Change Through Business

It’s finally available!  The video recording of the speech I gave at the 2010 USC Baccalaureate Ceremony is now fully available to watch. I know how eagerly many have waited, so thank you for your patience for this video’s release - it’s been nearly six months!

I hope you really enjoy it.  I hope you can experience the same inspiration that I and so many others felt during this momentous moment for Pure Aloha, during this incredible night of May 13th.  Most of all, I hope you will join me, Uncle Clay, and countless others worldwide who are passionately and peacefully working towards a shared vision: our entire one world ohana, connected heart-to-heart, through Pure Aloha.

Lastly, let me just announce: it’s REALLY happening.  The dream of Uncle Clay’s is continuously evolving into a truer reality.  There has been so much progress over these six months–from foundation setting, to product development, to store design, to investment support–we’re now set to open our new “House” this January 2011.  Unfortunately, I can’t share any details yet, but all will be revealed in just two to three weeks - so please stay posted!

Fight on!  And Pure Aloha Always.

After a prolonged internal debate, I’ve decided to share this post.  I questioned if such a personal and seemingly isolated experience should be shared so publicly on this blog.  Ultimately, I’ve realized that: a) this experience represents an integral part of my journey, and b) the original intent of this blog was to authentically capture my journey of being a social entrepreneur and living life fully in service of others.  So, here it goes.

The Story of Collapsing Lungs

Nearly two years ago, at the start of my junior year at USC, my left lung spontaneously collapsed unexpectedly (pneumothorax).  After being admitted to the ER, I spent four days at the Good Samaritan Hospital with a uncomfortable chest tube jutting out of my body.  This was my first, real, and personal encounter of the true fragility of life: the fact that I could possess perfect health one day then instantly have to cling on for dear life the next - without any warning whatsoever.

I recovered quickly, and I did my best to learn the lessons from this challenging but extremely revealing experience.  Lessons like: being grateful for good health, keeping a powerfully positive attitude, and living life fully each day.  So, just five weeks later, with no tubes to hold me back, I made a huge turnaround by seizing my dream of walking-on to the USC football team.  I believe these lessons from hardship played a key role in providing the inspiration and courage to take such a leap.

Fast-forward two years, and I’m here to write that… again, out-of-the-blue, my left lung collapsed (fourteen days from today, as I write this).  I was admitted to the ER (36 hours after the actual collapse, after finally seeing the doctor for worsening chest/back pains) and hooked up with a chest tube.  Life came to a screeching halt, again.

However, this time I also underwent surgery (pleurodesis) to thereby change the odds of future re-occurence from 90% to a comfortably low 10%.  I spent a full week at Queen’s Medical Center under the fine care of capable doctors and kind nurses.  And now, after another full week of rest and recuperation at home, I can gratefully say - I am nearly back to full health!

Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead

But, the main reason why I decided to share this episode of my journey is not to seek sympathy or to discuss medical details.  Rather, what I really wanted to share are the lessons from yet another defining life experience.  So here they are.

Lesson #1: Relearning Lessons - Gratitude, Attitude, and Living Fully

After experiencing the same challenging experience for a second time, I’ve been reminded of the very same lessons learned the first time (see 3rd paragraph).  The recurrence of these lessons furthers my conviction of their validity and strengthens my ability to live them.  Further, the idea of relearning lessons in itself is a lesson: we always have room for growth, for reaching deeper and deeper levels of understanding and wisdom.

Lesson #2: Life = Miracle

Albert Einstein said, “You can move through life seeing nothing as a miracle, or seeing everything as a miracle”.  Forcefully being put face-to-face with the raw fragility of life has naturally shaped my perception of life as a miracle.  The sheer complexity of a functioning human body (trillions upon trillions of coordinated processes) aligned with with a perfect set of life-supporting conditions can only be described as: miraculous.  I am also dumbfounded by the abilities of modern healthcare and medicine - that have repaired my broken lung and prevented natural selection from kicking me out of human genealogy.

