Boiling Point - Episode 018 - Kristy O'Leary

Introducing Kristy O’Leary

Kristy O’Leary calls herself a vision broker and has a goal to make entrepreneurs and change makers succeed in making a positive impact on this Earth and make a profit while doing so.  Growing up her family’s business was a great example of how business should be done in a positive fashion.  She also saw the other side of the coin when large and uncaring big box stores outdid the family business.  Kristy has always had an eye for making a change or an impact.  She studied foreign policy with the goal of working in international development, but then studied art in order to express herself.

She realized the best approach was a hybrid of her two educations where she could make real change and tell great stories.  So Kristy eventually opened Scout and Burrow which is a marketing agency for mission/cause based organizations and social entrepreneurs.  Her goal is to help her clients change the world AND make a profit while doing so.

Kristy is a big proponent of B Corps.  A B Corp is a third party certification that is given to companies that certifies that they are fair and ethical across their entire supply chain.  You might buy fair trade coffee, and that means that a farmer was treated fairly.  What about the farm workers, the shippers, or the barista the ends up making your latte?  A B Corp certification proves that a company is ethical in its governance, to its workers, to the environment, and to the larger community.  Instead of a corporation only being loyal to its shareholders, B Corps have to be loyal to all stakeholders.  Currently there are over 1,100 B Corporations worldwide in 35 countries and across 60 industries.  

Check out the following video to get a better idea of what B Corps are all about.

In this episode

Kristy explains her passion for B Corps and what they are all about.  Greg gets inspired to get Hemmings House on the B Corp route and is reminded of an article he wrote on the differences between Kevin O’Leary and Sir Richard Branson.  Kristy threatens a cage match between herself and “Mr. Wonderful”.  Dave is reminded of a time when he was left with an impression that corporations were mean and ugly but is pleased to find out that there are so many do-gooders.  Both Greg and Dave have a takeaway that you can become wealthy by doing the right thing or through a destructive path.  It is up to you to decide the better path.

Links

Kristy's Twitter

Scout and Burrow Twitter

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