So how much is this management system going to cost you?

If you did what I do you will spend a few thousand dollars per year to cover expenses related to software, automation, websites, domain hosting, computer apps, video services, webinar services, podcast expenses etc. All the things I use to empower my management support and give you, and all the team members, the best service and support possible.

But what I determined from the beginning was to serve this team for free. Understand, this Social Business 3.0 works, and works well, to accomplish its mission because a generous compensation plan is in place. That is how you will make your money and that is how I will make my money. This provides me the vested interest to continue to provide this kind of service to those who join our team—and to do so for free.

By the way, you are never limited working with HopeQuestGlobal. Our strategy as a management support service NEVER takes the place of ANY initiative you hope to take. Our proprietary automated systems are only tools in the hands of the real energy behind the Hope Movement. And that will always be you and people like you. People who care.

A little disclaimer might be apropos at this point. I have no guarantees you will be able to enlist others into the Hope Movement or make money using our system, however, I will faithfully implement our management support system on your behalf when you join.

Using your smartphone to text (or your computer to email) send a message to 20 people. Or ask them face to face. Add more people later, of course. We will provide you a script for making your initial contact and you will simply ask their permission to add them to your Update List.

As soon as they respond and give you permission then you will complete an online form. By doing so you unleash a systematic support system that delivers to your contact what they need to know about the Hope Movement by viewing this webinar and taking the next steps. I’m prevented from telling all our secrets on this public space but getting it all well under way is pretty simple.

Gail and I were ready to jump into the Hope Movement with both feet September 2016. An online webinar was in place, support resources stood ready for implementation, a couple of podcast interviews had been published. But within a matter of a few short weeks, Gail turns ill and my beautiful wife passed to her eternal reward a few months later. Needless to say, our involvement in the Hope Movement went on hold and stayed on hold until around June 2018. After getting all the cobwebs removed and spending some time healing from my loss I revisited the Hope Movement. It felt like I started from scratch, though I was grateful foundational items had been laid months previous. I’m now back in the saddle.

But now my life had and has changed significantly, and I was fully mobile, and I asked myself the question, “Do you now want to go back to the traditional way of building business?” It did not take me long to decide. If I would have said yes, I felt that would have been a decision to leave a lot of people behind. And though there are those who can immediately join our life-saving movement without a second thought, the series of events in which I found myself had forced me to design a business management system that accommodates the most vulnerable people in a modern society, I was one of those vulnerable people who was subject to circumstances out of my control spending years as a caregiver to the greatest person I knew. Those circumstances constrained me to implement high-tech modalities and go to work for people who were in similar predicaments and allow them to participate when their circumstances were perhaps dictating something different.

I had been a temporary member of a group of people for many years who were at least in part like the malnourished children of the world, easily forgotten; easily swallowed up by circumstances—and I decided they deserve my best. So, I said, “No.” to the question I asked myself. And I remain at the service of those who join this team. And have mobilized the HQG system on their behalf.

Continued from Blog #62

The answer to my conflict was contained inside a very common business idea: what is understood as management support. This is where HQG serves to help manage your social business by providing practical high-tech and low-tech support. High tech might be automated software; low tech might mean a friendly phone call or postal letter. We have created a word of mouth marketing environment designed specifically for non-professionals, through a suite of free resources we make available to our team. You own a social business and as far as you will allow we help manage it. We do so using resources dedicated to those who are helping us save lives through the Hope Movement.

Where did we get this management model? Didn’t have to look far. It’s already a part of the economic landscape. Like I told you; it’s common. For instance; owners of apartment complexes mobilize a property management company. Don’t they? These owners are not mowing the lawn, painting walls, and collecting lease payments. Owners of fast food franchises engage a management customer service team. Such owners are NOT likely to be up at 4:30am making breakfast biscuits. Realtors manage the sale of your home; restaurants manage your meals, plumbers manage your water and sewer systems. The list goes on and on. Unless you are superhuman you don’t do everything. You engage managers to help get jobs done. These managers are service-based consultants, who act like members of your team, helping to take care of your affairs. They don’t take over your life or business, they just empower its forward movement. And that’s what we want HQG to be for you. We don’t take over your life or business, we just want to empower its potential and help move it to new levels.

And so, with all that in mind, we are placing ourselves, our support and our resources, including our website and our webinar, at the service of those who choose to be social business owners and who team with HopeQuestGlobal to promote the Hope Movement, Social business 3.0 working to eradicate childhood malnutrition. In our opinion our webinar is perhaps the best asset of all. You join our team and our webinar is yours. We work hard to make sure it’s one of the best assets at your disposal. This allows you to break away from the traditional team building expectations and modernize with high tech automation. And your new business manager, HopeQuestGlobal, makes sure to take care of any business developments. Somebody sent you to this webinar who already taps our management support system, we work for them, and we are offering to do the same for you.

Just like any other management service out there, we say, “Put us to work for you.”

Because the presence of direct marketing is absolutely mandated for the success of the Hope Movement and Social Business 3.0, what I immediately began to grapple with was my own stereotypes and presuppositions that would be stumbling blocks to my participation.

