How to Grow Your Business by Supporting Charities with Alisoun Mackenzie

Transcription

1 Thank you for downloading this transcript! You can listen to the original podcast here: Today s Guest I'm excited to introduce today's guest, Alisoun Mackenzie. We met just a couple of months ago in Brussels, where we were both speakers at the No Limits! event. I absolutely loved Alisoun's workshop, because she puts a totally different spin on how to support our favorite charities. If you've been feeling like you wish you could support non-profits in a bigger way, you'll get lots of ideas from this week's episode. About Alisoun Often described as one of the most authentic, inspiring and heart-centered leaders you can meet, Alisoun is on a mission to guide heart-centered business owners and entrepreneurs grow profitable business that are a force for good. Her entrepreneurial spark was lit when she launched a travel club in 1991, and became a new way of life in 2003 when she left the investment industry to start her own business. Since then Alisoun s keynote presentations, training events, mentoring and best-selling books Give-to-Profit: and Social Causes and Heartatude, The 9 Principles of Heart-Centered Success and have favorably changed the good fortune of thousands of people worldwide. Alisoun s regular humanitarian trips to Rwanda, helping young genocide survivors, have profoundly changed her life, and influenced the way she puts social impact at the core of her business. She is full of gratitude everyday for the joyful and meaningful life she leads living near a beach just outside Edinburgh, Scotland. What You ll Learn How to support charities without overwhelm Why the cause isn't as important as the sentiment How Alisoun got to be known as The Rwanda Lady How to get people to resonate with your story and your values Why people love supporting you, and how this can lead to higher attendance on conversion rates All the things you need to get clear on so you can grow your business by supporting charities Things We Discussed Dr. Lori Layden Anita Roddick Alisoun's book Give to Profit Tapping (EFT) Page -1-

2 Transcript Holly: Hello and welcome to the Business Mindset Podcast, episode 205; this is your host Holly Worton and I am here with today's special guest Alisoun Mackenie. Alisoun is described as one of the most authentic, inspiring and heart-centered leaders you could meet. Alisoun is on a mission to guide heart-centred business owners and entrepreneurs through profitable business that are a force for good. Alisoun has, I first met her at No Limits, in Brussels, earlier this year, and I absolutely loved the talk that she gave on: How to Grow Your Business by supporting charities and social causes. So, that's what we are going to be talking about today, I am super, super, excited to welcome her on the show, so welcome Alisoun! Alisoun: Hi Holly! I am super-excited as well, thank you for having me on, it is a delight to be here. Holly: Excellent! So, why don't you start out by telling us a little bit about your background, and your business journey and how you got to where you are today with your business? Alisoun: Okay, well, it is the complete opposite actually, my background was in the investment industry, which is a very odd place for me to come from to be doing what I am now doing, but I took redundancy from that industry in 2003, to set up my own business and, to be perfectly honest, like many other business owners it was actually about: how do I earn money without having a job? And that was my focus, although I was very much motivated to be making a difference to other s lives, so when I started out I was doing training and coaching and trained as a therapist in a number of different ways. And then, I was motivated to make a difference and that was one of the reasons why I knew I needed to leave the investment world, because there were, sometimes, a clash of values. So, for me, I started just, my focus was building that business, I enjoyed it, but I got to the stage, in 2008, when I was running the successful and lucrative training consultancy business but I still just felt that there was something missing, you know, I felt like I had got to a stage where I had become a slave to a job that I had created? I realised that I was the common denominator! Holly: [Laughing] And there was no one to blame but yourself! [laughing] Alisoun: We can't blame anybody for anything that happens in our business when we are the ones running it! And that was a bit of a wake-up call and I started to look at what I could do differently, and the driver was I had just come back from three-weeks in India doing some training consultancy and I really, really, didn't agree with the values of the organisation that had asked me to go there. And, I can remember going into that company and just saying to them one Friday morning: I don't think you need me anymore, I have trained up your people to do the training, I have trained all your staff in the UK and India and you can take it forward from here, so how about I just pack it all up, hand it over and leave this afternoon! [laughing] They were a bit surprised! But, it was just so liberating and yeah that was me, I set my intention for what I was then looking for, for the future, and that's where things started to take me in a different direction. Holly: Hmm and what was that different direction and how did you start adding supporting charities to your business? Alisoun: Well, I literally, the very next day, I had set the intention that I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life, where I had a deeper sense of connection Page -2-

