Do The Kind Thing is a valuable lesson that the author has learned in the process of becoming an example of morality and success. Through the ten teachings of the book, readers can build business plans that benefit individuals and society.
This is going to be a perfect choice for
- Entrepreneurs who want to use their brand to make a positive impact;
- Those who doubt the company's ability to succeed both financially and socially;
- Entrepreneurs want to create trust for their products in the hearts of people.
The author of this book is
Daniel Lubetzky, a social entrepreneur and founder of PeaceWorks and KIND Healthy Snacks. His contributions to the business industry have been recognized by the World Economic Forum and by TIME magazine, BusinessWeek. In Doing Good, he writes about his disruptive management style and tells the story of his journey to becoming a leader in the social entrepreneurship movement.
Chapter 1. The book's greatest value: How to be able to sell good products and do good things at the same time.
People often judge the success of a business based on its profits and growth. But Daniel Lubetzky, founder of the popular healthy snack brand KIND, encourages businesses to not only focus on sales, but also do other good things.
The summary dives into 10 tenets of good deeds, which will help you run your business both economically and positively with a social impact. Besides, the method of working "simultaneously", being dedicated to your brand and consistent with the production method based on nature are three factors that not only help you do business smoothly, but also make the world a better place.
In this summary you will see
- The link between the dried tomato production line and the peaceful working environment
- Why does transparent film gain the trust of consumers?
- The way you get a few packets of cookies by giving way to the elderly on the subway.
Chapter 2. Being kind to yourself and those around you is the first lesson in the "kind" philosophy.
The author built his company KIND based on the idea of a business that is not only strong economically but also has a positive impact on society. Of course, his motto has always been: "Do useful things". Let's find out with the author what is the standard for "kindness".
On the one hand, kindness refers to self-care actions such as eating healthy or using safe cosmetics. The author's KIND company started off by demonstrating their working motto through the KIND healthy snack product, a product made from natural nuts and fruits instead of synthetic flavors.
On the other hand, kindness also refers to actions that are helpful to people around. It was this rule that prompted Arab and Jewish innovators to venture together to create the KIND product line. KIND has proven that a company can build production lines that help people weather social change by building bridges between people on opposite sides of a political conflict.
The philosophy behind kindness is to think in terms of “simultaneously” instead of “or”. That will not only benefit an individual, but also the community as a whole.
People often think that a business can only choose to succeed in economic or in social influences because these are two completely different aspects. However, they need to change their perspective. The economic viability of a company must ALWAYS go hand in hand with positive social impacts.
The philosophy behind kindness may appeal to entrepreneurs who want to test their beliefs about their abilities and strive to build businesses that benefit individuals and society as a whole.
Chapter 3. The 2nd and 3rd teachings of kindness encourage people to pursue their goals with the strongest passion and determination.
Many entrepreneurs start their plans with ambitions of power and financial income. However, such goals will not be able to help them overcome the challenge. Because the journey to your dream is always full of uncertainties, so you need a goal that can bring abundant energy and the right direction to you.
Let's analyze the author's story. Born into a Jewish family living in exile in a concentration camp during World War II, he aspired to be able to create a world of peace. This desire became the driving force behind him to use his first business to build harmonious, cooperative relations among Palestinian, Jewish, Egyptian and Turkish employees through his wealth chain. export dried tomatoes.
The author's desire is always accompanied by a business purpose, which gives endeavors the staying power it needs to overcome challenges. Besides, doing useful things often takes more work than simple methods, so determination is a very important factor.
The author faced a lot of difficulties when starting a business selling healthy snacks. Compared to competitors' cheap synthetic flavoring products, these high-quality snacks are much more expensive. Besides, selling these healthy products was also a big challenge because to the market at that time because these products were completely unfamiliar. However, with the determination to develop his own career, the author even went door-to-door to sell goods.
If you want to have a business that works "with heart" like Daniel, you have to stick to your values no matter how big obstacles you face. This way, customers will realize that they can trust your brand. In the next chapter, let's find out why this is so important.
Chapter 4. Brand loyalty is the key to winning your customers' trust.
The long-term success of every business must be built on brands that customers trust. To achieve that, you must be consistent with your work motto. Start by asking yourself questions about what makes customers believe in your company's products. The author failed to do this when he released the spicy sweet Asian Teriyaki paprika. While KIND's product line is mainly based on Mediterranean flavors, Asians have very distinct tastes.
The trust and expectations of customers in the brand were broken, and sales fell seriously. To avoid mistakes like this, when developing a brand you must always keep its principles in mind. That way, the new product line retains the brand features that customers already remember and trust.
Brand loyalty includes focusing on the stores with the highest sales. Remember: selling a new product is not about getting it into as many stores as possible, it is in fact a useless waste of money!
The author's company has begun focusing on bringing its snack line to healthy food stores. They were correct in assuming that these are the stores that best fit their product line. In whole-food stores across the United States, hundreds of KIND snacks are sold every day. In contrast, in convenience stores only a few packages are sold.
By focusing your investments on stores that can actually sell your product, you'll ensure that customers interested in your product get the most out of it. At the same time, you not only gain the trust of your customers, but also build a sustainable source of increased income for your investment.
Chapter 5. Catechism No. 5 and 6: Always keep the simplicity, the natural foundation for the product, and be consistent with the brand in the development process.
