There is so much satisfaction in building a business that serves more than just yourself. Whether you’re serving your customers, your team, or your community, there are many benefits to building a business with a cause.

 

The Benefits of Building a Business that Serves More Than You

  • You create a stronger impact.  
  • It creates a team culture.
  • It changes you as a leader. It allows you to step up and own your voice in a way that you might initially shy away from. 

 

3 Steps to Build a Business That Serves More Than Yourself

 

  1. Have a cause or a mission that you’re passionate about. 

Ask yourself these three questions: 

  • What makes you mad? 
  • What makes you sad? 
  • What problem are you trying to solve? 

These questions can get at the raw, unfiltered answers of who you are. 

  1. Do a needs assessment to determine if there’s actually a demand for what you’d like to do. 

Learn the pain points of the social cause you want to serve. Conduct a needs assessment through community surveys and even small focus groups. Speak to community organizers addressing similar causes and ask them about their biggest need. 

  1. Clarify your message and goals.

Whatever you do, whether it’s LGBTQ, Black Lives Matter, mass incarceration, homelessness, whatever it is, you want to be able to hang your hat in the area of service for the long haul. Make achievable goals and decide what success is going to look like to you. Will you measure your success by profit and social impact, or by building awareness or through employee retention and client referrals?

  1. Decide on your business model.

Are you going to be a nonprofit or a for-profit that donates a portion to charity? Are you going to partner with an existing charity? A business that serves can take on many different shapes. And what it looks like is entirely up to you. 

If you want to learn more about how you can lead by design as a leader, check out the Diary of a Doer Podcast on https://trivinia.com