Last year I attended Derek Handley’s book launch for his memoir ‘Heart to Start’. This tells the story of the beginning of Derek’s entrepreneurial journey. It is a practical field-guide that describes how he has become a new type of entrepreneur who does business to have a positive impact on the world.
Derek is a New Zealand entrepreneur, speaker and author. In 2011 he was named on the ‘Silicon Alley 100’ as one of the most influential technology people in New York, as well as a World Class New Zealander and Sir Peter Blake Trust Leader. He is co-founder and Chairman of mobile advertising network, Snakk Media, which listed on the NZX in 2013.
In December 2011 Derek donated a year of his life to help Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, Jean Oelwang, CEO of Virgin Unite and Jochen Zeitz, former Chairman of Puma, to help create what is now The B Team. The B Team is a not-for-profit initiative formed by a global group of leaders to create a future where the purpose of business is to be a driving force for social, environmental and economic benefit. This group shares some of BNI’s concerns for giving back to our community through business activity.
Derek’s book and his ideology really resonated with me and it reminded me of the importance of connecting business with non-profit and charity organisations. As I’ve stated before, charities and non-profits are increasingly needing advanced business skills to stay relevant and meet the needs of society. Similarly, businesses feel that they both want and need to engage with the non-profit sector, but they often just don’t know how to go about it.
Derek’s memoir provides a roadmap for this sort of engagement and it reminds me of the relationship that BNI has with Hospice New Zealand. BNI’s partnership with Hospice New Zealand is a new way for businesses to engage with charities. It’s an example of how mutually beneficial collaboration can occur. Both of our organisations share values of people connecting with people and developing long-term relationships based on trust.
BNI has been a partner of Hospice New Zealand for over seven years and its members have helped raise over $750,000 for hospices around the country by creating fundraising initiatives and awareness activities. I’m keen to see more of this sort of collaboration, and Derek’s book talks about how it can start. It’s a fantastic and inspirational read and I recommend it to all members of BNI. Societal change through business can happen and people like Derek and Richard Branson are proving it.
