The language of social business

There's a lot of labels and terms floating around for businesses that try to do good stuff.

Social Enterprise.

Social Business.

For-Purpose Business.

Not-for-profit, but not-for-loss Business.

Triple Bottom Line.

Let's get serious here: A business going good stuff isn't anything special. It's just good business.

It's only special, because it isn't common.

Good, isn't common in business.

Buying Fairtrade isn't a do-gooder decision, a business model or a story used to sell a product: It's called paying a fair price. Businesses reliant on low-cost supply chains are at risk, because at some point you'll need to pay.

Deliberately pushing against the status quo, unconscious bias and systemic injustice within your business isn't a noble purpose: Diversity drives performance. We're better when we work together.

Solving societal problems, even in just a small way for a small group of people, isn't charity: It's necessary to regenerate and sustain society. Business doesn't happen in a vacuum, it happens in society.

Collaborative decision-making isn't a style of community engagement: It's the best way to (attempt to) keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

Making people's lives better isn't an optional extra that deserves to be applauded: It's called being human, and loving

When we all look after each other first, and ourselves second, we'll find ourselves very well looked after indeed.