3 and I just started to think about the things that were actually missing in my life, so, me I hadn't had children, for whatever reason, and so I knew that I wanted to do something that involved helping young people; I knew I wanted to do something that involved travel - because it was a number one passion; and, also, something that made use of my skills, because whenever I see footage of wars and natural disasters on the tele, I just feel useless because there is nothing I can do to help other than donate money. So, I really wanted to find something that would make use of any of the skills I had, I didn't particularly know which one, and the very next day I had a film came into my inbox of a project with a woman called Dr. Lori Layden who is now one of my good friends, and she was doing work with genocide survivors in Rwanda. And I just saw this short film, and I just knew instantly, I just thought: that is for me! And I got in touch and said: I love what you are doing, how can I help you? And she said: fancy a Skype call on Monday? And about eight weeks later I am up the top of a mountain in Rwanda! Holly: [Laughing] Alisoun: You are standing in an orphanage looking at all these people waiting for me to deliver what I was there to do. When I first got involved, again, the intention had never actually been to bring the charitable giving into my business, it was more that I wanted to go off on this trip, for me personally, I wanted to find a cause to support, I wanted to find a cause I could get involved in, not just to make money. And, when I went there, that first trip broke my heart open for the potential of human beings, that we all have to heal, and I knew that I couldn't leave these people, I knew that I wanted to continue to support them, but I was running a business and I didn't have the capacity, the time, to take out to do a lot of fundraising plus run the business. So, for me, what just seemed natural was to look at: well, how do I bring fundraising into what I am doing in my business? And so, that's really where the journey started. Holly: Hm and what were some of the mindset blocks - things that you had to overcome as you were building your business and incorporation charity into it? Alisoun: That's a really good question one of them was definitely: how do I do this in a way of not being overwhelmed? Definitely, there was definitely some blocks around doing this in a way that wasn't going to overwhelm me. Actually, one of the things, I use various different techniques to overcome my mindset blocks: one of them is tapping, another one is just sometimes simply asking myself resourceful questions such as: how can I do this in a way that is easy and effortless? Or, with the minimum negative impact? Well, I just need to do part of my business. So I started off making miracle bead bracelets, that I know you have seen Holly. Holly: Yeah! Alisoun: Yeah, and it just started off with that, making these, and I didn't know really where it was going to go, but I would take them along to networking events and I thought: maybe some people might buy some of these and I can raise the funds that way to fund, you know, my trip and going out, projects costs and that kind of thing. I never for one minute expected that they would go on to sell they actually raise tens of thousands of dollars now, these bracelets, it amazes me, but yeah, that was the heart of it really and just responding to how people were then asking me to get involved in different ways. Holly: Mm, so since you have brought charity into your business as a really integral part of your business, you have found that supporting charities actually helped you to grow your business can you tell us a little bit about that? Alisoun: Yeah, absolutely. What started to happen was, because I was taking these bracelets along to networking events, and I was doing that at every event I was going Page -3-

4 to, I would be carrying those bracelets; people started to talk to me as the Rwanda lady, so I started becoming more memorable. And, actually, the fact that people were wearing my bracelets - and they are quite distinctive - other people would then be saying: so where did you get that? And then the story about me and what I did was coming out and people were talking about it. And, so, I started to get asked to do more speaking events, I started to get asked to do parties at people's homes, where I would go along and teach them some therapies, or do some mindset talk, do some kind of talk and teach them something and would have my bracelets with me and raise money for charity. I started to realise that I was getting bookings for one-to-one sessions from people who had been to these parties; I started to get client bookings from speaking events. It was that wake-up call of: wow I am doing just what I want to do because I want to be kind, and making a difference, but people are resonating with that story, with my values and were then choosing me to come to. So, that was one aspect, I guess another aspect was that the project that I was involved in became quite high profile in the States, and so I started to be asked to go along to some events that, literally there is no other way that I would have been invited along to them, but I was, because I was involved with this charitable component; and the people that I was meeting there were able to meet and take me out to a much wider audience. So, it enabled me to build relationships with key players because we had a common value, or a shared interest, and those connections, those relationships, I find are much stronger and they happen much quicker than when you are building relationships without that connection. Holly: Yeah, I think that's a really important point that a lot of times people don't see all of the kind of residual benefits that come from supporting a charity, you are not just helping out, but you are building this massive network of people who have a shared interest. Alisoun: That's right, definitely a shared interest, and you are much more likely to ask for help and support because I am doing something charitable, people say yes. And, you know, I do just find myself in these situations where I am around people that there is no other way I would be sitting around a table with them, had I not been doing this work, and I know that I am not the only person to have experienced that. Holly: So, for business owners who are listening to this, who have a favourite charity, or have a cause that they want to support, what would be your top tips on how they can get started supporting this charity, supporting this cause and grow their business at the same time? Alisoun: The first thing that I would be suggesting that they actually take time to reflect on, without a doubt, is: why are they wanting to do this? Because this directs their choices in terms of things like: how are you therefore, going to support the charities? So, for instance, if you are looking to support that because it is close to your heart, maybe you have lost somebody and you want to help raise some funds for that cause, then that would take you down the route of fundraising. Whereas, it might well be for other people that they have maybe moved to a new location and they don't know many people, but they have a cause that is close to their heart, so they want to go out, get involved, and meet people. So, really connecting into your why is really important because that does shape not only the cause that you support, but in terms of the type of support that you would want to give. So, really tap in and connect to why you want to do this. Thereafter, if you do already have a cause, then It is deciding: how do you want to support that cause? There are so many different ways, I have mentioned Page -4-

