The Do More Good Movement
In 1996, Jay Wilkinson and his team launched a website design division which eventually landed the Backstreet Boys band as a client. They knew from that point on, they'd always "Want it That Way" and in 2001, spun-off the division as a separate company.
Today, Firespring has thousands of clients in all 50 states and all over the world. It became Nebraska's first Certified B Corp in 2014 and was named by Inc. Magazine in 2016 as one of America's "50 Best Workplaces." Jay has invested in more than 50 startups and is a passionate advocate for the Silicon Prairie having served on the Nebraska Angels BOD since its inception.
Jay and his wife, Tawnya, have a goal to "have a meaningful experience together in 100 countries." He sits on several nonprofit boards and is an avid supporter of programs that embolden our youth to become servant leaders. Jay has appeared on CNN and other news outlets discussing the evolution of purpose-driven companies and is considered a leading authority on social entrepreneurship, modern marketing practices and the nonprofit sector.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
Jay Wilkinson’s youth surrounded by entrepreneurs in Nebraska
How he came to found Firespring, and the name transition it went through
Why Jay believes capitalism doesn’t have to be an evil influence
How Firespring is structured to be an evergreen company
What the Power of 3 means
How Firespring will transition towards an ESOP model (and what that is)
The purpose of the 11 minute Firestarter meeting
How The Do More Good Movement came about
The accountability and beauty of being a B Corp
The one quote that inspired everything behind Do More Good
Sponsors for this episode
This episode is sponsored by STS Capital Partners and Altruvest Charitable Services.
In this episode….
Jay Wilkinson grew up in Nebraska, in a family of entrepreneurs that stretches back to his great grandparents. His first business mentor was his grandmother who lived to be 103 and was friends with Buffalo Bill. Jay took the hard work rooted upbringing to heart and worked it into his entrepreneurial wiring, starting several businesses in college, many of which failed, all of which taught him a lot. Today he is the Founder and CEO of Firespring, a marketing agency that is a certified B Corporation known for the good work they do in their communities.
Jay has structured Firespring to be an evergreen company that is transitioning to ESOP, an employee stock ownership program. He is passionate about doing good, doing right by employees and stakeholders, and about serving people more than simply lining pockets with profit. To that end he has also founded the Do More Good movement: a movement whose purpose is to help companies “evolve on their path to purpose and become Benefit Corporations”.
In this episode of What CEOs Talk About, host Martin Hunter and Jay Wilkinson discuss how corporations can redirect focus towards people to upend the “evils of capitalism” belief permeating today’s culture. Jay discusses key strategies Firespring employs to engage with communities and ensure all employees are not only valued but active in giving back alongside the company. Jay and Martin share visions for the future and Jay’s “focused, powerful, positive energy”, as described by Martin, is both inspiring and encouraging.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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