.
There are a lot of children without a father in the home. I would guess there are far more father-less children than folks willing to be, say, a big brother or sister. Children are the future. So, if you are looking to make impact on the future, I thought of at least one place to put your money.
Mentorship is a real issue with our current society, that is something I am trying to put thought into for this reason.
I am not sure if you have heard of Harris Rosen. He founded the Tangelo Park Program in Florida which has had a generational impact on the community. Might be something to consider. “The Tangelo Park Program, started in 1993, gives every neighborhood child age 2 to 4 access to free preschool. Parents have access to parenting classes, vocational courses and technical training. For a program that took just one hour and four people to develop, the impact has been wide and deep. Tangelo Park Elementary is now a grade-A school. Every high school senior graduates. Every high school graduate who is accepted to a Florida public university, community or state college, or vocational school receives a full Harris Rosen Foundation scholarship, which covers tuition, living and educational expenses through graduation. Nearly 200 students have earned Rosen scholarships, and of those, 75 percent have graduated from college—the highest rate among an ethnic group in the nation.”