By choosing to view the world as a miracle, everything becomes illuminated in awesome wonderment and the simplest things (like taking a breath of air) become indescribably sacred.  If you really want to start seeing life as a miracle, I highly recommend watching this video by Kute Blackson called, “The Miracle is You”.

Lesson #3: Suffering and Purpose

I will admit it: suffering sucks.  It’s an easy conclusion to come to after experiencing the unavoidable suffering–physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual–that comes from being hospitalized for a dysfunctional body.  Yet, we all suffer in life.  These facts raise life’s all-important questions: “Why?  Why endure suffering?  And why is there so much of it - personally and throughout humanity?”

I believe life is only livable when we can answer these questions honestly with a sense of purpose.  Purpose gives life meaning and a reason to endure the suffering that comes with it.  If you have a sense of incredible purpose, then even incredible amounts of suffering can be overcome.

Personally, I can confidently say: I believe life is inherently valuable and my purpose in this world is to do my best to live Pure Aloha as the pathway to greater peace, happiness, and freedom for others and myself.  I believe I have been tremendously blessed: with life itself (now, a few times over), personal abilities, and incredible opportunities to realize my purpose.

With that said, let me end with a motivational “hoorah” for the future:

There are great things ahead for Uncle Clay’s.  And now, with an even deeper sense of purpose and even greater determination to seize the moment, there is nothing stopping us now.  We WILL realize our dreams of Pure Aloha.

Two months ago, I received incredible news.  Varun Soni, Dean of the Office of Religious Life of USC, told me:

“Bronson, I want you to give the student speech at USC’s Baccalaureate Ceremony.”

The news caught me utterly by surprise sending electric chills down my spine.  “I think you should talk about ‘Pure Aloha’ and social entrepreneurship,” Dean Soni continued.  I let it sink in, took a deep breath, then exclaimed, “Okay, let’s do it.”

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Ever since, I have been diligently preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  The process of distilling all my thoughts, ideas, and inspirations into a two page speech has already been enlightening.  How do I capture the essence of me, my message, my presence - to fit this incredible moment of reflection, celebration, and togetherness - with the 1200 hearts in the auditorium?

We will see in four days.  All I know is: I am deeply humbled, honored, and grateful for the opportunity, will be giving my best, and speaking from my heart.  I am ready to celebrate this final page of college with family and friends, new and old.  The program will be amazing, featuring musical performances and a keynote by Reverend Karen Tse, founder of International Bridges to Justice.

Life is unpredictably beautiful.  Let Pure Aloha live, across our globe, throughout our one world ohana.

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If you are interested in joining the celebrations, I highly encourage you to come.  The following link provides more information: USC Baccalaureate Ceremony.  If you cannot attend, all performances/speeches will be recorded, so I will be sure to share it.

How do you build a $3.2 billion dollar private company that consistently delivers delicious quality food, memorable customer experiences, and truly meaningful employment?  A company with a “Closed-On-Sunday Policy” that still makes way more money than its competitors?  I attended a presentation by Dan T. Cathy, President and COO, to find out how he’s pulled it off with his company: Chick-Fil-A.

What I learned was simple yet profound and powerful: stick to timeless principles. In this case, Chick-Fil-A which is a 40+ year old family-business now with over 1400 locations throughout the US, was founded on Christian principles that permeate every function and person in the company.  It’s the secret sauce that has enabled them to grow in sales for 42 consecutive years and retain lifetime loyal employees.

These principles shined so clearly through Dan.  He spoke very honestly about his approach to business and life.  You could just sense his passion for “working in customer service”, and his conviction in making “the second mile, second nature”.  Other Chick-Fil-A members, from corporate managers to store operators, were also in attendance.  Each person was infused with that same genuine joy that Dan possessed–which I know only comes from doing meaningful work.  And truthfully, they made me really happy just by the way they asked “Would you like some fresh lemonade?” as I picked up my complimentary lunch.

