For every innovative venture that thrives despite the economic rollercoaster, another business owner is stumped by the pursuit of new. They waste valuable company resources and frustrate their staff in the attempt by falling victim to common innovation mistakes. “Innovation in Turbulent Times,” a report from Harvard Business Review, reveals that the quest for innovation is not responsible for these failures. It is business owners’ belief in common innovation myths.

Common Innovation Mistakes

Perhaps the common mistake of many business owners is ignoring the successful formula of the “both-brain” company. Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, David Packard and Bill Hewlett, Pierre Wertheimer and Coco Chanel are iconic examples of companies with creative and analytic persons at the helm. One functions as the chief executive officer or the brand CEO, the other operates as a creative director, like Steve Jobs, who envisions the iPods for which people clamor.

According to the Harvard Business Review researchers, no industry has mastered this “both-brain” partnership with such consistent success as the fashion industry. Fashion partnerships market products to the masses in times of economic boom or bust. Season after season, the creative and analytic forces within fashion houses work to present clothes consumers never knew they wanted or needed. It works more often than not.

But the ability of a company to develop and promote new products and services is not merely a creative or analytical feat, which is another myth of innovation.

Not long after the iPod made its initial splash on the market, other portable musical players entered the field receiving a lukewarm response.  The imitators could not blame their research and development department. Toe to toe, many of them matched the iPod on the basis of product offerings. What they lacked is the total package—the overall user experience and brand for which Apple is known.

Companies attempting to harness innovation often make the elementary mistake of breaking up the task into components and doling it out to loosely conjoined departments. But a creative team should not run the innovation ship and be expected to produce a return on investment. Harvard Business Review researchers bluntly stated, “They’re likely to fall in love with an idea and never know when to quit.” Left brain leaders face their own innovation stalls in ill-fated brainstorming sessions, which is why both-brain companies pursue innovation partnerships that harness creative and analytic intelligence at every stage of the project.

Even when the magic of innovation occurs amongst the rank and file, products and services with the potential for profit can get stalled in the highest places.  Such is the cost of these common innovation mistakes.

The right of approval often rests with left-brained CEOs. Such oversight is necessary. CEOs are charged with ensuring the strategic direction and financial success of a company. They need to reign in the costs and time innovation-oriented projects can usurp.

Its All About the Balance

Without balancing from right brain leadership, left-brainers can also kill good ideas and create headaches by offering countless good and bad revisions, inflating their project budget. Before they know it, they are sinking the project they are supposed to oversee.

Citing “freedom within a framework,” researchers mention CEOs who then charge their team to execute an idea without drifting into left field with clear cut guidelines of objectives, budgets and methodologies, to which all ideas must adhere. Innovation occurs without the creative staff lingering in the myopia of a project or analytic brains consumed by 20,000-foot view.

Business owners will never stop wielding the tool of innovation. They can avoid unnecessary frustration by abandoning such counterproductive common innovation mistakes. When the force of creativity meets analytic prowess, companies can emerge from economic downtown stronger, leaner and more profitable. In this economy, that is an innovation trick all business owners can believe in.

Dawn S. Smith has garnered critical acclaim for her ability to integrate issues of politics and popular culture into unique hybrid narrative forms. With her company, maisol media, the freelance writer uses her expertise to contribute to communications campaigns for the corporate and non-profit sectors.

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This is a new word for me to play with.  In writing this article, I had to think in new ways about what I think about Innovation – so just by engaging with the word, I got a taste of what it’s all about!

Innovation aligns with transformation.  Whether we’re looking at businesses or our individual selves, our innovations need to be for the sake of transformation towards wholeness.  That is the upward evolution that we are called to move towards. I also believe that we can’t find innovation if we’re not fully engaged in the present.

The Mindset for Effective Innovation

As humans, we can ask ourselves, what drives us to innovate?  Dissatisfaction with results, the desire to stretch and attain a new level of something — greater consciousness, more meaningful relationships, successful outcomes – all these are possible if we combine reflection on our current state with clarifying where we want to go and then take appropriate action to get there.

