SHINE LIKE A DIAMOND
Core Mission: Build Relationships
Life is a web of biological and social relationships. From a career of designing complex information systems, I view individual biological health as an extension of the health of our relationships. Including to our environment. My mission is use this fundamental understanding, of our interconnectedness and dependence on the earth’s biological systems, to inform every business decision.
They say “health is wealth” and for us to be healthy our social and ecological environment has to be healthy too.
Sustainability: Vision and Commitment
I’m painfully aware that operating a business that ships physical goods adds to our environmental footprint. But I’m committed to making our footprint as small and sustainable as possible. As a start-up, the saying “perfection is the enemy of good” means being responsible, improving continually, and showing progress transparently. To be the change we want to see in the world. To that end I’ve I’ve set specific objectives:
- B Corporation certification – to help reshape the structure and culture of capitalism, to benefit all people and the planet.
- USPS BlueEarth Carbon Accounting – to track and offset carbon emissions caused by order fulfillment.
- CleanHub partnership – to clean up ocean plastics.
- Climate First Bank
- Packaging with materials with one or more of the following material features as suitable to a food product requiring hygienic protection:
- Recycled
- Recyclable
- Compostable
- My partner Maria and I also run a local cat rescue. A portion of our profits will support it, as well.
“Every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in.”
—Anna Lappé
Human-Centered Values: Business
In the mechanistic business model of the industrial age, people were mere “resources” in a system of production control. I think we can do better now. People’s creative life-force energy deserves agency to shape how, when and what value they create in good company. That’s why I’m exploring structural and operational innovations such as employee ownership, transparent compensation, and unlimited time off. Anything to liberate people’s creative life-force energy in service of health and prosperity.
We live in a market economy. Not for a market economy. Business should support life, not consume it.
—Michael Cummings
I intend to cultivate a company culture grounded in the human-centered management principals and practices that first drew me to entrepreneurship and business leadership, inspired by the books of Tom Peters and Peter Drucker. Both of whom initially inspired my career in technology-mediated interaction design for business. Most recently I’m inspired by Ricardo Semler’s approach to business as well.
“The strength of the team is each individual. The strength of each member is the team.”
— Phil Jackson