Naturally, seeing how success (in all ways) is driven by growing a principled company focused on service, was hugely inspiring for me as I move forward to fulfill Uncle Clay’s and its Pure Aloha mission.  Further, Chick-Fil-A shows how a company can significantly scale operations without sacrificing the customer experience or straying from its values.  I also got many important pointers on certain processes and structures that can help facilitate such sustainable growth.  I’ve been encouraged to keep thinking big - because it is do-able!

Chick-Fil-A also illustrates that the idea of “doing well by doing good” can be further leveraged as a company gets bigger; Chick-Fil-A can do more good as it experiences economies of scale in say employee training (i.e. being able to invest in an expensive simulator center that adds more value to employment) or in brand recognition (i.e. greater positive word of mouth sends more good vibes throughout the community, more customers means more philanthropy).  Again, the key is sticking to principles as decisions get more complex and the stakes become higher.

Lastly, it was inspiring to learn all these things from a fast-food company.  Yes, you can brighten people’s day even if they’re rushing through a drive-through!  Even a brief human-to-human connection can make a difference in our lives when service comes from a heart of compassion.

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However, what blew me away the most was what happened after the presentation.  Sitting closest to where Dan was standing, I was the first person he came over to.  With a smile, Dan asked me how my meal was, then proceeded to calmly pick up my lunch trash.  I stood there momentarily stunned as I processed what was slowly unfolding: the President of a multi-billion dollar company, dressed in his suit-and-tie, was humbly cleaning up my chicken sandwich crumbs.  In this tiny act of kindness, Dan left a large and memorable impression.  In that moment, Dan taught me what it truly means to “work in customer service”.

222 hours and 5,979 miles later, I am back in my apartment in Los Angeles with fresh insights to life, a deepened sense of peace, and an adventure to share.

For my last college spring break, I decided to go on a solo cross-country train journey.  Notable essentials on my packing list included: a minimal itinerary, five books, an iPod, a loaf of bread along with a jar of PB&J, little expectations, and a complete openness for adventure.

In the end, what I got was a truly memorable and meaningful experience.  An experience best told as a story made up of a diversity of settings, an eclectic line-up of characters, exciting and unexpected events, and both mundane thoughts and deep philosophical reflections.

*I refer to all people/characters only by an italicized first letter of their name to maintain anonymity.

**As told as a story, this post is VERY long.  If you’d like to read just my reflections on the overall trip, scroll to the end.

Hours 0-43 - Train #4 “Southwest Chief” (Los Angeles to Chicago)

I take a seat on the second-level of the Superliner Amtrak train.  Later, I would realize that this decision is THE most important one a long-distance train-goer makes; it determines who you share the next 40+ hours alongside, and who, in all likelihood, you will trade life stories with.

I sit next to A.  He’s from Hyderbad, India visiting America for the first time.  He’s on the train because flying is more expensive.  He talks with a subtle accent and an extremely confident tone I find odd but fitting with the black suit he’s wearing.  I have difficulty following his jumbled sentence structures, but try my best to use my semi-trained ears to keep up a meaningful conversation.  I learn that he works for Airtel “the best” cell service provider in India, and he has a girlfriend who he misses dearly after two weeks of separation.  We share recollections about beautiful places in Karnataka. A smiles proudly.

I ask the girl across the aisle where the lounge car is.  She tells me, and somehow our brief exchange turns into a full-on conversation.  Turns out, C is my age and doing exactly what I’m doing: roaming the country by train!  She’s on the tail-end of her trip and tells me I’ve made a great decision I won’t regret.

We end up going to the lounge car together.  As the day turns to night, we talk for several hours over cups of hot chai tea.  She gives me a crash course in train travel 101 and shares stories from her adventure, mostly about particularly interesting people she’s met along the journey.  C is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, a town always a “few years behind”.  She’s half Caucasian/half Mexican.  Currently, she’s taking a break from college and lives with her mom.  C works two part-time minimum wage jobs: one at a pizza parlor and the other at a café in an old mansion (listed on the U.S. Historic Reserve) that averages an incredible…five customers per day.