What do I mean by reflection on our current state?  Generally, I believe, if we check in with our inner selves, we find ourselves living out of a certain perspective.  This could be one of anticipation/excitement/curiosity or one of forceful pushing/trying too hard/burning out or one of peaceful acceptance/passive waiting/active resting.  Or a million others!  The mindset we live in is only limited by our imaginations to create it.  What’s important though is become conscious of what it is now.

Here’s an example from a recent client: Caroline (not her real name) was feeling tired and exhausted in her business.  She had had some success and was becoming well known for her work. When she began her business she had felt excited, challenged and full of vitality.  Years had passed.  She had used this energetic passion to create many wonderful offerings.  But now, when she looked inside herself, she felt a complete readiness to either run away or put the whole thing down.  She felt she had no new ideas.  She thought she ‘should’ keep doing what had worked, but felt none of the original passion or creativity that had been there before.  She was uncomfortable with this new place of ‘not knowing what to do’.  She expected herself to always have access to a wellspring of ideas.

Caroline felt a need to innovate her business with something new.  She felt called to change but didn’t know what that would look like.  Making unhealthy demands on herself to come up with ‘answers’ wasn’t working.  In looking at her mindset, she realized she had been in a perspective that only had room for one mode of being: creating and achieving success. In this mindset, she was always ‘on’, never allowing for any ‘off’ time, to rest and renew herself.  Energy was always traveling outward from her – to ideas, implementing them, taking feedback and tweaking them for further success.  However now she saw that she had to create another mindset to innovate her work and keep her authentic self truly present and in charge.

Once this was clear, I took Caroline through a beautiful spiritual process of asking her heart for guidance on what she truly needed to innovate her business.  By becoming quiet and looking within, she discovered a deep need to rest.  To accept where she actually was, and call forth trust that if she listened to her inner guidance and took some time off to just be for awhile, she would receive the renewed enthusiasm and creative juice she was seeking.

She asked for some of that trust, with a side order of patience, to let go of her old thinking.   As she did this, she received insight about how she could work with her day to day schedule in a new way – one that made time for just ‘being’ – stillness and listening in natural surroundings each day.  As Caroline implemented this guidance from within, she found that she was more relaxed.  In just a few weeks, she felt not just renewed from this wonderful new perspective, but also a surge of exciting ideas that she could develop to go forward in a fresh, new way.

Perspective Change Within Lets the Innovation Begin

Are you seeking innovation in your life?  Looking for change that will reinvigorate your spirit and lead to success?  Try taking a look at the perspective that you’re operating out of now – perhaps you’re due for a change from within.  It takes courage and a brave heart to step into the vast landscape of “I don’t know yet”, seeking a new vision.  And yet adjusting our mindset gives us a solid foundation to bring forth authentic innovation for the sake of unconditional success.

Victoria FittsMilgrim, PCC directs True Life Coaching & Retreats in Durango, CO.  With over 25 years in the field of personal transformation she has been a Certified Coach/Retreat Leader since 2002. Her coaching and retreats offer a safe, loving and fun environment to come home to your True Self. Whether working with Victoria via 1:1 coaching, group coaching, taking one of her unique, nature-based retreats, or her Authentic Leadership programs, she is the real deal when it comes to sustainable and positive personal change.  Find our more at www.truelifecoach.net or contact Victoria@truelifecoach.net for a complimentary consult on what’s right for you.

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The American Heritage dictionary defines discipline as “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”  Clearly there are many other definitions of the word discipline, but for our purposes this is the definition that is aligned with the way we’re using the term.

If we look at it honestly, we all have disciplines. And, we can learn a lot about ourselves from the disciplines we have, the disciplines we don’t have and where the disciplines we have come from.

An important question in assessing our discipline is: what are our disciplines a product of? In other words, what are they in service to? Are they in service to our egos? Our dysfunctions? Or, are they in service to the highest good of all, including ourselves?