Now listen, I wasn’t any less excited about the social outreach potential here. I’ve always liked the idea, from the get-go, you heard me say that. But I knew if I had debilitating marketing stereotypes from the way it’s been done in years gone by, many others would too. You want to know how I navigated it all? Remember me telling you this was about a three and one-half year journey for me. It all started with the news release I read on my smartPhone one night. For the next twelve months, my friend was still looking for the marketing vehicle he needed to attach this social business wagon to, so I spent that time climbing the learning curve and doing a lot of research and investigation. I like that kind of stuff. But here’s the background story.

My wife, Gail, spent our entire married life losing her eyesight. She woke up our first Christmas together as a married couple and could see nothing. She spent 38 years legally blind and over time it got worse. What a quality individual. Imagine this visually impaired lady home educating her children (I helped some), Imagine her as an author of four books (She did ask me to help with editing), She produced a musical recording project with our daughters whom she taught to sing, and she became a nationally known speaker who averaged 75 speaking engagements per year. I accompanied her at almost all these engagements, except in those times when she would just wear me out with the intensity of her itinerary. One of our daughters would then take my place.

As sad as the loss of eyesight is, you didn’t dare get caught sad in her presence. Her brother said she could convince a rock to be a flower. She was a true overcomer. However, we were not in denial about the fact I simply did not leave her unattended. Now, she wasn’t totally in danger by being alone, but that’s just what developed over time. I just didn’t leave her by herself. However, sometimes she would perceive I needed some time to myself and she would effectively kick me out of the house and told me to go do something. So, with all that in mind and I’m wanting to move forward with energy to promote the Hope Movement.

But there was a conflict.

All the traditional direct marketing gurus said (and I knew this) marketing must be done a certain way. And of course, what that meant is, I had to be mobile, I had to make appointments with people at Starbucks, or visit people in their home, go to business meetings, or talk to people out in public when the opportunity presented itself, show business presentations and answer questions. I saw really quick, none of that was going to happen. Most of the time when I was in public I was with my wife and her safety was my priority. I wasn’t thinking about a new marketing lead. Simply stated, I had other commitments focused on my wife’s care. But I learned from my wife a long time ago not to give up. She told me that to “quit” seemed like a good thing to do at times and “giving up” would have made her a good middle name, except she just would not allow it. Instead, she put the two concepts together and decided to “Quit giving up.” Good advice.

So, if you would have been in my office you would have heard we say out loud for God and all to hear, “I’m not going to do it like the guru’s say do it.” My prayer was that I would be shown how to do it differently. After all, we now have access to a great deal of affordable technology, mostly via the Internet. But, I felt like a real rebel saying that. Now, this does not mean everything marketing gurus teach is of no value.  I was just in a situation where I was forced to decide between traditional expectations and the priority I had concerning my wife’s care. It was obvious I couldn’t jump through all the marketing hoops; I needed alternatives. But I did not know where to find them. I immediately started on a long journey to create a support system for people like myself. I figured if I could put together something that works for the immobile, for the busy caretaker, even for the physically challenged and for the nonprofessional, for people who are short on marketing skills and natural talents, and even for the busiest of us all, who are handicapped with no time left at the end of a demanding day, then I could also accommodate everybody else besides. After all, this is a “social” business.

If effectively reaching the most vulnerable children to save their lives was our priority, and it is, why would effectively reaching the most entrepreneurial challenged among us be any less a priority? The malnourished children hanging in the balance need all of us involved. I decided to be the reason why all people can, instead of the reason why some people can’t. I began to see “social” entrepreneurship as something that had to be free of pretense and therefore available to everyone or to no one, especially in this modern age of social consciousness where we can use high tech automation, done-for-you software components, instant communication, and pre-recorded and live webinars to rescue lives.

The answer to my conflict was contained inside a very common business idea: what is understood as management support.

More at Blog #63

I’ve got to throw in this idea. Let’s not forget the power of moral obligation.

It seems to me there is an ethical imperative at hand. Is it as obvious to you as it is to me? Namely, that no child should be malnourished—period. No child, anywhere, should be malnourished. And that ethical imperative makes a demand of us. Doesn’t it? With such a promising and effective solution at our fingertips, maybe you understand now why we can but only seek to enlist others.

And that is why we are asking you to now choose your level of participation. Let’s save lives together. The Hope Movement is how team efforts can make exponential impacts.

Plus, let me add, this approach changes the presentation dramatically from, “I have products I want to sell you. Can I come over and show you a business presentation?” That doesn’t sound too exciting. This is the traditional approach.

But how does this one sound?…

“After viewing an online webinar, I decided to get involved in the Hope Movement and help save the lives of vulnerable children impacted by malnutrition. Go take a look at the same webinar and I think you will really like what you see.”

Which of those sounds more appealing?

My business friend I referenced earlier actually enlisted the former president of Mexico into the Hope Movement and after he told me that on my podcast show he then said, “Let me tell you what I found about social business. If you are saving the lives of children, you can talk to anybody, anytime, anywhere and have a meaningful conversation. It doesn’t mean everybody is going to participate with you. But people won’t reject you for having a heart for saving children; they will embrace it. It just changes the dynamics of business completely. It’s the most powerful model that the world has ever seen; for an ordinary person to make an extraordinary difference in the world and change their life forever.”

