social study

entrepreneurs who give a damn

Join us…and give

1.12.12

Rather than trying to explain myself, I will simply cut and paste the already well-articulated purpose of this amazing organization.

joinFITE is an active philanthropy platform, powered by Kiva.org and championed by Dermalogica, that connects you to women entrepreneurs who need a hand up. By providing women access to small loans, they are able to start or grow a business, bettering themselves, their families, and their communities. joinFITE is a fun and easy way for you to help another when you activate a donation from our partners–ltdLIVE being one such partner.

Dermalogica’s support is the latest expression of the brand’s legacy of empowering women, and is based upon the business model created by Jane Wurwand, Dermalogica founder and owner.  Jane is truly an amazing women–check out her tips I shared after hearing her speak.

We are proud to be a part of this great effort, and each of you is able to do the same. Simply purchase your ticket to ltdLIVE and we will donate 5% of your ticket price to joinFITE.  But we are not simple writing a check, each ltdLIVE attendee will be given a QR code and be able to choose the country and cause she is excited to give to. I can’t wait to see a sea of women at the conference accessing their codes and giving to another to ensure she has the opportunity to dream–a dream for a dream, what could be better?  And for those of you unable to attend, you have the ability to view our amazing keynotes and interviews on the main-stage on Ustream and 5% of that ticket price goes to joinFITE as well.

I will leave you with this…When women are thriving personally, families are nurtured and a community is empowered. It is no different for women in developing countries, give a woman the resources, the tools and the connections she needs and watch her change the world around her. Partnering with joinFITE is a natural extension of our core values and our firm belief that each of us must find a way to give back. We are honored to be a part of the change in the lives of so many women–together we are determined to DREAM great dreams, and DO great things.

Making a difference one-for-one at a time!

6.8.11

TOMS’ new product launch announcement came today and I was thrilled when I heard the news and moved when I watched the video.

Hearing Blake impart his vision with the TOMS crew got me thinking; what can I do in my current work (no one needs to leave what they do to have an impact) to make a difference? What can I do to change someone’s life? How can I/LTD365 make a difference or bring about change? I plan to brainstorm this week and see what I come up with. How about you? Any ideas what you might do, or perhaps have already done, to create positive change? Let’s hear it, we want your ideas and thoughts. Who knows what chain reaction you may spark one-by-one at a time!

 

 

 

Are you making tomorrow better than today?

11.24.10

As I watched this video of Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva and founder of ProFounder (more on that in another post), I am reminded that much of what we do as entrepreneurs is ask the question, “are we making tomorrow better than today?” Are we solving a problem? Are we making life better for someone or creating an easy and efficient way of doing something? After watching Jessica speak at the recent Ted conference I was reminded that in many ways our main purpose as entrepreneurs to to ask, and answer, that very question.  What are you doing to make tomorrow better than today?

An Articulate Heart

11.4.09

I told you I would share a little from the California Women’s Conference, so here is my promise kept.

First of all, if any of you get a chance to go, it’s a must.  Not just for the rah-rah-girl-gathering or the tear-jerking stories, but because it’s a nice kick in the, not so risk taking-afraid of failure-too cool to pursue, ass.

While it was a who’s-who fest of speakers, one in particular stood out. Eve Ensler shared her perspective and a monologue, not the v-kind, but rather from her newest book,  I Am an Emotional Creature. She was articulate and funny, exuberant and profound, loud and courageous–she is clearly an emotional creature, but it was not Eve that gave me chills and moved 15,000 to tears.

The barely English speaking Somaly Mam was the one who taught me something. Following Eve would be no easy task for anyone, lest a women who has never spoken in a public arena and who apologized for not being able to pronounce “Shriver” when thanking Maria for her introduction. For a moment, I felt my heart sink as I watched her struggle to communicate. My concern for her soon waned as she commanded our attention with her powerful story. Somaly is a sex slave survivor and the founder of the Somaly Mam Foundation.  Her purpose is to help Southeast Asian girls and women escape the nightmare she lived through.

What a story, what an inspiration, what a woman. How was she able to so clearly convey her vision and her heart with the barrier of language? In a world where elevator pitches and concise marketing messages are a must for anyone trying to be heard, Somaly’s power lay in her ability to see what is possible.  Her power was in articulating her heart, regardless of and free of any clever, polysyllabic, perfectly annunciated words.

So the next time you find yourself trying to communicate your vision and getting stuck in properly grooming your words, remember the key here is to let your heart speak–it’s trying to tell you (and perhaps the world) something significant.

Have You Found What You’re Looking For?

10.30.09

As blogging rules go this is “so five days ago”, but I haven’t had a minute to download mentally or otherwise, and it seems too important to skip over and not share my thoughts. So forgive the delay, and I hope you enjoy the message.

My three day blitz started Sunday night with the Black Eyed Peas and U2, and ended Tuesday night with Maria Shriver and Alicia Keys (more on that later).  I am both flying high and absolutely spent from the sensory overload, but feeling grateful for a thought provoking and moving few days.

With Will I Am’s mantra playing in my head and ringing through the night air, I walked into the Rose Bowl knowing that “tonight’s gonna be a good night”.  I had no idea just how good.

While I was certainly entertained by Fergie and the boys, I was moved and captivated by the enigmatic Irish band. I mean no disrespect to The Edge, Adam and Larry, but I was fixed on Bono the entire time. Watching him move across the stage, wondering if he had calculated, almost 30 years ago, that he would one day use his gift of music to literally change the world. Did he have a great master plan or a mission statement that he would feed the hungry, meet and convince dignitaries and heads of state to lend a hand,  start a clothing line, go to Harvard, become a father of four, never mind becoming the lead singer of one of the greatest bands of all time? I was impressed with the way he sang and seemed to intimately connect with 96,000 people. He had the audacity to proudly share his beliefs and convictions, and all of it was met with applause. Who, in this day, can motivate more of us to agree than to disagree and bring consensus and unity to a divided world? Some would argue that there is nothing controversial about “feeding the poor and ending hunger”, but listen to him talk about why he feels called to do what he does. He makes no bones about where his motivation comes from.

So why am I sharing my tales from a concert in Pasadena with you, my fellow entrepreneurs?  Because witnessing this 50 year old man dancing around, underneath a spaceship like stage, sharing his infectious poetry and proclaiming his truth with anyone who would listen, was a reminder of exactly what it means to ‘live the dream’. Regardless of how you feel about his music or his causes, we might all consider inviting what we each believe and hold true into our life’s work…imagine the profound affect we could have on one another–on the world.

If I had not been sure of it before, it was made abundantly clear to me Sunday night, living an authentic life and a life with purpose and conviction will get you everywhere!

So don’t get stuck in a moment you can’t get out of, get on your boots and stand up for your dreams–that’s for all you fans.