00:01 Amanda Welcome to the purpose power brand, a podcast for leaders and brands transforming business into a force for good. I'm Amanda Stassen, business and brand strategist, social justice advocate and founder of BIZU Innovation Group. I'll be speaking with leaders who are proving that not only does purpose drive profit, but the future of our world depends on it. If you want to grow your business, increase your brand loyalty and not get left behind in the ever-changing marketplace, this podcast is for you. Today we're talking with Izzy Ahrbeck, former Managing Director for Business of Purpose a global community platform for purpose driven business champions, and more recently, the Community Manager for Impact Hub Berlin. Welcome, Izzy to the purpose power brand podcast. So great to have you with us.

00:47 Izzy Thanks, Amanda. Yeah, I'm super happy to be here and excited that we made it work with, you know, time zones and busy schedules. So I'm happy we finally get a chance to speak.

00:59 Amanda Awesome. So you're live from Berlin. But you're a fellow Canadian. You've had a really interesting journey over the last couple of years in the purpose movement. So let's start, you tell us a little bit about your journey and what brought you personally into the purpose space?

01:16 Izzy Sure, yeah. It's funny that you said Canadian living in Berlin. I can't hide it at all. I just had a discussion yesterday with someone who asked me so in Canada is the culture ‘Hi, how are you’, just like ‘Hello’ because ‘how are you’ is something deeply personal here in Germany, and I just can't get it out of my vernacular. But anyways, I think that's something that always stay with me. But more on your actual question and how I got into, I guess, this space and doing what I'm doing now. It's a little bit of a twisty turny road, but very thankful for it. I guess from a very young age, I always knew that I wanted to have a very positive influence on the world and the people around me and the community around me. And that's the way that looked like when I was younger was of course, volunteering, organizing protests. And so I was like a very active young kid. And I think I also fell in love with the medium of film and music, and I thought that that would be a really great way for me to give people have voice. And so I actually went to Ryerson University, and went through their media production program. So I majored in audio and film. And honestly, I learned so much, especially on the production side, and on the content creation side and how it's really important. Course, I mean, maybe you share this too, I think that media is an institution that we really need to start systematically changing in a lot of ways. So I thought that maybe I could be an intrapreneur in that way. But of course, the film industry is one that's very exhausting and draining, and I felt very disillusioned, I think, on the path that I took there. So I mean, I had great jobs, I was working for a music festival up north, and I would actually start tracking my time when I did outside of work. So I was, you know, working in the community arts and nonprofit arts world, and I loved it. And so when I did have time, you know, what would I read? What would I pick up? What podcasts what I listened to what documentaries what I watched? No, really, if I distilled it, it really came down to okay, how is business playing a role in conquering the world's greatest threats? And that was a question that constantly nagged at me. And so I applied for a program, a master's program in Barcelona. I did pick it for the program, not the city, people do ask. The city was an amazing bonus. And I pretty quick, I mean, I up and left, and I moved to Barcelona, I really learned so much from the program there. And then I was very fortunate after everything that went down with COVID. And after graduating during COVID, I was able to find a really great position at Business a Purpose, like you mentioned, and their sister branch Trendwatching. So yeah, but I wanted to get more connected to the Berlin scene, especially the social entrepreneurship scene here. And I'm a huge fan of Impact Hub. And we were talking a little bit about it before Amanda. Yeah, I was also then very fortunate to get a community management position here. And that's where that's where we are now.

04:49 Amanda That's so good. It's so interesting. I love how you, you know, you identified as a as a young as a child that you were organizing protests, when you think about that, like, what are the things that we actually believe in as children growing up, and how does that translate into the adults that we've, we become? And I love that you were asking, you started asking the question, how is business playing a role in the world's biggest threats? When I think about Business a Purpose, and one of the reasons I joined them was precisely that idea, what is the role of business in the broader world today? And so Business Purpose was birthed in 2019, by Trendwatching, one of the world's leading consumer trend firms. Maybe take us behind the scenes, tell us, go into maybe, you know, what were they cluing into when they started? What were they hearing and seeing that was changing in people's consciousness? So like you people were waking up to this idea of what's happening, but what was changing in people's consciousness that was leading us or led Trendwatching to create Business of Purpose? Where did it come from?

06:02 Izzy Yeah, sure. I mean so Trendwatching has been around for about 20 years, and they've gone through many shifts and changes themselves as a company and organization and have grown exponentially since. And I think the founder was always very clued up as far as the purpose driven business scene Reinier, he was always, had his ear to the ground, I think you can say, and I think with Trendwatching, it was very much focused on yeah, of course, researching consumer trends, understanding, or giving businesses the tools to transform their business, and, you know, unlock new opportunities, but it was more broad. And then more and more, as Reinier would say, he found like the ultimate mega trend, which was that business is and should and must change to a more purpose driven paradigm. And so I think Trendwatching really nailed the side of providing the toolkits and providing the insights, and obviously, the reports and the research to businesses, and then really handing it over to them to say, okay, now you can just innovate better, more meaningfully. But I think what they really wanted to tap into back in 2019, which was very funny, just because it was right before COVID, is more this sense of community. So, you know, we're working with companies, one on one as analysts, right, but how can we actually bring that together and provide a space and a global platform for people to interact with each other and talk about things that aren't working or that are working and inspire and uphold and hold each other accountable? So I think that was really the birth of Business of Purpose, and as you know, business of purpose, since then, has also faced a lot of different directions and growing pains and celebrations.