I examined my own disciplines in this context, starting with the question: what are my disciplines? I found many: meditation, yoga, exercise, eating healthy foods, making sales calls, coaching and consulting clients, meeting with my consultant, participating in mutual support calls and many more. Then, I looked at these disciplines in light of the question posed above for each of these: what is my discipline in service to in this area?

Through this inquiry, I had a key insight. My discipline of eating healthy, exercising and maintaining my well being has primarily been a way for me to perpetuate the illusion that I am better than others – and to maintain a false sense of superiority. When I looked at it honestly, I could see that what has been driving this discipline is my desire to look good by making others look bad.” And, it was nasty. In my head, it sounded like, “they don’t have any willpower. I do.”

While I could have compassion for myself for doing this, I certainly didn’t want to continue it. I was ready to end the lie and the separation, because it didn’t feel good and it also blocked me from contributing to those who could use my support in this area. As we all know, it is very difficult to feel supported by someone who is judging you. When we drop the judgment, our colleagues and friends can feel and receive our support.

And, when I compared that to other disciplines, such as my meditation discipline, I could see a stark contrast. My meditation discipline was simply a way to connect to the Universe/The Source/God and I didn’t have an agenda to it. It felt a lot different. It felt clean.

Through this inquiry, I came to the conclusion that any discipline that keeps me separate from others needs to be transformed. I can keep doing the practice, but I need to change the context that it exists inside of by asking: Is this in service to the highest good of all, including me? Or, is it in service to my ego? If it’s the latter, it needs to go. I need to change my consciousness about it.

In light of what I discovered about myself, I can now see why we have very little trust of discipline. We don’t trust the source of that discipline. We are not trained in the discipline for what is for our highest good. We follow the discipline of our egos and our wants and our addictions.

We’ve been disciplined by our need to look good. Instead, let’s make a commitment to be disciplined by what is for our highest good and the highest good of all. Each time we act consistent with that commitment we’ll be living our definition of “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”

Todd Benton is a consultant and coach who helps business owners, executives, managers and individual contributors fulfill their potential in business without compromising their well-being, personal goals and aspirations. Todd is also the Executive Director of The Stream, a non-profit spiritual community and teaching and learning organization. Todd’s business can be found on the web at www.bentoncg.com.

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So, know yourself (very old wisdom, indeed) and act accordingly.  While so easy to say, this can be very challenging to live.  Our culture is very powerful and has many agendas for us that don’t connect to our authentic self.  How do you remain clear in the face of this non-stop bombardment of values and direction that aren’t your own?

A Natural Approach to Being an Authentic Leader

For me the best way to stay connected and honor who I am comes from spending time in the natural world.  It is here that I remember that I am not alone.  I am a part of something much, much bigger than myself.  I hold a sacred spot in the community of life.  We all do.

Each one of us brings our unique offering to the world.  Without it, there is loss; something missing from this puzzle called Life.  Here in the Mystery, the great unknown of a world that goes so far beyond our 5 senses, we are meant to be who we truly are.  Not a watered down version… not a copy of everyone else… not the holding back, safe, afraid to step out self.

When I step into the natural world to deepen my relationship to my authentic leader within, I am met by the magic of all that is.   I take a journey - no matter if it’s an hour or a week - to listen and engage with the wisdom of everything.  Flowers, burned out tree stumps, turtles, mud - they all speak to me when I am open and willing to listen.  They too hold their place in the circle of life and share a piece of my truth with me, mirroring my Soul.

This is my Quest then - to go solo into the beauty and awesome power of Nature.  To take a magical journey and seek the inner truth that is mine alone.  To find the learning that I know is ready to come forth - even if it’s scary and will mean changes ahead - I can see that it has come to me because it’s time to grow my Authentic Leader.  To stretch and become even more of who I am.

