Giving Back in 2016
It’s the time again when many business owners set goals and make resolutions for the coming year, and this year one of my resolutions is to start giving back through my business.
By “giving back” I mean using the resources I have as a business owner to support organizations and causes that help make the world a happier, healthier, and safer place to live. I believe that helping those less fortunate than myself is the right thing to do for its own sake, but I also don’t think it’s a complete coincidence that just about every highly successful person or company in history made a habit of giving back in some way. Since I one day hope to join their ranks, it’s about time I started doing the same, and today I’d like to share my plan for doing that in 2016.
Who I’m giving back to this year
There are many great organizations doing amazing work around the world that need and deserve my support, but unfortunately I have limited resources. Rather than give a tiny amount of support to many organizations, I decided to pick one organization to focus on, and after careful deliberation I chose Kiva. For those of you who have never heard of Kiva, it’s a non-profit organization that provides zero-interest loans to people and businesses around the world who do not have access to traditional microfinance institutions.
I decided to support them because their mission of helping small business owners succeed is obviously closely aligned with the mission of my own marketing consulting business. Also, I know that when a business owner is successful, that success is inevitably magnified in their community. For example, a farmer that is able to purchase a new piece of equipment or new livestock will not only be able to continue to feed his own family, he’ll also contribute to the local economy.
Watch the videos below to find out more about how Kiva works:
How I’m giving back
Because I have limited financial resources as a solo consultant, I decided to tie my giving to one of my other business goals for 2016, which is signing up more customers for my reputation marketing service. The reason I picked this goal is that reputation marketing is something that even businesses with a tiny marketing budget can afford, but that can have a very significant impact. Not only does my reputation marketing service help a business get more positive reviews on top review sites, it also helps intercept negative reviews before they are posted publicly. A business that uses this service effectively will, in many cases, legitimately be able to claim the title of the #1-rated provider of their product or service in their community, which has a tremendous amount of marketing value and will make all other advertising and marketing campaigns even more effective.
The way I am tying my goal of getting more customers signed up for my reputation marketing service to my goal of supporting Kiva is as follows:
For every customer who signs up for my reputation marketing service in 2016, I will donate $5 to Kiva for every month that they use the service, no matter how long they remain a customer.
My goal is to add at least two new clients per month to my reputation marketing service this year. If I accomplish that goal, it means that by the end of the year I will be giving at least $120 to Kiva. If the money I give to Kiva to use for loans is repaid (as it is over 95% of the time), I will then re-give it as a donation to use to cover operating expenses.
So, if you’d like to do your business a huge favor by protecting your online reputation while also helping business owners in developing countries, please consider signing up for my reputation marketing service. Simply fill out the form below to begin the process, which begins with a consultation to set up your account and teach you how to use the service.
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