C is motivated, entrepreneurial, liberal, and curious.  During her trip, she tells me about all the ideas that have inspired her along the trip—from sandwich recipes to guerrilla marketing tactics—and how she plans on using them to improve the café.  I tell her how impressed I am by her enthusiasm and vision, and how I foresee her owning her own shops one day.  C nods in confident agreement.  The train stops.  We’re somewhere in the middle of Arizona.  The conductor speaks on the PA.  It turns out a prankster parked a car on the tracks.

I head back to my seat in the coach car to sleep.  A is already in dreamland.  As I recline my chair, a strong and terrible odor fills my nose.  I notice A is shoeless.  I eventually shrug it off, realize its part of the journey, and use the opportunity to develop greater patience and tolerance.

I wake up with the rising sun as it casts its warm rays across the expansive snow-covered New Mexico desert.  I begin reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  It’s my fourth time reading it.  As I lose myself in the pages, I can’t help but feel just like the main character in the book, Santiago, a Spanish shepherd boy on a quest to realize his “Personal Legend” by following his heart amidst great uncertainty.

I go to the lounge car to take in the views.  After a few minutes, a man sitting next to me asks me where I’m headed.  V and I start talking.  Our conversation lasts three hours.  I do 10% of the talking because he likes to talk, and I like to listen.  V is in his mid 50s and is the fifth-generation owner of a 350 acre organic farm in Colorado.  He’s known by people around town as “the walking encyclopedia”.  You can easily sense the deep love he has for his children with every word he shares about them. 

V talks about the increasing difficulties for American small-scale farmers as well as the huge opportunities for agriculture in today’s technological and globalized 21st century.  He shares with me his passion for Mexico and Mexican culture.  He’s actually going there next week to broker a salt deal.  As V shares with me several of his other innovative agriculture-related entrepreneurial ventures, I finally realize how he got his nickname.

Somehow the conversation shifts into conspiracy theories on WWI up to Vietnam.  His once calm and hopeful voice shifts into mistrust and pessimism as he talks about the corruption, greed, and manipulation in our world.  I use my questions to guide the conversation back to positive territory.  I ask him what motivates his tireless efforts in the face of all the problems in the world.  V says it’s “seeing the millions of starving people in the world who could use my help”.  I then ask him for some parting words of advice.  He tells me to “always look on the bright side” and keep pushing on in “the arm wrestle between good and evil”.  Most importantly, he adds, find the right woman who will amplify everything in your life.  V smiles as we share in a moment of hopefulness for brighter days ahead.  As we part, I realize the eeriness of the encounter: V was so much like the mysterious King in The Alchemist who urged Santiago to never give up on the pursuit of his Personal Legend.

***Wanting to post about my trip as soon as possible, I unfortunately have only written “Hours 0-43” in detail.  After getting started, I’ve realized I could write an entire novel on just this short train trip!  I may write out the other sections later on.  For now, here are the highlights from the rest of the trip:

Hours 44-91 - Chicago
-Connecting heart-to-heart with a gypsy in the streets of Downtown Chicago
-A powerful and moving morning meditation on gratitude in my hostel room
-Surprising a close college friend from the local area, later enjoying lunch high in the sky at “The Signature Room on the 95th”
-Getting mugged for the first time, near the University of Chicago (no need to worry…no harm was done, lost only $5 thanks to some quick thinking)

Hours 92-138 - Train #7 “Empire Builder” (Chicago to Seattle)
-Seat partner, J, a once down-and-out Vietnam veteran whose life miraculously turned around into living his dream as an international film anthropologist documenting obscure cultures and their medical practices
-Meeting L, a retired U.S. foreign trade facilitator, who lived in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and many other developing countries, who talked to me about some of the great inequities in our world that need solving
-Starting to read The Life of Vivekananda by Romain Rolland, learning about the spread of his universal gospel to bridge the East and the West

