Good things. That’s a broad category, and that’s on purpose. The founders featured here are building companies and organizations that make the world a little better. Social enterprises. Mission-driven brands. Companies that prove you don’t have to choose between doing well and doing good.
These interviews cover a wide range of impact-focused work. Sustainability. Community development. Social justice. Environmental innovation. Ethical business practices. The kind of work that doesn’t always make headlines but always makes a difference.
What connects these founders is intention. They started companies not just to make money, but to solve a problem they cared about. That doesn’t mean they ignore the business side. The best ones are ruthlessly practical about sustainability. Financial sustainability, that is. Because a mission-driven company that runs out of money helps nobody.
You’ll find conversations about balancing profit and purpose, measuring social impact, building brands that stand for something, and the challenge of staying true to a mission as a company grows. These are founders who believe business can be a force for good. And they’re backing that belief with action.
I’ve concluded that everything is part of a journey. You have to accept it and move on. Karla Stephens Tolstoy spent years in the telecom industry, eventually working her way…
Meet Karla Stephens-Tolstoy – Co-Founder & CEO at Tokii Wearable Therapy
I do not think of a project failing, I think of not trying as the failure. Harold Jonas, PhD, LMHC, CAP is a practicing Psychotherapist and Licensed Therapist in…
Never be afraid to kill bad ideas. David Goldberg is co-founder and CEO of Founders Pledge, a global initiative that helps tech founders and investors translate their commercial success…
OCD, never giving up, seeing the world through the lens of others, always going (I am a native New Yorker), that’s four – I could keep going… A native…
The first step to bringing any idea to life is to define the problem that you are trying to address. Mary Hayashi is an award-winning author and a pioneering advocate…
After several of our companies were acquired, we wanted to give back to humanity by helping everyone lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. Victor Chapela is the Founder of…
I love helping people improve – my passion really comes through when I’m leading through teaching. We have such a great community of people in Zambia that are hungry for…
Meet Dimitri Zakharov – CEO and Co-Founder of Impact Enterprises
Talk to your customers and get feedback. It’s much easier to ask consumers what they want then it is to guess and check. Ryan Charnov is the Founder of Giftfluence,…
Listen to feedback. Take it on board. After graduating in Political Science from Nottingham University, Isabel worked for several years as a Teach First teacher at an academy in West…
Treat relationships as the most valuable asset your company “owns,” and constantly work to keep those relationships alive and strong, whether they have a clear and immediate ROI to your…
I recommend everyone to just TRY it. No matter how crazy an idea sounds or if people tell you that it makes no sense, you should always try it yourself….
Fail. We need to celebrate failure because if you are not failing, you are not growing. Tina Hovsepian, a designer and philanthropist, graduated from the University of Southern California with…