5 fundraising, I have mentioned volunteering - and volunteering could be donating your time for a week, it could be one day a month, it could be a tiny micro, you get micro volunteering which is just literally a few minutes every so often. Maybe you offer to help them get more supporters, it would be looking at how you could do that. It could be that you want to donate time to them; you might want to donate stock to them. So, there are lots of different ways we can actually do it. And, one of the things that I suggest you do is also get clear on things like: how much time and money or resources do you want to dedicate to this? Specially if you are somebody, and I know I find it hard at different points because I just want to make a difference and I want to help everybody. If you do that, you are not going to have a business. Holly: Yeah, yeah. Alisoun: It is actually about being very clear and setting yourself clear boundaries of: right, I am going to do this just one day a month, or so many hours amounts, or a week, whatever it is, whatever will fit in with what you are doing. If you want to do it in such a way to grow your business, instead of being philanthropic; so, we can be philanthropic through our business, which is a nice thing to do, but if you actually want to grow your business then it is actually about strategically linking your charitable activities to your existing business goals. Holly: What are those strategic links, because I think it can be really difficult to envisage those kinds of links unless we have done it before? Alisoun: Yeah, absolutely so - if I give an example of fundraising - when I started out, my fundraising activities were always geared towards my ideal clients and my business; so I was taking my bracelets along to networking events where my ideal clients hung out; and that was how I ended up getting more referrals from those people who attended those events or events they organised and, likewise, I might speak at events that were full of my ideal clients. When I was doing that, I had a lot of people who came forward and said: Alison, we want to help you raise money; what about if we organised a charity ball or I will donate my time to do this. It was very kind of them to do that, but actually they were suggesting events that were not going to help me move my business forward, so I was saying no to them. So, actually in business, the strategic link, if you are fundraising, is always to come up with solutions that your ideal clients would love anyway. And then you are looking at ways in which you can provide those. For instance, if I give an example, I did a fundraising event last night; it was an online fundraising event, and I could have organised a free webinar, as many people do, and before I did this that s what I would have had a webinar, and what I decided to do however last night was to have a fundraising webinar and masterclass. So it is slightly different for me when I am doing those, for instance all the money all the profits go to a cause; if it is just me running them it will be my cause, if I am running it with someone else, we will split that 50:50. And what I have found is that people love supporting you, I get people signing up to that who are maybe not they may be interested in the topic at some point, but not straight away, but they want to support me anyway, so I raise the money, I get a higher attendance rate, people who actually have done this, and actually I do also get higher conversions at some stage from people who come to those events. I never ever sell at those events, very categorically it is a fundraising event, but it helps build my visibility, particularly if I am doing that with a partner and we go out and they just get a feel for me, and my values, by doing that. Holly: So, I have a question: I think a lot of people find it easy to be interested in or support humanitarian causes, because we are human and we want to help other humans, but what about maybe non-humanitarian causes, or some of the more obscure charities and things? I don t know like, eco-charities as opposed to humanitarian Page -5-

