I am completely intrigued with the hybrid company. It is a corporation that has a mission towards social good. Some would call it a B-corp. It's a for-profit making company that has the passion of changing the world with each and every deep breath.
I live in this world now and it's a race for profits and a race for dividends for humanity. I love it! I'll stay here for awhile. It's mission driven entrepreneurship.
The world seems split into categories: the corporation (large, small or SMB, and Start-up), non-profit, government and education institution (i.e, a university). It's more than just an IRS tax status, it's part of our personal identities (Mary the non-profit girl, Sarah works for a Fortune 500, Gabe has a awesome new start-up).
We all make decisions: whom to meet with, socialize with, identify when we are introduced or handed a business card of Sarah.com, Lenny.edu, Maria.org, and Roland.gov. Of course, there is the Ethan.biz and the Danielle.net often for groups that couldn't buy their URL names on Go Daddy in a timely fashion or thought the trend would stick.
So after 20 years, I decided I wanted to go from Julie.org to Julie.com mainly because I am passionate about walking-the-walk of the entrepreneur. The only challenge, personally, is that I wanted to be incentivized with equity or financially in a company, but just couldn't find it in my heart to take a position where there was no mission or cause. My grandfather helped build the company that develop the Sharpie Pen and Expo Dry Erase products and left a fabulous legacy for our family. I wanted to join the legacy in entrepreneurial spirit and leave something for my grandkids too.
So after 20 years, all my interviews had to be with the Hybrid Company that does good for the world and well financially.
Working with amazing people these past few years from .gov, .edu, .orgs and .coms, I am inspired. It's a part of our nature to find purpose and meaning in our work. Daniel Pink speaks to this a lot in his book Drive. The goodwill in all sectors runs deep.
Technology companies are efficiently changing the world as .coms and Fortune 500's are behind almost every big movement or charity I know in leadership positions.
Government entities are spurring more entrepreneurship, giving us all significant research data to inform decisions, provide defense, not to mention the innovation of the internet, and I have seen huge focus everywhere on diversity and inclusion. More women and more minorities supported and trained for great positions in the workplace.
Mid-size corporations are taking seats on the board of the non-profits and often putting their money where their mouth is with a huge emphasis on employee engagement and volunteerism to move mountains.
Non-profits are more and more aspiring to run like businesses with a double or triple bottom line.The non-profit leaders, truth be told, are often the true conductors of the symphony-of-change and have skills and capabilities endlessly packed into one human being and their dynamic and dedicated teams. These positions often pay quite well and offer a high percent of jobs.
The lines can and should blur as we tackle some of the biggest challenges of our nation. The challenges of our workforce, poverty, education, security...
So when we together become a four-star Hybrid. When we leverage these "labels" by design. When .gov meets .com meets .edu meets .org -- when the private-public collaboration occurs -- no problem is insurmountable, no movement unattainable, and no intriguing opportunity unexplored.