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Coffee and TV - growing a creative, human-focussed B Corp business
Manage episode 342587314 series 2928005
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Like probably most people who start a business, Derek Moore founded Coffee and TV because he believed that there might be a better way to do things than how it was being done in the industry. Key for him was that there had to be a better model than pushing people to work harder for longer and for less.
So Coffee and TV took an approach of doing business in a more human way. And as the reputation spread, they attracted more people into the team and grew.
We discuss some key issues such as:
- Maintaining culture as you grow;
- Working on the friction between doing great work profitably while remaining human;
- Managing the tensions between being highly creative, yet doing the routine needed to grow a business (and how this is similar to my disastrous attempts at kite surfing!)
- How being highly creative is actually also similar to what's needed to run a business;
- The role of continual improvement for employees and founders alike;
- Involving the team in creating opportunities in the industry for people from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds.
Coffee & TV also took on B Corp certification... prompted initially by their Chief Financial Officer - not where you'd normally expect it to come from. We discuss how this has helped them become more intentional about their impact on people and planet, and drive towards becoming carbon neutral.
We also discuss the early days of remote working and digital file interchange. AKA aligning train times so you could arrive with the digital drive on one side of the platform at the same time as your colleague on the other side and handover the drive to hop back onto each other's trains and home again!
The is a fascinating insight into the reality on the ground of growing an ethical and human-centred business.
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I host a weekly online workshop with CEOs of SMEs (10 to 100 employees approx) about scaling up, allowing them to step back and do more strategic work, and doing it in line with their values. Max 6 per session so we can have a real conversation.
If you'd like to join me, find a date that works for you here. They aren't charged for - you and I will both get value from the conversation.
Only CEOs / MDs apply - strictly peer-level conversation.
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