Part One: Introduction
Welcome to the Weconomy
By Craig Kielburger, Holly Branson, and Marc Kielburger
In the WEconomy, you can make money and change the world - you can make money by changing the world. It's that simple.
The WEconomy is an emerging economic system driven by purpose and profit. It reflects the interconnected nature of our economy, environment, and social welfare so that business works in the interest of the greater good.
We live in turbulent times. As antiglobalization forces have so visibly impacted the world, so many are understandably afraid that humanity is moving backwards when it comes to helping the planet's most impoverished and disadvantaged. Problems that should unite us, like climate change and a growing wealth gap, are abandoned to partisan politics. World leaders promise to build walls, exit political unions, and retreat from economic alliances, withdrawing inward. So many of us are divided along racial, religious, and political lines that the rise of the individual and a "me first" mentality seems inevitable. It's enough to make even the most optimistic idealists furrow their brows.
But progress happens in fits and starts; this too shall pass. We're firm believers that the "building walls" sentiment is a blip fostered by fear and misunderstanding, and that humankind is generally on a march toward a more open, interconnected world. Our global village is smaller than at any other time in human history. Individuals are connected and empowered by more knowledge, more information, and more tools, and can more easily mobilize around a cause. Across the globe, millions of individual volunteers and people in business, government, and nonprofits are committed to making the world a better place.
WHEN PURPOSE AND PROFIT UNITE - AND WE WILL SHOW YOU THAT THEY DO - THE ECONOMY, THE INDIVIDUAL, AND THE COMMUNITY THRIVE.
"I truly believe that if every company in the world adopted this philosophy, all of the world's problems could be solved."
-Richard Branson
So, despite what may seem like doomsday headlines, it's not the end of the world as we know it. Why? Because many of us are focused on moving the world forward, on fostering progress, not just by engaging politically or reaching out to our neighbors, but also by turning business into a force for good. It's now possible to build companies and social enterprises that tackle the planet's most dire problems. Workers can now bring their personal values to the office, giving back on company time.
Most people are driven in varying degrees by the need to do good, balanced against the need to be financially successful. We came together to write this book because we all learned, despite our different paths, that choosing profit or purpose at the expense of the other is a false dichotomy. You can do both. You should do both.
When purpose and profit unite-and we will show you that they do-the economy, the individual, and the community thrive.
Changing the world shouldn't be a task saved for extreme altruists working without pay. The best and brightest from all economic and social sectors can survive and thrive while tackling our planet's biggest challenges.
As three thirty-somethings on the cusp of this new movement, we are in a unique position, each bringing a different voice from the big three players in the WEconomy: business (Holly Branson), charity (Craig Kielburger), and social enterprise (Marc Kielburger). Over the past couple of years, we've pored over countless business books, but never found one that brought together voices from all three sectors. We each have our own experiences to draw from (you will hear a lot about Virgin, WE Charity, and ME to WE). We write about what we know-drawing from our mistakes and learnings. We'll, of course, introduce ourselves properly, but first, we would like to introduce you to our mentors-those who helped us recognize the power of purpose and profit combined.
Our Big Three Inspirations: Oprah, Richard, and Jeff
We are lucky to have picked the brains and learned from three prominent innovators in the worlds of business and social enterprise. These titans were the forerunners of the WEconomy, and as such, we tip our hats to our favorite teachers.
Not many of us would mind being Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, or Jeff Skoll-at least for a few days anyway.
Lady O
It's not that you want to read more Nora Roberts novels or make celebrities cry in front of a live studio audience, but you want to be Oprah.
While everyone wants to be Oprah to some degree, it might not be for the reasons you expect. It's not about the money, fame, or power. Frankly, there are other influential billionaires who don't provoke the same affection and envy. The Oprahness we all aspire to isn't just about wealth or status-it's about making a successful career out of a purposeful life.
Oprah Winfrey
Some Things You Might Not Know
The Oprah Winfrey Show was the highestrated television talk show in U.S. history. It drew in 48 million viewers per week.
1 O, The Oprah Magazine, has the highest women's magazine circulation in North America with 2.4 million copies sold per year.
2 Oprah invested $40 million to create the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The school in South Africa for disadvantaged girls was lauded by Nelson Mandela.
Oprah's Book Club leads to 55 million books sold after promotion on the show.
Fortune magazine named her the world's most charitable celebrity.
People want to be Oprah because she fosters her passions while giving back-and she gets paid to do so. The Oprah Winfrey Show was devoted to health and fitness, relationships, and literacy because Oprah commiserates with our family issues and wants to be part of our book club. Like us, Oprah is on the treadmill the first month of the year, fighting the five pounds of chocolate she ate over the holidays. She is a self-made business magnate whose brand is, when you break it down, devoted to living one's best life. She wants to help people be better-mentally, emotionally, physically-by sharing her personal struggles. Not only did Oprah make money and do good, she made money by doing good. Then, through donations and her own foundations, Oprah funded other causes. She has built schools, helped abandoned or abused children, worked to combat HIV/AIDS and climate change, committing almost $1 billion to philanthropic causes in her lifetime. Now worth an estimated $3 billion,3 Oprah is regularly named one of the world's most powerful women, sharing the list with the likes of Melinda Gates and former First Lady Michelle Obama.4
Oprah feeds that craving in all of us that tells us we can make a difference in the world and make a living. It doesn't have to be Oprah-scale wages either-most of us simply want enough to support our families and occasionally take a vacation. Most of us also want a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, a way to make a contribution. But we also need the sense of security that comes with a steady paycheck. Oprah built a corporate empire on this fusion of purpose and profit that the whole working world is after. And we're not just saying all of this because she is one of our greatest mentors.
When Marc and Craig met Oprah for the first time, they were teenagers at the helm of a brand new charity they'd launched with . . . well, a bunch of other teenagers. The organization had a naïve mission to help kids get an education by building schools, but had no formal game plan. The novelty of kids helping kids earned Craig a spot on the show, which parlayed into a partnership. Oprah would go on to build over 50 schools and dozens more projects with them, lending her business acumen and guidance. Craig and Marc would sit on her famous couch four more times.
Oprah helped mentor the brothers to transform the fledgling charity into a sustainable development organization, now with over $50 million in annual donations.
WE has come a long way since then, but there are still barriers to girls education. Meet Faith, and see her incredible drive to attend school. Click for video
Dr. Yes
If jumping off buildings in a tux is more your speed, you probably want to be Sir Richard Branson (or James Bond). Richard built an empire with gut instinct, guerilla marketing, and good intentions. He launched his first venture, Student magazine, in 1968 with £300 borrowed from his mother, driven by the belief that young people had something important to say and a desire to take a stand on important issues, like opposing the Vietnam War. He's since formed a global mega-brand. The Virgin Group employs 70,000 people in more than 35 countries. But Virgin had humble beginnings in Richard's battle to defend customers from price gouging and robotic sounding customer service reps. This purpose, to protect consumers from untrustworthy and exploitative businesses by offering a fair, friendly alternative, is what Virgin is all about. In fact, the Virgin Group...