And think about it. What does this do for the social cause at hand? It creates what every social cause desperately needs, and which is so often absent, even when the best of non-profit organizations and charities are involved. What would that be? Sustainability. In other words, an environment where children can be nourished every day, just like you and I are. That is why this is so exciting. Think of it this way; If we generate enough nutrition this month to cover a certain number of children, then the social business model we use must have the capacity to repeat that same nutrition next month and every month following without fail. Right? That’s called sustainability. And a direct marketing dynamic, like we have with EvolvHealth and the Hope Movement, is this kind of repeat business, where team members commit to consume matching products monthly, and is why sustainability can be the case.

But let me say it more clearly. A direct marketing dynamic is the only reason this can be the case, WHY? because we allow ALL people to get involved in not just the social purpose, but the products, AND the earnings. Plus, this approach keeps the Hope Movement promoters, you and me, perpetually incentivized with the financial rewards that are an essential part of its compensation structure.

In other words, Social Business 3.0 allows participants to not only demonstrate their compassionate interest in a social cause, but it enables them to enjoy a vested interest where they have a personal stake in the undertaking. This starts with the improved health benefits from the high-quality nutritional products and moves toward the potentialities of financial gain. Both are rewards for endorsing and promoting the Hope Movement to others. A team of individuals with this kind of vested interest means they are fully motivated toward the success of the Hope Movement, because unlike donors who support non-profit social causes, let’s say, our team members, in addition to the desire to do good, have an anticipation of gain and a healthy fear of loss that keeps them focused on the mission. This is what makes Social Business 3.0 so effective, over both the short and the long haul.

At least in part, the Hope Movement implements this same idea of buy one, give one that Toms Shoes employs. Because when we and our team members purchase and consume the EvolvHealth nutritional products the same nutrition is matched and sent to vulnerable children.

But this is where the Hope Movement and the Social Business 3.0 model is able to achieve an expanded impact.

Almost all social business in the world today is in the category of Social Business 1.0 or 2.0, but we are the first to market with this idea of Social Business 3.0. This term was coined by a Social Entrepreneur, David Bornstein. He said, “Social Business 3.0 looks beyond institutions to the change making potential of all people and their interactions. It recognizes that Social Entrepreneurship is contagious and enables more people at every age to think and behave like change makers and to help them work together powerfully in teams and in teams of teams.” Understand that David Bornstein is not a direct marketing expert, and when he made this insightful comment Social Business 3.0 did not exist. It was only a concept. But his comment is mindful of the central feature of direct marketing business philosophies.

If you are familiar with the business building strategies of direct marketing companies from as early as the 1950’s, until this very day, this is what you know, team building is one of the highest priorities for any direct marketing business. And is the foremost reason direct marketing is such an economic force on this planet. The number of people involved in United States direct marketing companies grew from 18 million to 20 million in 2015 and the business model represents every generation. What makes the difference here, unlike owning an expensive retail shoe store, is anyone—simply anyone—can own an easily affordable direct marketing relationship and potentially earn income by joining those teams. So, this 3.0 concept more easily and more readily turns growing teams of all kinds of people into powerful social entrepreneurs who are not only purchasing and consuming matching products but who are financially compensated for the teams that grow over time. This is why I call it the genius and the goodness of Social Business.

How to use the social business model of the Hope Movement to save lives and earn an income besides.

I’m going to help you understand the same thing my friend helped me understand, the one who had resigned from his own company. He helped me know that because the social cause of childhood malnutrition is so huge and because the largest non-profit organizations are simply not getting the job done, then the Social Business model that exists to provide a solution has to have a capacity big enough to address it legitimately. Otherwise, we are easily satisfied with throwing money and good wishes at a social problem and engaging in mutual back-patting with nothing more accomplished than babysitting the status quo. Simply put, I don’t play that game. I want something that works. Don’t you?

As I listened to my friend. He helped me discover three basic features to Social Business. The first he called Social Business 1.0. This would be likened to the early work of Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes. If you are not familiar with Toms Shoes let me update you. Blake started a social business shoe company out of his apartment via the Internet and gave a pair of his shoes to needy children every time he sold a pair. In five years, he sold and gave away 2 million pairs of shoes. Then Blake took his next step. We call this Social Business 2.0. What Blake did was find a distribution channel that would increase his impact, so he went to the retail market (think the anchor stores at the shopping mall) and in the next two short years, imagine this, he sold and gave away 50 million pairs of shows. Incredible progress.

Now, I’m about to transition to Social Business 3.0, but first is it okay if I ask you a question? What if I wanted to make profits from this social business idea brought to market by Toms Shoes, what would I have to do? I would have to own a retail shoe store. Right? This idea, though, leaves me and 99.9% of the general public out of the potential profits. I could still go buy Toms Shoes to generate shoes for needy children, but my personal impact, though important to the big picture, always feels small. Plus, my incentive over time grows somewhat fragile.

But Social Business 3.0 can take us to new levels of accomplishment and the business model invites ALL people to get involved.