We all live busy lives and carving out personal time is a challenge for many.  When I take on a Big Picture perspective though, I can see the value and importance of unhooking from all my commitments and allowing myself to just Be. When I make my own development important, I can say, “I am choosing to pay attention to grow my awareness and become a better Me.”  I get restored and refreshed – leaving behind guilt and resentment – and can return to my world as the True Authentic Leader I am!

Will you become a seeker of your truth? What would compel you to do this?  What next step of growth is calling you onto your path?  What scares you about it?  How can you make your True Self a priority?

Victoria FittsMilgrim, PCC directs True Life Coaching & Retreats in Durango, CO.  With over 25 years in the field of personal transformation she has been a Certified Coach/Retreat Leader since 2002.  Her retreats offer a safe, loving and fun environment to come home to your True Self.  Whether working with Victoria via 1:1 coaching, group coaching or taking one of her unique, nature-based retreats, she is the real deal when it comes to sustainable and positive personal change.

Find out more about Victoria and her retreat offerings for 2009 at www.truelifecoach.net or email her at Victoria@truelifecoach.net.

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Rather than experiencing the feelings of overwhelm and fatigue that quickly lead to burnout, conscious business leaders know this is an opportunity to work smarter, not harder.  Rather than finding ways to squeeze in the heavier workloads, this is an opportunity to learn how to accomplish our daily tasks and move forward in our visions in ways that will save time, money, and a whole lot of frustration.

Here are some ways you can work smarter, not harder:

1.    Simplify repeated tasks. Forms and templates can save time on a lot of tasks. For example, if you have to send out a lot of the same email, create a template email so you can just fill in the specific parts for each person individually.

2.    Group similar tasks. Just like the Ford assembly line automated tasks by grouping them according to type, doing the same will facilitate your day and save you much time.  For example, rather than writing an email at your computer than going over to the filing cabinet and filing a document, then making a call and having a meeting and going back to your computer again, instead allot a time slot for emails, a time slot for filing, a time slot for making calls and a time slot for meetings.  This simplistic thinking revolutionized many of our industries and saving you a minute here and a minute there throughout the day adds up into a lot of efficiency and additional time.

3.    Delegate. Delegate some of your responsibilities to other people.  We are moving away from an era of competition and making ourselves indispensable to an era of community and cooperation.  Often we don’t delegate task as we feel we don’t have the time to train another, however, this time in the end is an investment as it will provide you with more time for tasks of higher priority later. Training, delegating and building co-empowered teams is indispensable for today’s leaders.

4.    Automate. If you’re in a position that requires the same thing done every day, at the same time, then try to find a way to get the process automated so it happens without you there. An example would be to back up your computer every night, automatically.  Doing a little research, it is amazing to see how many software programs have been developed today to help us automate so many things.

5.    Eliminate the useless. There are unproductive things you do on a daily basis. In fact, you probably already know exactly what these distractions are! Identify these and commit to reducing or removing them from your routine and you’ll find a whole new world of time may open up for you.  Typical time wasters are meetings, internet, telephone chatter or not taking the time to plan.

6.    Focus on self first. Focus on your responsibilities rather than keeping an eye on the responsibilities of others. If everyone focuses on their primary responsibilities first, the large portion of the job gets finished and then minor details can be taken care of later.

7.    Learn to say “no.” Many people take on too much work because they’ve never learned to tell others “no.” Before taking on extra duties for someone else, make sure you schedule time for your own needs first.  Learning ways to say “no” assertively can be an amazing tool in saving you time.

8.    Know your limits. Just like learning to say “no”, not taking on more than you can handle will make you highly more effective in the tasks that truly make a difference.  Do you take on tasks in order to please the boss or teammates? If you do this on a regular basis, you’ll ultimately be working twice as hard because you’re not performing at your very best.  Be honest, learn what you can take on to maintain your greatest level of performance and keep it there.

9.    Practice the 20/80 rule. The 20/80 rule says that 20 percent of your actions tend to produce 80 percent of your results.  The most effective people are people that naturally focus on and act upon this 20%.  Study your tasks and results and determine what efforts are yielding the greatest outcome and make these tasks your priority and that of your team.

