Matthew’s Blog

I am passionate about responsible business practices.  Not only have I been actively studying, practicing, teaching, and coaching on it my own businesses for the past 20 years, but these experiences were built on top of  a foundation of being raised by a family of responsible business owners for the first 20 years of my life.  Responsible business is smart business.

These days I have come to say that “green business is smart business™” because green business is about responsible business and conscious capitalism.  It recognizes the interconnected and complex self-adapting nature of the systems in which business operates.

Having said this, whenever I get into a discussion about responsible business, green business, or conscious capitalism inevitably Milton Friedman and Adam Smith are brought up as counter arguments.   These men were brilliant and spoke in a language of their respective era.  And that language issue is critical to understanding and communicating about green business, responsible business, and conscious capitalism. (more…)

After the umpteen time of seeing an “inspi(RED)” tee shirt I decided to go look into what it was all about.  At first I assumed it was a Best Buy thing considering it seemed that everyone I met that worked there was wearing one only to find out that that it was actually a Gap thing.  So I went off looking at The Gap to find the answer and was impressed not only by the project but the scope of it.  They have partnered with the world’s most iconic brands (Hallmark, Apple, Gap, Dell) to produce (RED) products.

From the (RED) website

(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

All funds generated by sales of (PRODUCT) RED products (aka (RED) money) will support Global Fund-financed programs that positively impact the lives of women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. (RED) money provides access to education, nutrition, counseling, medical services, and the two pills a day they need to help stay alive. This includes programs in countries such as Rwanda, which has a proven track record and ambitious targets. For example, in the past two years, Rwanda has increased the number of people receiving treatments for HIV/AIDS ten-fold.

Be inspi(RED), be uncenso(RED), be ado(RED), be chee(RED).

This came across my desk today. Fascinating presentation by Clay Shirky about gin, television, and the “cognitive surplus” that he gave at Web 2.0. The transcript can be found here

This really speaks to the new thinking that is and needs to continue to be generated as we awaken from our long sleep. This is one form of interaction at play in conscious capitalism. The question is not Where will we find the time?  the better question is - Where is the mouse not? or rather, “every place that a reader or a listener or a viewer or a user has been locked out, has been served up passive or a fixed or a canned experience, and ask ourselves, “If we carve out a little bit of the cognitive surplus and deploy it here, could we make a good thing happen?”

Three years ago at the Toronto Film Fest I saw a delightful film called Millions - A magically realism story as only a 7 year old can see it - about ethics, love, being human, and fortune in more ways than one. I just picked it up on dvd and remembered just how charming it was and realized I never posted the review of it.

Want a magical and lift your spirits movie? Rent or Buy Millions. This was one of my favorite movies of the Toronto Film Festival that year. “A heartwarming story of two little boys, faith, miracles . . . a whole lot of money.” It is a charming story told from the perspective of Damian, a 7-year old boy, who uses imagination, fantasy and faith to make sense of his confusing world. When upon receiving a gift from the sky of a suitcase full of cash he and his practical 9 year old brother need to decide what to do with it. The catch, they have seven days before the money becomes worthless as the British pound sterling transitions to euros. This is not a predictable movie, perhaps the final outcome and moral but how they get there is full of unexpected twists, gotcha moments, originality, mysticism, and heartwarming spirit. A truly lovely film. The score is wonderful, the setting is lush and green, and the little actors are enchanting. You won’t regret it.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3734372633/

PS Keep an eye out for some really cool halos.

Book: Raising the Bar: The story of Clif Bar Inc. : Integrity and Passion In Life and Business
A journey toward sustaining your business, brand, people, community, and the planet.
- by Gary Erickson (founder of Clif Bar) with Lois Lorentzen.

As some of you know I have named the hunger of one of my bigger games - Sustainable Business.  Last Summer after viewing the movie  “The Corporation”, which is out on DVD now, was inspired by what could be and an awakening to how much we really don’t know as a culture of why things are the way they are.   In addition to being inspired, I found a hero/mentor in Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface (http://www.interface.com).  Since then I have been collecting and searching for information about people and companies truly working toward sustainable business.

My mother put me on to the Clif Story while she was out in California last month and as intention and creating my day would have it, lo and behold I found this book at the library in the new book section.

It’s a gripper.   It is an amazing and inspiring story about both about Clif Bar Inc. and its founder Gary Erickson.  Gary is a cyclist baker turned 25% growth business owner to borderline pauper and finally a pioneer in the world of sustainable business.  This is a very readable book.  Everything from a how to of working with funding sources to bicycle trips in the Alps to ecological business to Jazz trumpeting to hand-to-mouth existence.   It combines just the right mix of personal story and history with business models and savvy insight.

The story begins with Gary making an unconventional decision.  On the day of the $60million sale of Clif he follows his gut and chooses to go for a walk.   Upon his return he tells his partner to send the buyers home which begins the middle of this roller coaster “white road” story.   There is this brilliant chapter where he describes the “red road and white road” trekking to business theory and what it takes to be on either path.   Red roads on the map are the major highways, the fast and efficient routes between major cities and towns.   White roads are the far less direct and often more challenging routes which offer unparalleled views, joy, and direct contact with people.  The White Road is about soul and passion.  ”Stay focused on the quality of the journey, rather than the destination, and the rewards are already in your hands.” (Anon. reviewer of the book)

This is a passionate, inspiring, heart-pumping, and educational frontier book on what it does and will take to stay in integrity so that you can build sustainable business, brand, people, community and planet.  It is a must read for anyone on the sustainable business path.

Here is a great logical discussion of Global Climate Change and whether to act on it or not.

This came forwarded into my email this morning. It think it does a bang-up job showing us globalization at work. I did not author this nor was there any accreditation even when I googled it.

Finally, here is a definition of globalization I can understand and to which I can relate……

Question:What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana’s death.

Question: How come?
Answer:
An English princess with
an Egyptian boyfriend
crashes in a French
tunnel, driving a
German car
with a Dutch engine,
driven by a Belgian
who was drunk
on Scottish whisky,
(check

the bottle before you change the spelling),
followed closely by
Italian Paparazzi,
on Japanese motorcycles;
treated by an American doctor, using
Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by
a Pollock,
using Bill Gates’s technology,
and you’re probably reading this on your computer,
that uses Taiwanese
chips, and a
Korean monitor,
assembled by
Bangladeshi workers
in a Singapore plant,
transported by Indian
lorry-drivers,
hijacked by Indonesians,
unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen,
and trucked to you by Mexican illegals…..
That, my friends, is Globalization