We write a lot about impact, and that’s because it is, for us, the single most important aspect of who we are as a company.
According to Webster, the word “impact” can be taken in two ways:
1. the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
2. the effect or influence of one person, thing, or action, on another.
While most of the time, we think of our business impact through the latter definition, the reality is that the mere existence of our enterprises creates forcible contact with the world around us - whether we intend to or not.
Your business is having an effect on everything it touches: your family, clients, team, local community, vendors, partners, competitors, economy, environment, political atmosphere, culture, and beyond.
There’s no way to participate in the market without impacting it. Sometimes, that impact forces positive changes that shift our world for the better, forever. And sometimes, our businesses collide with our world in ways that are detrimental, unhealthy, and unsustainable.
And so, yes, we write about impact because we’re always thinking about our impact. We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can do more good with our business and less harm.
As with anything we set out to do, staying mindful of our impact is best accomplished by setting clear goals, creating an action plan for achieving them, and then measuring our success over time.
So, as we kick off 2024, we wanted to start the conversation here: with IMPACT and what it means for us as business owners.
Click the Download button below to grab a short worksheet you can use to clarify the top impact goals you’re setting for your business this year.
It’ll help you connect with your WHY, name the stakeholders you hope to make a difference for and set measurable targets. It’ll even help you identify places where you can do less harm.
We’ve filled in the first version with our answers to be a guide (and because transparency is the key to accountability for us, too). A second (blank) copy is included as well.
We challenge you to complete the worksheet for your company, and then share it with people who can encourage you and hold you accountable.
If you’d like to share it here, we’d love to see what you’re up to! Comment below or send us a message so we can support you.
Business doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and neither does our impact. We exist as a community.
Being intentional about our impact is how we ensure our existence contributes a net positive to the whole.
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