Working smarter, not harder is all about planning, executing and knowing your limits.

All in all, working smarter, not harder does just what it says. Not only does it save you valuable time, but your production levels will soar as well!

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With all of the news media proclaiming “doomsday” on the US economy, it makes it more challenging to stay really focused on your own mission and goals.  I am looking at our economic change in a different way.

I see it as a corporate cleansing and a switch from the old guard to the new guard.  That new guard is YOU!  Every transition requires a slow-down so everyone and everything can re-calibrate and integrate thechange.

I truly believe that we are at a pivotal moment in history where today’s entrepreneur is ushering in our NEW ERA of ethical and sustainable conscious business practices.  What I mean by sustainable: wethoughtfully manage our precious energy systems and our bodies whilefinding ways to serve the common good free from trashing the planet.

Our mindset about how to create “cash flow” is what is changing. Theuncomfortableness comes from having to find fresh ways to earn a livingor make money.

The Truth about the Current Economy

It is false that people don’t have money or that there is less money on the planet.  What is true is people are not SPENDING money.

The more valuable question to ask ourselves is WHY people are not spending money.  They are not spending it because they are unsure about their FUTURE source of income.  The previous reliable sources of money such as attaining credit or an endless supply of cash are forcing a shift in mindset.  Therefore most people are sitting on their money and not spending it because they are afraid.  It then spreads to us and we also feel financially troubled and the cycle repeats.

What really has changed is our willingness, and our customers willingness, to spend based on what appears to be a lack of future earnings and credit.  What we really have on our hands is more of a faith crisis and less of a financial one.  That is if you believe in the law of attraction.

Offering Value, Creating Faith

So, how will we create money for our products and services?  By creating a phenomenal campaign of instilling trust in our customers so that they are REALLY sure they will profit enormously from the transaction!  By reviewing what is so important about distributing our products and services and re-ignite our own sense of faith in them.

When we believe whole-heartedly in our offering and communicate that effectively with our potential customers, they will spend and we get to share the gifts of our services.  Notice that this creates expansion in everyone.

Re-evaluate the way you are trying to engage with people and ask yourself if you are doing all you can to let your potential customers know they will find enormous value in doing business with you.  That is how to enroll them in your offering.  Buying your product or service could be the “thing” that helps them find new a source of wealth orabundance in their life.

After all, we are all after personal and professional profit.  What do you think?

To learn more about Julie Steelman, visit: www.purposenprofit.com

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Positive thoughts enable you to reach out and grasp the success you seek. Rather then paralyze you and prevent you from moving forward, as negativity and self-doubt will do, positive thinking will give you the confidence and encouragement to manifest your desires.  Truly, when you change your thought processes to success thinking you can change your life.

Positive Thinking Success: Creating a Success Mindset

Wanting to succeed and being able to envision your success is a great place to start. When you can do this, you’re giving yourself permission to change your life, attain your goals, and be a success.

Now if there is one constant in life is that nothing is constant.  That is the case for people as well, forever fluid beings with ever-changing tastes, thoughts and emotions.  As such, there will be days when it’s more difficult to think in a positive, success affirming way; during these times affirmations can be a very helpful tool.

Affirmations have helped a lot of people turn their thinking into positive thinking, propelling them toward their goals in a new and exciting way. Affirmations for success can help you change the way you think about everything.  This increasingly known tool when done with heart, can be life transforming.

You see, for many, when they are honest with themselves, they may find that much of their inner dialogue, how they feel about themselves, and even the way they carry themselves around are negative. This destructive thinking sets people up to fail or causes them to give up before they ever really get started.

As with anything new, creating a success mindset will take practice to give you the best results. The good news is: you can get all the practice you need with the help of success affirmations.

Affirmations and You

Affirmations are positive statements that activate your mind to change your life, one thought at a time. They enable you to accomplish the things you wish to achieve and achieve positive thinking success.

