Ola'pi Creative is a creative studio located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We help purpose-driven brands inspire action and drive results through meaningful web design and branding.
“We believe working with purpose creates meaningful results.”
By sharing the journey we are on to realize our purpose, we hope to inspire others in the entrepreneurial realm to be proactive in considering their relationship with the ocean.
It's time to start integrating purpose into business
In a time where conflict and climate change have taken their toll on us and our home, society and the planet require that we start giving a s#*t.
Most people are accustomed to think that the way to being purpose-driven is through a non-profit status but working from a point of purpose doesn't have to mean sacrificing profit. Purpose-driven businesses are now making a splash and focusing on how they can fill some societal or environmental need.
In a world focused on the WHAT and HOW of a business, focusing on the WHY - your purpose - becomes a differentiator. Your connection to WHY will drive you to weather through the storms, cope with stress, and continue moving forward. You will become more resilient.
Here's how it works: once you begin working from WHY, you gain higher levels of confidence. Confidence builds trust among your clients and more authentic engagement. This connection is what leads to and drives better results overall. Embracing this perspective now will give you an edge in the future.
Not to mention, when employees feel they are working towards something bigger than themselves, their productivity increases by up to 30% according to a study by the Center for Economic Studies.
What socially-conscious looks like
Incorporating a meaningful strategy into your business plan can take on many shapes as we saw in January at the 2017 Surf Expo.
Tom's Shoes
@toms
Already well known for their one-for-one shoe giving model, Tom's is now helping to restore vision with their sunglass line, provide clean water with their roasted coffee, and promote a safe birth with their tote bag line.
Proof Eyewear
@proofeyewear
The socially-conscious business model of Proof Eyewear's Do Good Program works through partnerships with organizations like the Nature Conservancy in Idaho, Boarding for Breast Cancer, and HELP International. The team at Proof travels, volunteers and donates to land and eye care projects around the world as global citizens, believing that the socially conscious business model is a way to do good. Check out their latest work in Uganda.
10 Tree
@tentree
Ten Tree is an outdoor apparel company founded on the premise that every consumer wants to know that they are contributing to the wellbeing of our planet. With every purchase, Ten Tree plants ten trees in areas of high need like Madagascar and Ethiopia. The reforestation projects in these areas not only revitalize dry, arid soil and provide substantial oxygen, but also directly benefits the local community by providing wood for fuel, food, and fodder for livestock, as well as permanent and seasonal employment.
Wanderer Bracelets
@wandererbracelets
Wanderer Bracelets exists to create sustainable, long-term, reliable work for rural communities of artisans in Bali, Indonesia. At least 20% of Balinese workers are under-employed. Women are especially vulnerable to low or no wages - 1 in 3 working Indonesian women are unpaid. Wanderer Bracelets employs people (over 50% are women) from 4 different rural communities to create their products using traditional techniques in carving, weaving, silk screening, and stitching. In supporting the local communities in this way, Wanderer is living up to their purpose statement.
Nica Life
@nicalifejewelry
Through jewelry making, Nica Life is employing women artisans and girls of UPNicaragua, an organization that rescues young girls from sex trafficking, and transforming lives. The bead work keeps these women out of the coffee fields where they perform back breaking labor for as little as $1.50 per day. Nica Life also serves to connect these women to a healthy network of community role models.
Where to start
A great place to start building purpose into your business is with reviewing your mission statement and coming up with a purpose statement.
Whereas a Mission Statement describes WHAT you want to accomplish for who, the Purpose Statement describes WHY you do what you do. It is more about the journey and the how the business hopes to effect change in the industry, society, or the world. When your business is closely tied to your own beliefs and values, your purpose statement becomes something you reconnect to not move towards.
Patagonia does a good job with this. While the apparel maker doesn’t have an official "purpose statement," its mission statement achieves the same sentiment:
“Build the best product;
cause no unnecessary harm;
use business to inspire;
& implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
”
Take Action
We have created a free downloadable worksheet to help you revamp your Mission Statement and craft a powerful Purpose Statement. Included are additional examples and tips to get you thinking in terms of WHY. Don't be late to the party, sign up below to download your free worksheet!
“Work with purpose,
create something meaningful”
