You may be familiar with phrases such as, “What goes around comes around.” and “What you sow you reap.” As well as lovely quotes such as John Holmes’, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Bunyan’s, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” And Kahlil Gibran’s, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” But what do you say? How do you feel about giving back? Do you enjoy giving away your time and money or does the mere thought of it make you cringe, not because you are selfish but because you have so little of it to spare? Today I hope to inspire you to see giving back in a new way, in a way that not only benefits others but also benefits you and your business.  You see, giving is important. It is what makes the world go round and you need to get in on the action if you are not already. The most important thing is the reason for giving back – for us in this country at this time it can simply be BECAUSE WE CAN.  It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that! Here are some obvious reasons to be a ‘giving’ businesswoman:
- Help others when you give
- Feel good when you give
- Get noticed when you give
Here are some reasons why giving will help your business grow:
- Broaden your customer base
- Improve your profile
- Maximise your marketing reach
- Increase your income
But how you ask? This is great in theory but I can’t see how to be more giving and how it will help my business in return. Â Well, I am so pleased that you asked!
Identifying synergies between business and charities
Find businesses and charities that you can partner with. At the Women’s Business Club we usually start by looking for something fun or something high profile to get involved with. If it involves dressing up we will probably ask how we can get involved. Climbing mountains, jumping out of aeroplanes and dressing up as superheroes have all been done by us and we are always looking for new and fun things to do to support charities. Last year we partnered with Active Gloucester to create Active Business Women and Netwalking. There is so much synergy between our business and our partners. We support them, they promote us, our members have fun and reap the benefit. It’s a win/win all around.
Improve Your Brand Value and Reputation
Co-branding, alliances and website linking will help your business to gain credibility and exposure. We have done so with many of the above-mentioned activities and it has proven to be very successful. Being visible in the community, especially when partnering with important causes creates customer loyalty too. Building and maintaining a reputation as investing in and/or fighting for issues your customers care about- facilitates your customer to engage along with you. But be authentic or don’t do it at all! You will severely damage your customer’s trust and view of your business if deceive them in any way.
Gain Publicity For Your Business
A great plus that results from being a giving businesswoman is that it will improve your profile in the community through events, PR, publicity. The local press loves a good giving story so keep them informed of what you are up to. Radio, newspaper and sometimes even TV will jump at the chance to support your partnerships or giving plans. Social media will also spread what you are doing like wildfire, people would much rather share a heartwarming story or a business with a cause than just a business trying to make yet another sale. Stand out by standing up for someone else! If you are at a loss for what to get involved with or where to start, why not join our very own initiative called Women Against Slavery. We are passionately tackling this atrocity. Women Against Slavery is not the answer to the problem but it is a small part of the solution but every little bit makes a difference.
We have dedicated an entire chapter of our Success Story System to giving, get involved and tap into all of our valuable resources to support you in your business.