Affirmations work because each word we speak has power, the power to evoke emotions. They work because they allow you to program – or reprogram – your thought processes, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

For example, if you find that you’re telling yourself what you can’t do, you can replace these negative thoughts with an affirmation for success, such as, “I am capable of succeeding without feeling overwhelmed or unfulfilled.”

If that statement doesn’t quite fit you, there are many affirmations for success, such as “I am worthy of great success.” The more the statement resonates with you, the greater its power for you so choose or create one that hits close to home.  Then, all you need to do is want to feel this way, and by saying these statements aloud time and again you reaffirm them in your subconscious.

Is It Really This Easy?

Many of the most successful people in the world aren’t much different than you. The key characteristic that sets them apart, though, is that they have a success mindset.

It seems too simple to be true, but when you talk to people who’ve experienced success, you’ll find that they use statements like these to drive them toward their goals and away from negativity. Their inner dialogue is one of success and achievement.

If success came naturally to all of us, we would all be successful. Unfortunately, in this day and time, many people prefer to focus on the negative, rather than embrace success.

With affirmations, you can overcome your limiting, negative thoughts and make it second nature for you to choose positive thinking success. Success really can be a reality for you, so long as you believe and reaffirm your positive thoughts consistently.

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The conscious business TheGreenOffice.com has set out to remove just such hurdles.  This noteworthy online retailer offers one of the most comprehensive suites of green office supplies, sustainability education and green consulting under one virtual roof.  Not only have they developed a website that is taking the guess work out of greening, they are yet another lustrous example of how to effectively serve the triple bottom line.

Green Office Supplies & Office Greening Made Easy

After just a quick browse through TheGreenOffice.com site, one may be left questioning why anyone would shop for office supplies anywhere else.  Besides being a beautifully designed, well-organized website, a number of unique elements make it stand out as a site truly committed to easing the way both for its customers and the planet.

TheGreenOffice.com sells close to 35,000 conventional and green office supplies, all 3rd-party pre-screened and ranked for their level of greenness.  Using the labels conventional, green or dark green, customers learn about sustainability while having the freedom to make educated choices on the product most suitable for their needs.  Each product is also clearly labeled if it is recyclable, compostable, processed chlorine free and if meets EPA procurement guidelines.

The decision to sell conventional products was ironically in service of selling more green products and shows the innovation and open-minded thinking running throughout TheGreenOffice.com.  Upon initialing launching a purely green products site, TheGreenOffice team realized that by “shunning” conventional supplies, well-intended shoppers where forced to shop at multiple locations to obtain all their needs.  In fact, by providing all options under one virtual roof, customers were more likely to shop at TheGreenOffice.com and more often than not purchase the greener options.

Another declaration of their environmental stewardship is that none of their products contain PVC/Vinyl.  In response to the growing concerns about PVC’s potential harmful effects to health and environment,  TheGreenOffice.com was the first office supply retailer to remove all items containing these materials.

This action sent a loud message to other large office supply stores and is a huge display of their commitment given how many office supplies contain PVC or vinyl; an effort much worth supporting.

A Step Beyond Green Office Supplies

In house, these guys strive to be as socially and environmentally responsible as possible.  Their core operational activities are centered around stakeholder engagement, green purchasing, carbon mitigation, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, pollution prevention and sustainability reporting.  Now that is commitment to green business!

Greener options are found throughout the website, down to the smallest detail of operations. For example, customers get their products fast and in great eco-fashion through carbon neutral next day delivery. In addition, they offer sustainability consulting, carbon offsetting, eco glossaries and a variety of other online tools, webinars and information for people and businesses ready to take their sustainability efforts to the next level.

Like all profit-based businesses, TheGreenOffice.com also employs the use of holiday driven marketing strategies, however, not surprisingly they use these initiatives to drive much more than profit.  For example, during the 2008 holiday season, TheGreenOffice.com ran a “Funds for Forests” holiday fundraising campaign were up to 7% of their proceeds went to support the Dogwood Alliance’s forest conservation efforts.

