Stephen Shubitz

Founder and director, Charity Greeting Cards. charitygreetingcards.com.au

Photography by Tom Holland

“The inspiration behind Charity Greeting Cards was to try to do something more meaningful for work. I wanted to link work with something that, for me, had great personal value. We help charities fundraise, donating on average 20 per cent of the sale of each greeting card to our charities.

Our biggest challenge is the seasonal nature of the business. Most of our yearly income is made in three months, over the Christmas season. We have to be very efficient to cope with the volume of work in those few months. Only through technology can we cope.

We introduced e-cards to our business last year, which we were very nervous about: we weren’t initially sure how it would add value to the business. But we found a way to make our e-cards engaging and interactive, and we had so many families buy them and send them around the world. We didn’t advertise globally, but they were sold internationally, which suggests that through technology our global opportunities could be huge.

I think the interaction we have with the charities – we raised $402,000 for our charities last year – nourishes our souls. We hold onto the belief that even one dollar can make a difference … it’s a little trickle that really helps.”

Malcolm Rands

Founder, Ecostore. ecostore.co.nz

Photography by Andrew Coffey

“I lived in an ecovillage at the time Ecostore was founded in 1993 and we thought it’d be wonderful if the water leaving our village was just as pure as the water that ran into our village … we soon discovered that the chemicals we used in our home were much more toxic than the chemicals used on the land. It was a big ‘aha moment’ for me. It was from this idea that the business was born.

Part of our philosophy was to try to make it easier and pleasurable for everyone to make a difference … washing the dishes, cleaning the pets, washing the clothes. That led to a second big light-bulb moment a year later when we started to receive letters from consumers. We realised our products were not only gentle on the planet but also on human health. Rashes had cleared up, asthma had improved … Our aim is to be not only sustainable but regenerative.

We already achieve that with our laundry liquid, which was designed to clean your clothes as well as organically fertilise plants, not pollute the water. That’s our aim with all our products; 
we haven’t got there yet but it’s somewhere 
we can head.”

Lisa Cotton

Director, Social Ventures Australia. socialventures.com.au

Photography by Tom Holland

“Social Ventures Australia provides funding and support to help our non-profit partners achieve their community goals more quickly. Funders (individual philanthropists, corporations and governments) want to be engaged, to really feel they are making a difference, not simply writing out cheques.

It’s our job to educate them about the social issues and manage their expectations. We also work closely with our non-profit partners to ensure they work effectively with funders. Our non-profit partners look at community issues in a unique way, to offer new solutions to old problems.

Our work with Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), for example, is helping create opportunities for indigenous students to complete high school and inspire them to attend university through a mentoring program, supported by all sectors. There’s a wonderful quote: ‘A small brave act of co-operating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy.’ And when you see a program come together like AIME, that is what happens to everyone involved.”

Julie Routledge

Co-founder, 247-AFADU Yachts. 247sailing.net

Photography by Mel Koutchavlis

“Louis [Julie’s partner and co-founder] and I invite people to experience our life and the communities we visit as we circumnavigate the world on our sailing yacht. We ask for a contribution towards this experience and a percentage of that goes to Aid For Africa Down Under (AFADU), a charity I founded in 2004, which I am still indirectly involved with.

We are part of a group of yachts that each do the same thing. I believe every person has their own unique way to contribute and make a difference, and through sharing knowledge, working together and meeting the world through inquiry and listening we can open doors to a world we want.

For example, you give agricultural knowledge to a community of 400 people and the belief they can be pioneers and leaders in their own communities and it’s amazing what can be achieved. Suddenly there’s water, a grinding mill … a whole ripple effect occurs simply because you listened and encouraged someone to believe and achieve their dream.”

Miranda Bond

CEO, Inika. inika.com.au

Photography by Mel Koutchavlis

“My journey with Inika began when I discovered that through diet and non-toxic living it was possible to heal myself of endometriosis. I then became passionate about natural approaches to healing. I started to give free community workshops which led to the creation of the Thriving Healthy Women website.

On the website women started to ask about natural brands of make-up. I saw a business opportunity and started the company. I honestly believe that when you work out what you are meant to be doing, things move for you – and they did. It’s harder to source ingredients that are natural and ethical. For example, one of our products uses palm oil, but we had to be certain our use of the oil wasn’t risking the lives of orangutans.

My business is like my second baby [Miranda has a nine-year-old daughter]. There’s nothing greater than living your passion. It’s not my job, it’s my mission in life. Through my business, I am able to speak up about things that don’t often get talked about, such as the multiple toxins in our environment, and therefore make a difference.”