6 charities? Do you find that you would get the same type of interest, or do you think that might be more challenging? Alisoun: That's a really good question Holly, and I have to admit, in all my experience, most people who I have worked with, have been doing either for animals or people. And I guess in terms of how effective it would be, it would again depend on the cause and your audience. So, I would be fairly confident that I would still get a good response for things that are topical, so for instance at the moment, I just have a thing about plastic. Holly: [Laughing] Alisoun: [Laughing] You know what I mean? I am doing my best to eliminate plastic! And most of my community are doing the same thing; but actually, here's another one: water. There's a lot going on around water, at the moment, now I know that's about clean drinking water for people, it is humanitarian, but there is also an environmental element. So, I think it would actually depend on your audience, and what I tend to find is if you start out with a clause that is really close to your heart, and your audience resonate with that too, then that's what will come through. When it actually, thinking broader than this, at the end of the day research shows in the market place, if supporting charities and social causes, is it actually good for business? And the reality is, if you look at younger generations then you or I, Holly, bless us. Holly: [laughing] Alisoun: If we look at the millennials, those born between roughly, 1980 to 1995 or generation z, after the millennials, they prefer to buy from, or work for businesses, who not only care and are socially and environmentally friendly, but they also have to be demonstrating that. So, that isn't just actually about the people, or the animals, that's about the planet. And in some respects that has been a mission that has been around for longer, is that sustainability of the planet, and I think that is a big thing just now, I just don't personally have an awful lot of experience of that as a cause. Holly: So, do you think that perhaps some causes if you want to support them and link them to your business it might just be best to do it from a personal side, rather than a business side? So, I am thinking for example, there is this one charity that I am really big on right now, because I recently did this walk down the old Wey and Arun canal in Surrey and Sussex. And it is this old canal that was abandoned in the 1800s and now there is this, ever since the 70s, there is this charity that has been working on restoring the canal to make it navigable. So, this is not something that is not necessarily good for the environment, I mean it is not bad for the environment, it is not humanitarian, it is just a very random, very unique, obscure cause [laughing]. And I am thinking: if I start talking to people about this and how I am really, really jazzed about this charity, restoring this old canal, people are going to be like: what the heck are you going on about? So, I that the kind of thing that maybe you should just do on your own as a personal thing, or should you give it a try linking it to your business? Alisoun: I would give it a try! I mean I see business as a constant experiment! Holly: Yeah, exactly! [laughing] Alisoun: To me, everything we do in business is an experiment, and hearing you speak, I think the unique position we are in when we are business owners and entrepreneurs and small businesses, is that we have the agility to make decisions that reflect our values, to try something out and to tweak it if it doesn't work out as we anticipate. And, when I listen to you, all I actually care about Holly, when you were saying that is Page -6-

7 Holly: Yeah. you are coming across as somebody who is caring and wants to make a difference and that's what's important to me. The cause isn't so much important to me. And I know that when I have done stuff, they want to help the genocide survivors in Rwanda, but they are not emotionally charged to them in the same way I am, they are just supporting me as a person and the fact that I want to do good. So, one of the things that I talk about that I usually say to people is: if you want to be out there fundraising and doing good, make it something you are passionate about. Alisoun: We don't have to align it to our business, what's important is the passion. For some people, I have got a local dentist, not dentist, optician. He is passionate about going out and doing work in Africa, doing projects there, and doing fundraising there; that happens to be completely aligned to his work. If we have a cause like that, then it's great, but personally, I don't think that we have to. If you find that people aren't responding then you could just find something that is maybe more attractive to your audience but I am really not sure that you would Holly: Yeah, it sounds like the important thing is, like you said before, getting clear on your why, getting clear on how you want to support it and telling the story of why you are so passionate about this. Alisoun: Yes, and this is where smaller causes, and project; when I talk about supporting charities and social causes, they don't even have to be a registered charity, or a registered social cause, it could be somebody we see this on Facebook and in social media you know somebody who is having a difficult time and we go off to support them. Or, as you are talking about, some kind of community project where it is something important to you, sometimes the smaller causes need our support even more than the bigger ones. You may find that by going out and supporting that cause and talking about it, other people who resonate with that cause might actually come to you as potential clients. It could open up a whole other audience. Holly: Yes, that's true, I think that's something, as we said earlier; we don't realise the network that we create by talking about these things and by talking about these things that we are passionate about in addition to our business, what opportunities can open up as a result of that. Alisoun: Yeah, absolutely if I can just turn the table for a moment Holly, and just ask you: when you meet people who are doing something that is kind, in one way or another, how does that make you feel about them either as a friend, or as a potential partner in business, or somebody you might buy from? Holly: Well, I love seeing people who are really passionate about something, whether it is their business or a cause, or anything, people who love something and they are really jazzed about it. Like, I love that, I think that is really exciting, it makes for a great conversation, I want to learn more about them, I want to learn more about their thing, whatever it is, even if it is something that I have never heard of before, so, yeah, I love it, because it makes me so much more interested in that person. Alisoun: Yeah, and that's what I am sure others would get from you, because I hear that enthusiasm and excitement from you. Holly: Mm I think that is a really, really good point. So, not to be afraid of some of the smaller or lesser known causes? Alisoun: Definitely not, definitely not. They do need our support, so many people will have causes in their community that they want to support and sometimes it is actually about leading the way and showing people that we can do that too. Page -7-

