We’ve teamed up again with the brilliant Today at Apple team to create the Made for Business event series, helping freelancers and aspiring founders thrive.
In this second toolkit, you’ll find the top takeaways and resources from the inspiring founders who joined us for the ‘How to Build a Sustainable Business’ event.
The toolkit is perfect for anyone at any stage of their business growth; from side hustle to scaling, freelancing, or even if you’re just starting out and not sure where to start!
For more tips, advice and a community of other founders, side hustles and entrepreneurs, we’d love you to join the Made for Business community channel on The Dots. Let’s keep the conversation going!
Other toolkits in this series:
– How to Fund Your Business
Josephine Philips – Founder and CEO of SOJO
Josephine's Top Tips
1. Focus on solving real problems
Where to start with your sustainable business? Try to address (and solve!) a genuine problem. Josephine shared how her journey began by trying to modernise the tailoring industry after experiencing its inefficiencies firsthand. By focusing on a real issue, your business can make a meaningful impact and resonate with a broader audience, making it easier to grow.
2. Build a community before you launch
It's often a good shout to establish a community around your brand before launching. Engaging with potential customers early on, through socials or other platforms, helps create a dedicated base that’s already invested in your vision and mission. This way, when you finally launch, you’ll have a ready and eager audience, leading to a smoother start and better feedback!
3. Transition from B2C to B2B for scalability
While business-to-consumer (B2C) – also known as direct-to-consumer (D2C) – models can offer valuable insights and learning experiences, transitioning to a business-to-business (B2B) model is a great way to scale. By partnering with established brands, you can tap into their customer base, minimise acquisition costs, and generate recurring revenue, allowing your business to grow sustainably and efficiently.
Josephine's Top Resources:
Podcasts:
– Masters of Scale
– The Startup Leap
Apps:
– The Stack World
– Forest
– Storia
Books:
– The Founders Survival Guide by Rachel E Turner
– Atomic Habits by James Clear
– Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat
Lydia Bolton – Sustainability advocate and slow fashion designer
Lydia's Top Tips
1. Align your values with your business
Building a sustainable business starts by aligning your personal values with your work. This helps drive purpose and ensures your business reflects your commitment to sustainability. Lydia suggested prioritising environmental responsibility in all business processes, from sourcing materials to making products, which will help foster authenticity and build a loyal customer base.
2. Diversify revenue streams early on
Whilst product sales are great, try to not rely solely on them. This helps your business create financial resilience, as sustainable businesses often require more labour and carry higher costs. Instead, look for additional ways to generate income, such as offering workshops or collaborating with brands. This diversification will help balance the financial demands while allowing you to stay flexible and agile as you grow.
3. Build strong relationships and proof of concept
Successful growth in a sustainable business can often depend on building long-term relationships with partners and clients. By consistently demonstrating your value through proof of concept (i.e. showcasing your work even before opportunities arise) you make it easier for potential collaborators to envision working with you. Being proactive and innovative is key to securing impactful partnerships.
Lydia's Top Resources:
Podcasts:
– Working Hard, Hardly Working with Grace Beverly
– Confident and Killing It with Tiwalola
– Starting The Conversation with Alice Benham
Apps:
– Notion
– CapCut
– Pinterest
Books:
– Superfans by Pat Flynn
– Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestly
– Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Will Pearson – Co-Founder of Ocean Bottle
Will's Top Tips
1. Stay focused on your mission
Maintaining a clear focus on your core mission is essential for any sustainable business. The journey can be overwhelming, and as a founder, Will acknowledges that it’s easy to get distracted by numerous opportunities and ambitions. By prioritising your primary goals and the impact you want to make, you can streamline your efforts and resources, ensuring that every action taken contributes meaningfully to your mission of sustainability and environmental impact.
2. Be customer-obsessed
Delivering an exceptional product and experience should be at the heart of your business strategy. Why? When you prioritise the needs and feedback of your customers, you not only create loyal advocates for your brand but also enhance your offerings based on real-world insights. This customer-centric approach can not only boost sales but also align with your values – especially as consumers increasingly seek brands that resonate with their ethical choices and lifestyles!
3. Embrace relentless determination
Building a sustainable business requires resilience and tenacity. When you identify what works, Will suggests committing to it wholeheartedly! The business landscape is vast, and while not every customer needs to be captured, focusing on growth strategies that result in positive results is crucial. By being relentless in pursuing effective strategies, you can amplify your impact and reach more people. Nice!
Will's Top Resources:
Apps:
– Superhuman Mail
Books:
– Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
– Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
– High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People by Elad Gil
– Greiner's Growth Model by Larry E. Greiner
Stay tuned for updates on more sessions by joining the Made for Business community on The Dots!
And if you’re looking for some help choosing the perfect tech to suit your business needs, the lovely Apple Business team is on hand (plus they can share handy financing options to fit your budget!). If you’re keen to have a chat with them, simply head this way.
Love podcasts? Explore the growing list of recommended podcasts from all the speakers in this series.
Companies
Apple
- Technology