Hours 139-186 - Seattle
-Visiting Pike Place and connecting with T, a Tibetan shop owner who uses his shop to promote Tibetan culture and peaceful living, who proudly displays an autographed photo of the Dalai Lama
-Wandering the streets of lively Downtown and drinking lots of coffee
-Connecting with a good friend over great food and meaningful conversations on life
-Experiencing one of the happiest scenes I’ve been in: joyous families, enamored newly weds, peaceful pedestrians, enjoy the just bloomed cherry blossoms

Hours 187-222 - Train #11 “Coast Starlight” (Seattle to Los Angeles)
-Seat partner, D, a Berkeley Ph.D in mathematics, with prominent Jewish leftist parents, marched with MLK and told me the I Have a Dream speech was “actually quite boring” when he first heard it
-Shared a meal with (another) Berkeley Ph.D. in mathematics, an American “jumping ship from a sinking country” and in the process of getting Indian citizenship, a major contributor to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a man with a distressed mind but a loving heart

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Fresh Insights on Life

Freedom and Constraints

My trip in itself represented freedom at its finest.   Freedom to adventure, to choose, to live.  It felt so liberating to roam without any physical boundaries, without any mental boundaries (expectations from society, from others, from myself).

Collectively, the people I met on the journey, who came from all different walks of life, helped me become aware of the limitless possibilities of my life ahead.  I realized that there are truly no boundaries to living the life I want to live!  Nothing stops me from changing courses at any moment.  At the bottom of it all, the main culprit ever holding me back from any possibility is: myself.

This realization of true freedom has given me even greater passion to continue living the life I lead.  Since, from a landscape of limitless paths, I know I am wholeheartedly choosing to travel the one I’m on.  This conviction is what keeps my feet moving, especially in challenging and uncertain times.

Most importantly, my realization of freedom, reminds me of how lucky I am.  It is an unbelievable blessing to personally be in a position of such incredible freedom (economically, spiritually, culturally).  I am among the select few alongside the world’s majority who are bound to much more constrained lives.  This recognition and appreciation of my freedom fires my drive to help free others from limited living.

Finding Motionlessness in the Middle of the Commotion

I experienced a new level of peace on my train adventure.  Again, using the train as a symbol, I frequently found myself living in the the beautiful stillness of “just being” even as the world outside blurred by at sixty miles per hour.  My mind a blank slate of silent awareness.  I found myself in the “state of observation” as so eloquently put by Vimala Thakur.  In this state, I could just observe, without judgment, the workings of the world.

My trip reaffirmed to me the essential value of inner peace.  I noticed how my ability to achieve motionlessness positively impacted the interactions I had with others.  It allowed me to connect more easily with any person who crossed my path.  Simply observing, not judging, my heart and mind were open, to see each person fully as they were: a fellow brother or sister of our one world family each with a gift to share with humanity.

I also reaffirmed the value of inner peace when it was lost.  Namely, after being mugged, I noticed a closure of heart and mind to others and the world.  For some time, I had an uncharacteristic hesitancy with strangers.  I found myself stuck in a self-centered mindset.  Without peace, I also recognized how much more receptive I was to kindness and authenticity.  Even the smallest acts, like a waiter at the restaurant saying “Thank You” with a smile as I left, was profoundly touching.

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If you made it this far–congratulations.  Thanks for reading and sharing the ride.  I hope you can continue living out the great adventure of life freely, peacefully, and joyfully.  Until the next train!

This short insight of inspiration came to me this morning while getting ready for the day.  This is what I believe:

“Respecting the unique individuality of each person–while embracing our collective diversity.

Believing in the great capability of just you or just me–while recognizing the immeasurable potentiality of us.

Living compassionately–the essential glue that binds us all together”

“We need to get back our storyline,” exclaimed John Hope Bryant, the passionate and visionary leader of Operation HOPE, an organization that has empowered millions of lives through financial literacy.

From the outside, I sat still and quiet like the rest of the people in the audience.  But inside, my heart was pounding, and my mind was racing.  I felt ready to burst–from inspirational overload.