It is easy to see that all their actions and services ultimately serve the aim to speed the transition to sustainability in the workplace and on our planet.

Helping others Help the Planet and Themselves

This exemplary conscious business took on the challenge of packaging what they know in a way that appeals to the mainstream and have succeeded with flying colors.  Clearly, their primary motive is to be a model of a successful sustainable business that upholds the triple bottom line.

As Alex Szabo, the founder of TheGreenOffice.com, says with his unyielding conscious business spirit, “We challenge other retailers to do more than just cash in on consumer demand for green products on Earth Day,” he said. “Earth Day is not a holiday, it’s a time to reflect on how we treat our planet and communities. It’s about making lasting changes that will increase our wellness today and in the future.”

And if you need assistance, you can always call on the experts at this pioneering green office supplies retailer to easily show you down the green path.  Visit TheGreenOffice.com now to learn more.

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Beyond the beautiful bedding and exquisite artistry, Baba Blankets is a model for the holistic, forward thinking that seeks to provide more than a band aid on the social issues of our time.   Conceived and founded by one woman who acted upon a hit of inspiration, Baba Blankets also reminds us that one person does have the power to create great change.

African Textile Designs that Empower and Adorn

The design collective that Founder & Designer E. Aminata Brown began in Accra, the capital of Ghana, is providing the creative environment that is empowering poor women to support themselves and their families via their own efforts.  Interestingly enough, this endeavor did not begin with Aminata seeking out a channel for charity.

The idea behind the Baba Blanket conscious business model was born one day in 2000 as Aminata walked through a market in Accra and discovered a community of young girls and women that had migrated from all over the country to work as load carriers.  From dawn to dusk, these impoverished women carry heavy loads of goods upon their heads long distances for scant pay.  Most of them, without relatives near, live and sleep on the streets of the markets where they work.

What moved Aminata most about these women was their spirit and willingness to seek out work verses resorting to begging.  Fascinated by them, she began to talk to them and soon found out that most of them had a few things in common; many of them ironically had not able to finish school due to their poverty and if they could learn one skill it would be to sew.

Struck by the ethics and courage behind this seemingly simple dream, she followed the inner call to assist these honorable women in some way and founded the first Baba Blankets African Textile Designs studio.

Sewing the Seeds of Sustainable Income and Empowerment

At that Baba Blankets studio, the women learn to sew bedding of all kinds, from duvet cover and pillows to wall hangings and blankets.  The mission, as Brown says, “is to create inspiring cultural works that provide sustainable income and well-deserved development opportunities for African women and girls.”

In 2006, the collective moved to a larger facility that offers both the workspace and sleeping areas for the 13 women in the collective at that time. This conscious business is truly changing the lives of these African women and helping a culture transform.

As one of the Baba Blanket producers, Rita Makase, said, “I’ve moved through a lot of the problems of my past and I’m in a better place.”  As Aminata detected, these women are not small thinkers and Rita, for example, plans to continue improving her skills and become a Director for a large company, “maybe even BaBa Blankets.”

Such movement is the essence behind Baba’s mission; to move beyond short term financial assistance via the creation of jobs to instead empower the women to develop and become self-sustained.  To Aminata, “BaBa Blankets symbolize the infinite beauty possible when we empower each other to learn, grow, and collectively reach our true potential.”

An Inside Out Approach to Alleviating Poverty through Conscious Business

The income and skills received from the textile work has enabled these women to change the quality of their lives.  Moreover, it is assisting this community in breaking the cycle of poverty in the long term.

In addition to supporting the women designers that make up this African Textile Designs collective, Baba Blankets also funds a sister scholar program that sponsors young girls to stay in school.  “Our hope” as Aminata says, “is to see these girls become fully literate, explore their true interests and graduate more equipped to manifest their dreams.  Giving one woman a means to provide for herself and her family is how we address the poverty of today.  Educating girls is how we begin to break the cycle of poverty of tomorrow.”

