4 Companies That Are Making Mad Money While Also Changing the World

A new business entity is starting to emerge throughout the world.  A benefit corporation is a for-profit business that focuses on some sort of benefit to society; compared to a regular corporation that works to maximize profits.  The increase in benefit corporations can partly be attributed to the coming of age of the millennial generation.  As I discussed in my last post, millennials are seeking jobs that have a real impact on the world; jobs, which may help those in need or save the environment.  This led to an intriguing question.  What millennial run companies that are making money, while improving the world?  Below is a short list of companies that came to mind.  Some may be benefit corporations and some may not, but it is clear they are all changing the world in one way or another.

1) TOMS Shoes:  After reading Blake Mycoskie’s (CEO of TOMS) book, “Start Something That Matters”, I could not be more impressed with this remarkable company.  Blake started TOMS in 2006 after a trip to Argentina where he was introduced to the alpargatas shoe.  This traditional Argentinian shoe is worn throughout the country and Blake wanted to bring them to the US.  At the same time he noticed many Argentinian children lacked shoes, which prevented them from going to school and increased the chances of infections.  These two ideas combined to form the One for One business model.  A true entrepreneurial pioneer, Blake decided that for every pair of TOMS sold one pair would be donated to children in need.  Today TOMS has donated over 2 million pairs of shoes and are sold in over 500 retailers worldwide.  TOMS has expanded their business model to eyewear and apparel as well.

2) FEED Projects:  Lauren Bush worked as an honorary spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Program.  During her travels, she encountered the horrible consequences of malnutrition and hunger in the world.  At the same time, Lauren noticed the reusable shopping bag movement.  Together these two ideas formed FEED Projects where every bag sold guarantees free school lunch for a year to a child in a developing country.  Because the children receive the meal at school, FEED Projects also helps these kids receive an education.  FEED Projects has been a huge success; partnering with companies like Amazon.com, American Eagle, and Whole Foods.  To date, FEED Projects has donated over $6 million and 60 million meals.

3) Change.org:  Ben Rattay founded Change.org and its mission is to “empower anyone, anywhere to start, join, and win campaigns for social change”.  A certified benefit corporation, Change.org is the world’s largest petition platform and makes money to “sponsored” petitions from organizations like Amnesty International.  Today Change.org has over 35 million users in 196 different countries.  In 2011, a Change.org petition with 300,000 signatures forced Bank of America to drop its $5 a month banking fee.  A 2012 petition with over 2.2 million signatures helped spur public overage over the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.  Websites like Change.org have empowered people worldwide and will continue to grow their influence.  (Honorable mention to Causes.com.  A similar website created by Sean Parker, founder of Napster and the first President of Facebook).

4) Facebook.com:  With revenues of $5.1 billion in 2012, Facebook joined the Fortune 500 list for the first time.  When Facebook went public in 2012 the company was valued at $104 billion dollars.  It’s easy to see how Facebook makes money, but Mark Zuckerberg has also revolutionized the world.  Today Facebook is available in over 70 languages and has over 1.1 billion users.  This social network has transformed the way people communicate and share information.  Protest movements throughout the world have been emboldened by Facebook and other social networks.  As David Wolman wrote in Wired Magazine, “The Arab Spring has shown the world what is possible when you combine social unrest with brave citizenry and powerful digital tools.” 

What other should be on this list?  And why?  Share your comments / thoughts below.

Chad is a blogger for TheCanKicksBack, a non-partisan, Millennial driven campaign to fix the national debt and reclaim the American Dream and the founder of Purple State Politics.

What is the Best Job for Millennials in 2013?

Last week, this list of the best and worst jobs of 2013 was released. CareerCast.com put together the list based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies. They based the rankings on five criteria: physical demand, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. Topping the list were actuaries, biomedical engineers, and financial planners, while lumberjacks and news reporters took the bottom two spots.

This got me to thinking: what would be the best job for millennials in 2013? I always hear about the lack of STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — workers in the United States so it would be easy to assume the best job has to be in one of these fields. In terms of hiring outlook, the National Association of Colleges and Employers claims the industries with the greatest demand for college graduates and millennials are business, engineering, computer sciences, and accounting.  If income is your deciding factor, petroleum engineer, IT manager, and quantitatisove analyst are some of the highest paying jobs for our generation. What about work environment? Millennials who want to be surrounded by their peers may look no further than the retail industry. Payscale.com found that millennials have filled more jobs in retail than any other industry.

But what exactly are millennials looking for in a job?  Compared to our Baby Boomer parents, millennials job-hop more frequently.  According to a Department of Labor study, the average millennial has worked 6.3 jobs by the time they are 25.  Some may attribute this to that generation having grown up in the age of the Internet where job listings are much easier to find and recruiters can easily contact potential applicants via LinkedIn or other social networks. 

These high turnover rates can be attributed to job dissatisfaction. It seems we millennials expect more from our jobs than sitting in a cubicle all-day and staring at a computer. We want to enjoy what we are doing, be engaged, learn something from our jobs, and we aren’t afraid to find a job that can fulfill these roles. The average millennial left their company after 28 months and 81% are open to new job opportunities regardless of their currently employment status.  Gone are the days when our grandparents spent decades working for one company. 

It might be overly simple, but the best job for millennials is the one that makes them happy. More and more it seems like happiness comes from making a difference in the world. Instead of maximizing corporate profits, many look to maximize the number of people they can help or ways to save the environment. A new class of corporation has emerged with our generation. "B Corps" are dedicated to social enterprise, the idea that uses business to help solve humanity's problems. The success of TOMS Shoes serves as a testament to this business plan.

So what would my advice be to millennials looking for the best job of 2013? As U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said at my commencement ceremony, "Go out and get your hands dirty." Our generation is young and we should take advantage of the opportunities we have before life takes over. Apply for your dream job, take that internship or job abroad, do whatever makes you happy because in the end that is truly what makes the best job. For those of you who know you want to do something big, something excited, but do not know where to start check out Escape the City. This website is a great resources for anyone, millennial or not, to find out about some amazing jobs. And who knows, maybe I’ll meet you there.