Small Business Social Responsibility - A New Definition and a New Approach

Welcome to the first article of the Small Actions Greater Good Newsletter. The mission of my business, and this newsletter, is to encourage and support Small Business Owners to do more social good that benefits their business and inspires others (by embracing Small Business Social Responsibility).

For this initial article, I introduce why I created Small Actions Greater Good and a new definition and framework for Small Business Social Responsibility.

If you want to see this newsletter in your feed, please subscribe at the top of this page. Let's change the world - one small business at a time!

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Be The Change

Do you agree with the quote from Gandhi, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world?" Me too! But, it took quite a few years to find my path to "be the change."

I was blessed to stumble upon Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) early in my career and immediately loved the concept that a business could be profitable AND operate in a way to improve the world.

For 18 years, I combined my passion for doing good with my desire to climb the corporate ladder. As often as possible, I incorporated aspects of CSR into my jobs or proposed and championed CSR projects to senior management. When it didn't feel like enough, I donated and volunteered outside my career.

I was content with this hybrid approach until 2016, when I looked into my daughter's eyes for the first time. My desire?to do good immediately became an?obsession. Doing a "bit of good" when and where possible was no longer?"good enough." I HAD to help improve the world just because she was in it.

Not sure what to do next, I left Corporate America and started a small business. I wanted the flexibility to spend more time with my family and the freedom to embrace social responsibility as much as possible. But, I quickly learned two things:

1) Taking action through my business STILL didn't feel like enough.

AND

2) Being socially responsible as a Small Business Owner was not easy.

Why? #1 is apparently how I'm wired. But #2... that is another story.

Have You Ever Googled Small Business Social Responsibility or Social Responsibility for Small Business Owners?

Go ahead. Try it. This is where I started.

Most results refer to CSR resources or recommend a CSR approach.

If you have never researched CSR, let me save you some time. CSR, in general, is a model or concept for how a large business or corporation can contribute to society beyond standard business operations. There are thousands of articles, books, and even an ISO standard that define CSR. However, these are typically large and complex programs, and it's a LOT of information to wade through for a Small Business Owner.

Am I saying that CSR resources don't apply to a small business? Not at all. There are a TON of fabulous CSR resources available.

However, when I was trying to do social good through my own small business, I didn't have the time to dig through all the CSR content and learn how I could apply it.

So... I went back to Google and looked for small business-specific resources. I was shocked by the results. But, again, no need to look yourself; here are recent search results (data from August 2022):

• If you Google "Small Business Social Responsibility Strategy," you'll find THREE single results. As a comparison, searching for "Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy" returns 122 thousand results.?
• If you Google "Small Business Social Responsibility Guidelines," you'll find ZERO results. Searching for "Corporate Social Responsibility Guidelines" returns 10.8 thousand results.
• If you Google "Small Business Social Responsibility Tools," you'll find ONE result. Searching for "Corporate Social Responsibility Tools" returns 4.1 thousand results.?
• And finally, if you only look for a definition, if you Google "Small Business Social Responsibility Definition," you'll get THREE results (which are on my website – initially, there were none). Searching for "Corporate Social Responsibility Definition" returns 8.7 thousand results.

When I accepted that being socially responsible through my business still didn't feel like enough, AND I realized the lack of resources for Small Business Owners, my path became clear. I wanted to fill the gap between corporate resources and small business needs.

As a result, I created?Small Actions Greater Good?to provide education, resources, and training to make it easier for Small Business Owners to do more effective social good that benefits their business, makes them proud of their efforts, and inspires others.

I started by creating a new definition for Small Business Social Responsibility and a unique approach to social responsibility for Small Business Owners.

What is Small Business Social Responsibility?

I define Small Business Social Responsibility as a commitment to contribute to the greater good by efficiently acting as or making changes to your small business that improves the world around you while also effectively contributing to your small business growth.

I wrote this definition of Small Business Social Responsibility very carefully to call attention to three aspects:

1. “A commitment to contribute to the greater good" - I'm specifically asking Small Business Owners to commit to contributing to the greater good. To make a promise, if only to yourself, that you WILL take action. An intention to do good is great, but often not followed through.

2. "by efficiently acting as or making changes to your small business that improves the world around you" - In the middle part of my definition, I'm clarifying that actions need to be efficient. We are too busy as Small Business Owners to waste any time, even when it's to do good. I'm also vague about the actions or changes as there are so many ways to do good. More on that in a future newsletter.

3. “while also effectively contributing to your small business growth.” - And finally, at the end of the definition, I'm emphasizing that it's OK to benefit from social responsibility actions. In fact, I'll argue in a future newsletter that if you aren't benefitting from your actions, then don't do them through your business!

A definition is a great place to start. It explains the "what" but doesn't help with the "how." The Small Actions Framework provides the how.

What is the?Small Actions Framework?

As I referenced earlier, an extensive CSR Program is not realistic for most small businesses. Using 20 years of project management and process development skills, I created a smaller and more manageable three-step approach based on existing and proven CSR strategies and guidelines but simplified for Small Business Owners.

The three steps teach you how to:

1. Understand how and why to take action.
2. Learn how to make your actions effective (i.e., ensure they also benefit your business).?
3. Start, improve, replace, or expand your actions?(i.e., making it easier to take MORE action).

The framework is also designed to be:

• Flexible?– It includes three levels of involvement (or actions) that allow Small Business Owners to determine how much they want to do depending on their Social Responsibility experience, interest level, and available resources.
• Scalable?– It is scalable to allow Small Business Owners to implement Social Responsibility at their own pace and as resources allow.
• Customizable?– It's a?framework?for a reason – it provides structure, guidance, and tools but leaves plenty of room for Small Business Owners to customize the details. This ensures that the outcomes uniquely apply to their businesses.
• Sustainable?– It can be used as often as needed to update or add to a Small Business Owner's efforts.

What's Next?

In the following newsletters, I'll answer some of the most common questions about Small Business Social Responsibility, including:

• How can you do social good through your Small Business?
• Why should you be socially responsible? (Hint, it's not what you think.)
• What are the potential benefits of social responsibility?
• What may be holding you back (from starting or doing more social responsibility)?
• What does it mean to do EFFECTIVE social responsibility?

I'll also share weekly ideas for actions you can take and potential resources to make your actions easier. Don't miss the next newsletter! Subscribe at the top of this page. ??

If you want to start improving your efforts immediately, you can check out my free resources.

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Tanya Quinn is the Founder of?Small Actions Greater Good?and the COO of?Truby Achievements, Inc. She helps Small Business Owners become better leaders AND do more social good that benefits their business and inspires others. She is also a passionate speaker about social responsibility. Learn more about her speaking engagements.