At that moment, I thought about the grand 200,000 year old story of human existence.  In my mind’s eye, I pictured a massive book: a record of the history of humanity.  In it were pages upon pages of a remarkable journey: on progress, decay, discovery, suffering, triumph, injustice, tolerance, hate, love.

Then within a blink of an eye, I instantly zoomed into the present moment.  There I was.  Just sitting in my chair, feeling absolutely alive.  For I felt in my heart and I knew in my mind that this moment, our moment, my moment in human history possessed an incomparable weight of opportunity like never before.  Most importantly, within me churned an optimism that humanity’s best chapters were yet to be written.

Listening to the words of the amazing leaders on stage–John Hope Bryant, Warren Bennis, Bill George, Dean Jim Ellis–it was hard not to believe in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow for our world.  Although they may have said things in different ways, the essence of their visions was the same: our future must be led by people guided by love instead of fear, collaboration instead of separation, empowerment instead of coercion–so that we may reclaim humanity’s storyline designed for freedom, happiness, and prosperity for all.

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Now, seven weeks later after attending the leadership discussion in December, I’ve finished reading my copy of John Hope Bryant’s new book “Love Leadership”.  Undoubtedly, it has become one of my top five favorite books and a guiding light for my continual journey of becoming a better leader for the sake of others.  While reading, I could not stop shaking my head in deep agreement as I absorbed each leadership principle John has learned over the years and through his mentors.  Below is a list of these principles and my personal experiences and/or reflections of them:

1) Loss creates leaders - rainbows after storms; I’ve learned more from failing than succeeding, from unsuccessful business ventures to going for my football dream, I’ve built resiliency knowing I can always get back up and realizing when one door closes many more will open

2) Fear fails - fear leads to “short-termism” and can never generate long term following; I like to compare fear-based and coercive versus love-based and empowering leaders, say Adolf Hitler versus Mahatma Gandhi.  Look at who has been able to have a lasting following today and will for generations upon generations to come

3) Love makes money - you can do well by doing good, there is nothing wrong with “enlightened self-interest”/”good selfishness”, business is about people not transactions; this is the main premise behind the wave of social entrepreneurship sweeping the business world today–and I’m surfing it all the way

4) Vulnerability is power - when you open up, others open up back; anything great I have ever accomplished happened whenever I recognized myself as a just one humble human being.  For in these times, other humans have connected with me and naturally wanted to join arms to move vulnerably forward together

5) Giving is getting - remember the golden question: “How can I help you?”; it’s the universal law of reciprocity, some call it karma, if you give out love, the universe will conspire to send it right back, and more.  So many relationships I have built on giving have come back to really help me in some other time or form.  Plus, serving others is a gift in itself.

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I cannot put any less emphasis on the amazing opportunities of today’s society to bring the kind of widespread change we humans have dreamed about ever since we could dream.  I think about the major advancements of our society–democracy, capitalism, globalization, civil rights, technology, higher consciousness–and cannot help but believe in our potential to write humanity’s best chapters.

When I met John Hope Bryant after the event, I shared with him my dreams for Uncle Clay’s and gave him a copy of the Pure Aloha Oath.  He told me, “Bronson, that’s love leadership, right there” then signed my book, “Thanks for having a vision for our world”.

It is a reminder for me to keep moving forward wholeheartedly believing in this vision of Pure Aloha I have for Hawaii and the world by staying fearlessly firm to my passions, making the most of my unique blessings, and always leading with love.

The right tools help you achieve entrepreneurial success: the E-Elixir, the Seal of Authenticity, and the Elephant Suit just to name a few.  Check out all ten of my handy tools I’ve equipped myself with to construct positive change in the world through business (click link below).

Bronson’s E-Toolbox

There are nearly seven billion people who walk the face of this earth.  Yet, each person is wholly unique.  Every single one of us has walked our own individual journey in life unlike any other.

So when it comes to being an entrepreneur who needs to “differentiate from the crowd”, being authentic is vitally important for success.  For when a person is authentic–people sense it, they see it, they feel it.
Being authentic requires taking ownership of the fact that we are each unique, and it requires living life with integrity.  To do this, one needs to align the “Three H’s”: Heart, Head, and Hands.  Your deepest values and convictions (heart) must align with what and how you think (head) must align with what you do (hands).

