At Bon Lemon, we believe in altruistic capitalism. If you google "altruistic capitalism" there are all sorts of opinions and political ideologies defining what this concept means to them, but we would like to define what it means for us, because it is at the core of our mission as a business.
First, a little history might be helpful. For those of you who already know the story, skip this part. I started Bon Lemon after I was laid off from my job. Well, two jobs actually. (Yes. That really sucked at the time.) I was in the real estate law industry and the real estate industry tanked. I found myself overqualified and unemployable. I applied for tons of jobs and was casually rejected by each. I couldn't even get a job at a local bakery. Yikes! When I could not stand unemployment any longer, fast food seemed like the only place left to look, and there was nothing left to lose, I started Bon Lemon with nothing more than a passion for being an entrepreneur and a credit card.
People say I was brave for starting Bon Lemon, but in all honesty, I would not have started Bon Lemon had someone hired me for a cushy, uninspiring job. I would have taken the job so I could have health insurance and not feel like the pile of crap "unemployed friend/daughter/sister/girlfriend/insert-my-relationship-to-you-here." I would have taken the job, watched the minute hand on the clock everyday, and I wouldn't have created anything.
But out of necessity (one can only live with their parents for so long after age 30) I started Bon Lemon, which was my true dream. As I have said before, necessity is an ardent motivator. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to fail and spend some time dealing with that failure, so I could create something great. If you don't ever need for anything, it is easy to become entitled and apathetic. Instead, I got the opportunity to create a business committed to changing the world through altruistic capitalism.
So, what does that mean? It means, we want to make money, so we can do amazing stuff with it. We want to employ people so they are happier, healthier and nicer to their families and neighbors. We want to spend money at cool stores with owners who work their butts off to keep the flavor and feel of our towns alive. We want to give money to charities that are working hard to help make our world safer and more fun. We want to make money so we can make the world a better place. That's altruistic capitalism to us.
We don't have it all figured out. We are still figuring out how to get people to buy our sparkle. We are doing some great stuff, but we want to do more. There are moments when I wish I had a cushy job with insurance and the ability to buy a new car. (Heck, even just not feeling guilty about buying new shoes would be nice...) But living a life you love is worth the sacrifice. And I know that Bon Lemon is changing the world; my world, our employee's world, our customer's world, our community's world. Yep, pretty much the whole world. I know I wouldn't be saying that had a gotten some of the jobs I applied for.
So, I just want to tell you all how lucky I feel. Even on the days I think the load is too much to carry, I look at the alternative and am so thankful for the opportunity to be where I am at. Thank you for supporting Bon Lemon and our mission of altruistic capitalism. I look forward to donating money to your charity, employing you (if you would like), and spending money in your small, medium, or large business that has a commitment to impacting the world.
This is not a political piece. It is my personal story. And I think it matters. What's your story? How are you inspiring the world?
