We will get to answering the question how your business should think about its legacy in a few minutes. But first, I wanna talk to you about something slightly off topic, but it will also tie in. Hang on and you’ll see.
What I want to talk about first is, unicorns and zebras. Yep, I just said that. Again, unicorns and zebras.
First of all, I want you to know, I don’t have a problem with “unicorns.” Being a billion dollar startup is great… But, I do believe they should be harnessed and turned into “zebras.”
And Imagine! What if we harnessed a whole Dazzle of “Unicorn Zebras” together!
While these terms are being used metaphorically, of course, they have real significance with explaining my mission to help businesses secure a great legacy. And, by the way, I didn’t make those terms up. They are used in a real business context by the experts.
But, what do unicorns have to do with business?
“There are very few mythical creatures considered to be “good” in all different stories, cultures/traditions. But the unicorn is one of them. The unicorn itself represents many things in different stories. Most commonly, the unicorn is a symbol of purity and virtue.
A group of unicorns together is called a “blessing” of unicorns.” From a Thing or Two About Unicorns
Well, we all know that unicorns are mythical creatures, right? Not quite, in the business world, a unicorn is a metaphor for “a company, usually a start-up that does not have an established performance record, with a stock market valuation or estimated valuation of more than $1 billion.” per Investopedia
To a venture capital investor, a unicorn is a rare and prized big game trophy to be bagged quickly. A few examples of some of the original unicorns, we had Microsoft, Apple, Google, E-bay, Amazon, and Facebook, they were all billion dollar startups.
But, here’s the problem with venture capitalists and unicorns. Not to get all preachy, but sometimes money isn’t all that matters. To a lot of people, there are a lot of more important, or at least equally important things to consider…
I’m talking about things like family, culture, society and legacy. And maybe even such fundamental things as love, life and happiness are more important than money to some people. I don’t want to get too far off into the weeds here, but some people might care more about freedom, faith, natural rights and just causes. Yet others could be most concerned about clean water, clean air and healthy food.
Sure, I bet you could go on and on about things that are more important than money to you too. So why not bring important causes into our business missions? Let’s think about other things besides return on financial gains and think about how our companies can effect better futures and build a legacy. Why not bring together the black and white of seemingly different motives for a business like being profitable, and at the same time, be socially conscientious about things that matter to most people?
Another word for this is called “brand activism. “This year’s Super Bowl provided marketers with a great deal to talk about and consider for their own marketing plans in 2017. It’s clear that Brand Activism and live marketing were the most talked about and impactful strategies seen during the event. We can expect to see more brands take on these approaches in the next few years…”Smart Social Media Strategy
Maybe bringing companies and causes together is the new wave of the future. The phrase coined to describe companies with both a profit motive and a conscience is “a zebra company”.
Becoming a purpose driven company with an eye on their legacy will have a lot more rewards than you can imagine. From a marketing standpoint, hitching to a movement has many extra benefits. I think you know what I mean…
In an article written by Mara Zepeda in Quartz, she said “The current technology and venture capital structure is broken. It rewards quantity over quality, consumption over creation, quick exits over sustainable growth, and shareholder profit over shared prosperity.
Why zebras?
- To state the obvious: unlike unicorns, zebras are real.
- Zebra companies are both black and white: they are profitable and improve society. They won’t sacrifice one for the other.
- Zebras are also mutualistic: by banding together in groups, they protect and preserve one another. Their individual input results in a stronger collective output.
- Zebra companies are built with peerless stamina and capital efficiency, as long as conditions allow them to survive.
The capital system is failing society in part because it is failing zebra companies: profitable businesses that solve real, meaningful problems and in the process, repair existing social systems.
Drawing from the work of many thinkers, we’ve developed a portrait of what a zebra company is, does, and stands for. This chart outlines how a zebra company compares with its mythical cousin, the unicorn.”
Did you know that zebras running in the wild are called a dazzle?
So think about this, if you have a group of ethical, profitable zebra businesses all coming together to help each other grow, protect each other and care about causes bigger and more important than themselves, they would be called a dazzle of companies.
That’s why we have started Legacy Business Network. Does it make sense now why I wanted to talk to you about unicorns and zebras? Crazy, right?
“Let’s Dazzle Together”
So, now that I have your attention, let me ask you this, do you know any business owners, managers, marketers or people that promote businesses that might fit in and benefit from being a part of this “dazzle”? Well, we want to do some good. And we can do more good together than alone. Would you agree?
If you do, just share this content with them. Ask them what they think.
As you can see by what I’ve said, this will be a community of business leaders with a culture of strong ethics and activity that puts others first. Our mission will be to serve our larger community, other members and society in general while building up each other’s businesses to perpetuate a lasting legacy.
So, if this win-win-win vision resonates with you, you’re invited to join Legacy Business Network. Or at least share it with someone that will.
Just click the learn more button to get signed up for updates to our coming launch.
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