Baba blankets successfully sells their unique line of African textile designs both online and at their retail shop in New Orleans with a vision of opening up numerous locations throughout the states.  This conscious business is truly a beautiful reminder of what is possible in business and in society when we trust and follow our heart.

To learn more visit http://www.babablanket.com.

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A vacation with a cause touches all levels of mind, body and spirit, while providing true cultural immersion and contributing to greater good.  Independent tour operators are popping up to provide travelers with philanthropic travel itineraries that allow meeting regional natives, participation in ceremonies, and giving back either in dollars or volunteered time. This is travel for a cause.

Travel for a Cause:  Humanitarian Opportunities for Global Trekkers

Today traveling for a cause has expanded with different styles to fit all timeframes, ability to contribute and preferred purpose.  Here are some of the common options to inspire your global heart and soul:

Philanthropic Travel: This traveler has more money than time. Travelers stay in luxury accommodations, and are given hands-on opportunities that dive deeper into the native culture, & experience regional projects in action.  These custom-made trips are one-of-a-kind and itineraries will feature local gourmet food, fine wines, and private guides for events or ceremonies.

Philanthropic travel has proved to be a wonderful way to bring potential donors in and up-close with the people most in need of help.  With such close interaction, many times philanthropic travelers becomes an organization’s valuable supporter and continue to campaign for the cause after the vacation is over.

Volunteer Travel:  Meaningful vacations allow a budget conscience traveler to give-back by participating in work programs in a wide assortment of activities as wildlife rescue, well digging, home construction, health camp aid and providing education to local communities.

This is a common way for young students in high school and college to travel while learning more about humanitarian issues.  Volunteer trips abroad are a way to become part of foreign community & culture and experience life from a different perspective.  Volunteer travel projects, common in the summer, exist for from one-week getaways up to 3 months.

An example of volunteer travel is the Peace Corp. Although this requires a 27-month commitment, those desiring profound cultural immersion and service opportunities, this is a life-changing opportunity. This type of program provides a unique chance to live in another country and working on projects from healthcare and the environment to business development.

Teaching Abroad: Imagine spending your summer teaching English in Spain and learning to cook or surf in your free time!  These types of programs are easy to find and you’ll get paid for your teaching but ensure you choose a respected company that has done their research on their projects and your accommodations.

Charity Travel: Charity climbs or charity adventure events such as races, biking challenges and trekking tours are part of the growing industry of adventure travel.  With adventure trips that range from dude ranches to sky-diving, this type of vacation is also an excellent source for corporate travel and team building.   Conscious business owners might consider planning a trek, or adventure tour instead of the standard hotel and board-room type gatherings for staff and executives.

These trips give back big time, as the traveler actually has to raise money, or be “sponsored” at entry levels generally in the $500- $2500 range just to participate.  This is great for causes like Hope Lodge of the American Cancer Society or for Breast Cancer fundraisers, since 10 participants automatically raise up to $25,000 for the local chapter of that non-profit organization.

Vacations that Give Back: Choosing a conscious tour operator or travel agent who willfully donates a portion of the proceeds back to a non-profit organization of choice is another way to travel for a cause.  This type of vacation planning when used on a large scale can generate a massive amount of fundraising cash for organizations since the agent donates 10% or more back to a cause. For example:  if a group has 100 members who all take at least one vacation a year, with an average cash back return from the donating agency or tour operator, the group or charity just earned $10,000 for the year.

Today, Anyone can book their vacation on the Internet, but by becoming aware of conscious travel agencies, tour operators and travel for a cause opportunities, you will find the same vacation, at the same price, that now has a positive impact for the entire planet.

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Melinda Johnston is the owner of LUX World Travel, which specializes in mind, body, and spirit tours, trips, retreats and personally planned vacations to fit your style of travel.  http://www.luxworldtravel.com.

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