Reaching a level of true authenticity is difficult, however it’s a process that can happen over time as we better understand our true selves.  And once you get that seal of authenticity, your potential is truly unlocked: you can create unbeatable brands, attract the most loyal customers, and travel YOUR path worth traveling always with a smile.

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Originally posted on “Venture Management E-Toolbox Blog”.  Check it out for more entrepreneurial advice and tools from USC senior entrepreneurs!

Advancing Sustainable Global Enterprise: Changemakers, Innovators, and Problem Solvers

2009 Net Impact Conference

November 13/14

Cornell University | Ithaca, New York

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For the past three to four semesters, I’ve been a member of Net Impact: “an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world”. Started in 1993, Net Impact now has 230 volunteer-led chapters spanning the globe including two at USC (undergrad and MBA).

As a social entrepreneur, being in Net Impact has definitely furthered my passion and sharpened my abilities to enact positive change in the world through business. Net Impact provides a unifying platform that brings like-minded people together; each year, its conference makes this point loud and clear. This year, I had the great fortune of attending this amazing gathering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

The trip to the conference was a short wild whirlwind of exciting experiences.  In the end, I traveled 15+ hours to spend less than 48 hours in New York. Four Net Impact USC undergrad members and I caught the redeye on Thursday to make the cross-continental flight. We would return on Sunday morning closed-eye from the memorable and exhausting journey.

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Once at the conference, I attended informative and inspiring keynote addresses, panel discussions, and workshops one after the other. It was hard to pick out my personal itinerary from the over 100 great events spanning the topics of international development, clean energy, design, social innovation, CSR, and self-development. However, by the end of the conference, I truly felt I got the perfect blend that really fit my individual interests:

• Workshop: Design Process Thinking for Product Innovation
• Keynote: Leading Clean Energy at the Base of the Pyramid
• CSR 2020: The Past and Future of CSR
• Socially Responsible Business Plan Competitions
• Social Entrepreneurship: Hybrid Business Models for Maximizing Impact
• Keynote: Selling Up or Selling Out - Maintaining a Social Mission While Growing to Scale

In every session, my brain engaged in some new thought or perspective through the provoking words from some of the world’s most prominent change-making business leaders: a proven approach to understanding customers at the deepest level, why systems-thinking is needed to find new solutions and to truly make a net impact, how business is changing in landscape and in the minds of man. I plan on blogging on my experience, key take-aways, and deeper reflection on each discussion in the coming week.

Beyond these amazing sessions, the Net Impact conference is designed to connect people. I met some really cool individuals over meals, in auditoriums waiting for events to begin, and at cocktail receptions. It was invigorating to meet so many smart, capable, and driven people. Because Net Impact is around 90%+ MBAs/Professionals, I met many older people who had lots of experiences to share. Further, being in the East Coast, I met mostly Ivy League MBAs from some of the top business schools in the world like Wharton, Sloan, Johnson, and HBS. As fellow Net Impacters, it was so easy to connect with one another being aware of our shared intent of making positive changes in the world.

To me, there are two primary components of my motivation: 1) a desired outcome and 2) a belief in the attainment of that desired outcome.

My deepest motivation in life is changing the world for the better. My desired outcome is a world filled with greater happiness, peace, and prosperity for all. And I believe that one of the most powerful tools for fulfilling this desire is business and entrepreneurship.

At this Net Impact conference, this latter component was most impacted to further my overall motivation for “changing the world through business”. My belief has deepened by learning from individuals who prove day-in-day-out what can be accomplished when caring people align their values with appropriate business models. My belief has deepened by feeling the powerful energy of thousands of people from around the world–the future’s next wave of business leaders–congregating together with the common hope of a better tomorrow. My belief has deepened by recognizing that I, as a continually growing social entrepreneur, can help build a happier, more peaceful, more prosperous world