Back in January 2016, I attended a business conference quite unlike any other. Accustomed to the regular business conference format involving “death by PowerPoint”, by the end of day one I was already explaining my take on love to several hundred delegates from across the world.
Fully accustomed to having to explain my marital status to taxi drivers and various concerned titas of Manila, I never imagined I could be talking about such an uncomfortable subject—I am British, remember—in front of several hundred people, most of whom I had never met before in my life. Only in the Philippines, I mused, could a “Love Forum” be incorporated into a business event.
Then again, the Social Business Summit 2016, held at the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan, was no run-of-the-mill business gathering. Those in attendance—from the public and private sector, coming from across the world—were not there simply to talk about profit margins or cost-cutting measures, but to share ideas and solutions on how the hardened world of enterprise can adapt to do business “as if humans matter” (E.F. Schumacher).
“What does love have to do with business?” one of the delegates—curious about the need for a love forum on the summit program—asked Tony Meloto, GK founder and convener of the summit. “Everything,” he replied, “because when you learn how to love, you learn how to be happy.”
Before arriving in the Philippines, the world of business I was familiar with—in which profit is king—leaves little room for making us happy. Even today, the lessons on business I have learned in this country would struggle to make it onto a mainstream textbook, and yet all of them have the power to transform how we approach business.
The power of kindness
Ever since he founded Gawad Kalinga, Meloto drives around in a beat-up Toyota Revo and rarely carries more than a few hundred peso bills in his pocket. And, yet, through distancing himself from the lures of money and power, Tony has gained the trust of some of the richest and most powerful people in the country who continue to display great generosity and kindness to support the greater GK vision of ending poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
The power of kindness can be a powerful tool for businesses, too. Social enterprise Human Nature, with a marketing budget at just a fraction of its competitors, has grown to become a household name here in the Philippines precisely because—other than producing high-quality and reasonably priced products, it is pro-Philippines and a pro-poor brand that walks the talk.
Back in October, this eight-year-old Filipino company became the first Asian brand ever to win the Sustainability Pioneer Award at the Sustainable Beauty Awards in Paris, ahead of Givaudan, the world’s largest flavor and fragrance company, and award-winning skin-care provider Éminence Organic Skin Care. Human Nature proves that doing good really does make good business sense.
Tough love works in business
If romantic love, for some, is the fluffy feeling you get when listening to Celine Dion in the back of a taxi (personally, these songs produce quite a different feeling), then tough love centers around giving the gift of excellence.
Nowhere is this more present than at SEED—The School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development—at the GK Enchanted Farm, where underprivileged but bright scholars are given the gift of confidence, not pity and charity, as is the norm.
In a previous column, I wrote about SEED graduate Vincent Tatel, the 18-year-old son of a former garbage collector who was invited to speak to 20 French universities last October at the World Forum for Responsible Economy in Grenoble, France. Taking the stage after a former Nobel Prize winner, his rousing speech was given a standing ovation.
An education that combines compassion with competence is already unearthing many more human gems like Vincent. Half of the day these student-scholars strive for academic excellence with lessons in cost accounting, environmental science, business management, English and French, agribusiness and social entrepreneurship.
The other half is concentrated on developing 53 exciting social enterprises initiated by them—duck burger, oregano drink, ice cream from carabao’s milk, gourmet puto, crispy pato, salted quail eggs, gabi chips, etc.—and creating integrated perma-culture farms and securing supply chain. Through investing in the Philippines’s greatest resource—its human capital—we will see the true potential of this country emerge.
The greatest gift of love is presence
Dylan Wilk, an Englishman and self-made multimillionaire at the age of 25, met Meloto in Switzerland several years ago and offered to make a generous donation to GK. Tony refused his money and told him “if you want to make a difference, come to the Philippines and give us your time.”
For Dylan, one of the entrepreneurs to speak at the summit, this was “the first time anyone had said no to [his] money.” True love, Dylan learned, must be grounded on action and the most important action of all is not donating money but giving your time. As a result, Dylan moved to the Philippines, devoted his life to the mission of Gawad Kalinga, and went on to found Human Nature.
Love grows if you surround yourself with loving people
2016 may have been abound with negative news stories and, yet, fortunately for me, I was able to spend much of the year caught in my own little bubble of hope and inspiration.
Through surrounding myself with compassionate and, ambitious fellow entrepreneurs, I begin 2017 more determined than ever to play my own small part in helping to build a Filipino economy in which no one is left behind.
Do not just take my word for it. Come and join us for the Fourth Social Business Summit, taking place later this month (January 20 to 22) at the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.
Over the course of the weekend, you will be able to meet Vincent, Dylan, Tony and many other remarkable speakers, participate in workshops and have fun with over 500 kindred spirits coming from across the world.
No business experience required, just a curious mind and an open heart to discover solutions for a kinder, fairer world. For more information, visit www.socialbusinesssummit.net.
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For comments, suggestions and reactions, contact tom@madtravel.org
Thomas Graham is an international speaker and author of the book, The Genius of the Poor. Thomas is also the cofounder of MAD (Make A Difference) Travel (www.madtravel.org), a social tourism enterprise that creates fun and fulfilling travel experiences in partnership with Gawad Kalinga communities.