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.

We are the Millennials

            We are the millennials. We are Generation Y.  We are the 95 million Americans born between the late 1970’s and the early 2000’s.  We are America’s largest age demographic, we are growing, and we are the future of this great nation. According to The Center for American Progress, by 2020, there will be 103 million of us: 90 million of which will be eligible voters representing 40% of the electorate. In the landmark 2012 election, for the first time in the history of the United States, more millennials voted than senior citizens.  President Obama successfully won our demographic by large margins in both the 2008 and 2012 elections.  In fact, in 2012, President Obama received about 5 million more votes from 18-29 year olds than Mitt Romney did. Just by looking at these figures, it is safe to say that the candidate, who wins the millennials, wins the election.  The new, perpetual presence of millennials within the electorate is an extremely important concept that will dictate the future of our nation. We, the millennials, need to grasp how significant the opportunity that lies before us is.  We need to wake up and understand the undeniable potential for change our generation can bring about.

We are a radically different generation compared to the Baby Boomers or even Generation X.  We are the first generation to grow up in a globalized world and to experience the political, social, and economic transformations brought about by the Internet. Most importantly, our generation understands that change is unavoidable, a necessity, to remain relevant within the modern world.  Unlike past generations, we do not partake in the nostalgia of “traditional America values” because American values have been evolving our entire lives.  We look back at the 20^th century to see what made our country great, and then look ahead to the future for ways to make our country even greater. 

            Our familiarity with change and the lack of traditional ideology allow millennials to offer new common sense solutions to our nation’s problems.  We understand the need to reform entitlements because the looming burden of retiring baby boomers ultimately falls upon us.  We see the need to alter our bloated defense spending because taking care of our battle weary veterans and defending against cyber warfare are a greater priority than creating surpluses of fighter jets.  We take a progressive approach in promoting green energy, investing in schools, and supporting government’s role in society.  And yet, we do not want the federal government making decisions that should be left to the states, such as the legalization of marijuana, and most recently, gay marriage. 

            The topic of gay marriage is a surprisingly accurate gauge of where our country stands, and in what direction it is headed. Within the next few weeks the Supreme Court will likely either throw out, or make significant changes, to key anti-gay marriage legislation.  In 1996, when DOMA was signed, many argued same-sex marriage was morally wrong and had to be prevented at all costs. Today, over half of the nation believes gay couples deserve the right to marry.  This is attributed, in large part, to the influence of us, the millennials.  73% of 18-29 year olds support gay marriage compared to 39% of those aged 65 and older.  Some surveys even show figures of millennials supporting gay marriage in ratios greater than 4:1.  Last week, Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a potential Vice Presidential candidate for Mitt Romney, declared his support for same sex marriage.  The national conversation is changing on both sides of the aisle, and millennials are leading the way.

            Our generation is finally finding its voice in American politics.  The 2012 election was the 3^rd straight election in which more than 50% of eligible millennials voted.  As we continue to get out and vote, we will elect representatives who embody our generation’s hopes and dreams.  The number of Millennials in Congress increased 3% from the 112^th Congress to the 113^th Congress; today, over 35 house representatives are under the age of 40. These trends will only continue to grow in 2014, 2016, and beyond as our generation becomes more politically active and aware.

            Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress should take heed of this coming shift.  The refusal to reform entitlements, change our tax code, or invest in our future will not go over easy. If both parties do not pay attention to the changing political tides, then it is all to likely that we just might put an end to this defunct two party system and create a party of our own. When Congress kicks the can down the road, it lands squarely in our laps - if Washington cannot solve our nations problems, then we Millennials will find representatives who will.