Ben & Jerry’s Mission Statement is like reading a mini Declaration of Independence. It truly shares a better way to work in this world. Read it over. What does it convey to you? I saw this ad in a movie lobby of Odeon movies in London this last weekend. I took a photo of it so I could go back to it, again and again, to remind myself that people do care about making a difference AND making money AND the two can go together just like peanut butter and jelly or coffee and creme or . . . . you get the point. At Networlding I took the time when I last published our new website, to state our core values and mission

What I also like about this ad is that it is about the HEARTS and VALUES of the people who are involved in this company rather than just their MINDS. But, remember, just like above, it is a YES-AND proposition, not an EITHER-OR one.

So, what important strategies can you take away from this ad for your own company? How about these three:

1. Innovation starts with the heart. What do I mean by that? If you can capture the heart–that more impactful place in most peoples’ bodies where, when they know something is good, they get it–like the Ipad or Iphone. I was just at the largest Apple store in London where they shared that they sold $2 million products their first day of business. When I was there  absolutely every product was being used, played with, studied.
2. It’s not just about your mission but also about your product (or service), employees AND the money you make. Just as the above mission statement says, it’s not just about the social mission (hey, that’s important and notice it comes first), but your product or service must also be of the highest quality AND you need to be financially sound to “sustain” your venture.
3. People like bigger visions. Take for example, the famous quote by Daniel Burnham, the architect who, along with John Root, planned the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 when he said, ”make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” His foresight and planning were largely responsible for the rebuilding of Chicago after the fire of 1871. Stir the hearts of others through a big vision and then, bonus point, collaborate with others to achieve a vision. You can do this through hiring employees or, if you are a smaller company, consider partnering with others you admire.

This final bonus point is what I do often. I collaborate to grow. What does that look like? I would rather collaborate with ten great partners a year, each of us helping one another grow our respective businesses, sharing businesses.

What do you think? How have you grown your business?

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