8 Holly: Ooh I think that's excellent, because I think the more of us who step up and support causes as part of our business, the more we teach people that that's an option, because I think a lot of people have never thought about that before. Whenever I have thought about supporting the different charities that I support, or giving money to Kiva loans, or that kind of thing, I always think about it from a personal level, not from a business level. Alisoun: Yeah, absolutely, this is one of the reasons why I have decided to step out with Give to Profit because most business owners and entrepreneurs keep their business activities and charitable giving completely separate, people do that; and when I speak to people nearly everybody just says: I never really do that. We are taught that we need to set up commercial businesses that are commercial, or we might set up a charity or non-profit or a social enterprise. Nobody really talks about the fact that you can have a commercial business that has social impact. Holly: Yeah! Alisoun: It is a new way of doing it! Holly: It is a good point it is a completely new way of doing things. You mention give to profit, tell us about your book, because I am in the middle of it right now, and I think it is a fantastic book that gives you really, really, practical information, so tell us about it. Alisoun: Thank you Holly because that's exactly why I wrote it, it is a book that is written to explain what give to profit is about, explain the benefits and to just give lots of practical tips: so for instance, 25 different ways that you can support charities and social causes so you ask me, so we were talking about why: there is a section in there about, if you don't have a cause close to your heart, how you can choose it. Importantly, if you are somebody who wants to do fundraising to be aware of the legislation that applies, applies in many countries around fundraising through a business. It is nothing to worry about, it is just being aware of what to actually do around that. So, that was the purpose of the book, was to share ideas, to inspire people to think about how they could do it for themselves if it resonated and fits with their values and where they are taking their business. Holly: Excellent, so Alisoun, do you have any women business mentors, maybe within the charity world or just in the business world, or are there any women entrepreneurs who inspire you? Alisoun: Ooh nice! My friend Dr. Lori Layden who I go to Rwanda with, oh my god she inspires me so much, she is a business person and she also runs a charity. And what has been the biggest thing, as well as having an amazing heart, it has been her ability to she has had this vision and my god there have been times when keeping this charity going has been hard, and doing all the fundraising; but she has just had the ability to trust and hold that vision through all the ups and downs and it is wonderful to see the miracles that are now happening. So, without a doubt she would be one of them. And then there are people like Anita Roddick, there are people who many of us know about who have set up incredible businesses and been real leaders in their field. Holly: Yes, yes. So, do you mind sharing the name of this charity that you have been supporting in Rwanda? Alisoun: Yeah, the charity is called: Create Global Healing and we have been doing work in Rwanda, our young people have been helping people in New Town America who suffered a loss, a bit like we had with Dunblane here; it was a primary school Page -8-

9 shooting In America, and actually I am just back from Australia where the project is now doing similar work with indigenous people in Australia and refugees over there. Holly: How exciting to see how it has grown and how your involvement has grown, I mean you are travelling all over the world to work with these charities! Alisoun: I know it is great! Holly: And, as you said earlier, that goes back to one of your passions which was travel. Alisoun: Completely, completely and utterly. And while, originally, I guess, I just thought that I was going to be using my therapeutic skills and my training and leadership skills, now the consultancy skills are coming in, so when you get involved with a cause you just don't know where it is going to go. Holly: And I think that is something very, very important to point out, because you might have an idea of how you want to support the charity, but as the charity grows and as your involvement grows, it might blossom into something that you can't even imagine right now. Alisoun: Yeah, absolutely, it often changes you as a person, you know? We think we are going in to help others but often it is what we get back that is where a lot of the transformation takes place. Holly: I love that so, Alisoun we have been talking a lot about your charitable activities how can our listeners connect with you or work with you? Alisoun: Well, if they want to go to my website, is the easiest thing, which is just simply: Alisoun.com and they can see the details of all the different services around mentoring, business mentoring, but also give to profit side of things. So, just givetoprofit.com Holly: Excellent; and where can people find you online in addition to your websites? Do you hang out on social media? Alisoun: Oh yes! I am on most of the usual places s and Facebook is Facebook.com/Alisoun /Alisoun Business or /GivetoProfit again, so yes, I am all over the place. Holly: Excellent, thank you so much for joining us today, it was a pleasure to speak with you and I really think that this has given listeners great ideas, o how they can bring charitable work into their business. Alisoun: Ah, thank you so much Holly, I have really, really enjoyed the discussion, I love the way that you have been asking the questions and getting me to think as well, so thanks so much and thanks to everyone that is listening. Holly: Yay! Thank you! And thank you for listening and remember to visit: hollyworton.com/205 for the show notes on this episode. Thank you. Page -9-