Today's market is always flooded with inexpensive products to meet the constantly changing trends and needs of consumers. But if your company's product is always honest and realistic, you can be assured of its revenue.
This idea is the number 5 rule of kindness, and is also the key to the author's snack line's sustained success. If he created a low-calorie version of it to keep up with the low-calorie diet trend, the company might also have a temporary success. But it won't be sustainable, as trendsetters will often come and go very quickly.
In the 70s, consumers preferred processed foods, but about two decades later, they switched to natural products. By keeping the product simple, business people will not be affected by the erratic consumption trends of customers.
The next “key” to sustained success lies in being consistent with your brand. This will protect you from any competitors entering the market. If customers are confused with the constant change of their own brand, they will no longer trust your company.
As KIND's line of healthy snacks gained some success, several other companies launched competing products. Among them are snacks with less sugar than KIND products. Instead of using synthetic flavors, KIND launches a product line that removes fruit to reduce sugar. That way, they still maintain the principles of nature-based production that make up their brand, and at the same time make a strong impression on consumers.
“The more companies grow and succeed, the more executives face fierce competition from new entrants.”
Chapter 6. Marketing clearly and honestly is the 7th rule of the “kindness” doctrine.
Our world is now filled with advertisements of all kinds of products. Why is it that despite being marketed as something that will make life happier, most product lines disappoint consumers? Because they weren't able to do exactly how they advertised the product.
Exaggerating promises will completely destroy customer trust. With honest and clear advertising, your brand will become more trustworthy than the market. Name the product, design and market it according to the value that customers can receive when buying.
For example, KIND has a product called “Dark Chocolate Peach Seeds” instead of names like “Premium Black Forest Cake”. With this no-frills naming scheme, customers will know exactly what they'll enjoy when they buy the product. At the same time, KIND also uses transparent wrapping paper so that customers can accurately evaluate the item. In addition, the advertising images of KIND simply reflect the true quality of the product, not too fancy or fancy.
If the form of advertising is genuine, customers will voluntarily choose your product even if it is not perfect. Best of all, authenticity doesn't mean perfection, it's just about staying true to your personality and beliefs.
Do you remember the Greek yogurt line? Many companies have tried to catch up with this trend by launching snack products topped with Greek yogurt. But this coating is modified too much compared to the original formula. Most people can tell the difference. Therefore, consumers gradually lose faith in artificial products and use only those of natural origin.
“The mission is not to sell the product, the product itself will sell it”
Chapter 7. The 8th and 9th Teachings of Kindness: Show respect for people and trust your subordinates' leadership.
No one can deny that everyone enjoys being complimented. In fact, you tend to spend a lot of time with a person because of their compliments. So why should you apply this in branding?
In an advertising campaign, KIND gives out #kindawesome cards to people who do good deeds. For example, those who are kind enough to give up their seats to the elderly and pregnant women on the subway will receive a #kindawesome card with a unique code to access the KIND website. With this code, they will receive a package of snacks delivered to their home. By incorporating respect into your business plan, consumers will feel better about your brand and trust your products more.
The second lesson in running a "mindful" business is to trust and delegate responsibility to subordinates. Insightful and dedicated members are an invaluable resource to your company. If given the opportunity to shine, they will surely surprise you with their useful contributions to the common work.
The author and colleagues gave a presentation about the new product in front of the most prestigious retailers at the trade show “National Product” 2013. The author thinks that he is a good speaker on this topic. new product in the best way should have prepared it by myself.
However, as the presentation progressed, he realized that his team had equal or even better presentation skills than him. By giving his subordinates a chance to shine, the author created a memorable presentation and made every retailer buy his new product.
Chapter 8. The tenth doctrine encourages people to focus on their ability to manage and trust to give authority to their subordinates.
Running a business that has a positive impact on society is a real challenge. To be successful, you must maintain the progress of your HR team even in the face of difficulties. To do that, let's dig deeper into rule 10 of the doctrine.
So what is “manageability?” First of all, don't be too frugal. If the top priority in your business is savings, then employee budget concerns can very well spoil other important aspects.
In the early years of operation, the author often spends a lot of time thinking through all the past due debts of distributors and retailers. However, he later realized that instead of spending his time focusing on solving a retailer's $80 debt, he could have negotiated a better deal. Since then, the ability to manage became extremely useful and he noticed the most.
When Starbucks no longer agreed to distribute KIND's product line, the company focused on a different approach. Instead of hanging around worrying about the budget, they put their energy into finding ways to infiltrate other shops and cafes. As a result, their products have appeared in many famous coffee shop chains such as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or Peet's Coffee & Tea.
Finally, if you empower your people, you foster a sense of responsibility and commitment to their work. KIND gives all employees the right to buy shares, treats everyone fairly and encourages them to express their opinions. That makes them feel valued and accountable to the company.
If the company operates stably, it is the efforts of all employees. And if faced with difficulties, people will realize the individual role in helping the company get back on track. This way, you can share your corporate responsibilities with others. That will bring unexpected benefits to both individuals and groups, which is what creates a working environment of KIND!
“When you start a business with limited capital, every expenditure you make feels like money out of your pocket. So the ability to manage is very important.”
Conclude
The concept of kindness refers to actions that are beneficial to oneself and society as a whole. By using your passion to create a real and trusted brand, you can be assured of your company's sustained economic success and social impact .