08:08 Amanda Yeah, absolutely. It's like, you know, put it in a different lens, it's the idea of bringing the mavericks of the world together and giving them a safe place to collaborate and talk about these issues, and to champion some of these, these big, big challenges that we have in the world before us. So you really had a front row seat in them, and you still do in the movement, you know, bringing 1300 members across 60 countries around the world in the Business of Purpose. What have you seen in the global business community? How were they defining what purpose is in business? Have there been consistent themes that you've heard or seen? Maybe talk a little bit about that?

08:50 Izzy That's a tough one. We also were struggling with it. A little bit about how we define our own purpose as a purpose platform for purpose driven professionals is very meta. I mean, I think so everyone in this space is like in the Business of Purpose, space has to go through a application process. That's really important for us not to be elitist in any way, but just to really curate the community to make sure like you said, we want to offer a safe space for people to share knowledge and ideas and advice and what have you, and all the other amazing things that that happen on the space. So and from that I do get a lot of really interesting insight to see where people are at. So we have people who come in, who have a very well defined unwavering purpose, and then we have people who come in who are actually coming in to our space to see and test out really what is important to them, what is meaningful for them in a general context, what do I think of more of the business world and how they view purpose. I think I live in a little bit of an echo chamber. And I just want to say that off the bat, I went to business school, but specifically for sustainability and business. And then this, since then have just been working in this space. But I do think that it's becoming something, you know, how people are starting to, in the last five years or 10 years really starting to implement OKRs people are really starting to implement purpose statements. I think that's becoming a necessity in businesses. And it's something that maybe you can speak to a little bit more, but it's amazing to see that we have business consultants and firms or agencies that are specifically handling those kinds of requests, you know, how can I transform my business in that way? And that would probably be an unfathomable for me, you know, 20 years ago, if I was in the same, same space? So that's my optimist side.

11:08 Amanda You know, you're so right. There are many different ways to get at what purpose is, and we certainly see it in the work that we do. And there's so many different models for creating purpose driven business, but I think there's, there's one thing that unifies them, and that's this understanding or awareness, I think, purpose driven businesses are more aware of the role that their business is playing and could play. And, you know, we look to the UN's, you know, the 17, sustainability development goals as a starting point. And we look at that, and we say, Okay, well, you know, I make shoes, how can I help the world through the work that we do? And I've been fascinated over the years over this growing, I'm gonna call it a trend, but it's not really a trend, it's more of a business model. And that is this idea of regenerative brands, you know, the idea that a business being committed to having a net positive impact on the world. So how its products and services affected the environment, and also people how their practices affect people. Can you talk a little bit about, you know, that trend or that business model and, and maybe give a couple of examples of any brands or businesses that you've come across that you think are doing a really good job of this.

12:23 Izzy Yeah. And I can also provide some places for people to learn more, because I'm still so very much I don't want to call myself an expert in this in any way. But I'll just explain from my understanding, and from what I've read and digested, I think the first thing to clear up for anyone who's listening is that this idea of regeneration and regenerative business principles are not the same as sustainability. And that's something that I think I have to say, because some people do get confused, and they use it, you know, in their boiler plates copy. And I know that that's not what they mean. Yeah, if we look at what sustainability is, in terms of business, you know, it works under this do more, with less harm. So, you know, how can I get more money, you know, extract more economic value, by using less resources by polluting less or what have you. And so, you know, some firm or an organization that calls itself sustainable, and it is they really work to reduce their ecological footprint. But a regenerative company seeks to increase its socio ecological handprint. And that's something that a Harvard Professor Greg Norris said, and I think that that really helped me understand it. So exactly what you said before, it's this idea of having a net positive, and really giving something back. So businesses become more altruistic and give back not just what they extract. And so they're really positively contributing more. Sometimes I think, like a tree, where they take in carbon dioxide and pump out oxygen, and then we all get, we help breathe happy to live happier. And why is it important? And why are businesses looking at that right now, there was a study done by ReGen friends, which is also a place one of the first places where you can look, I don't know the website, but I'm sure it's something like regenfriends.com. But they did a study recently, and they it showed that 80% of consumers in the US prefer regenerative brands, as opposed to sustainable brands, because they found that the term sustainable was too passive. So just another note, you know, we're talking about businesses and business leaders a lot but obviously, consumers play a huge role in this and they're getting much smarter and I can throw so many insights to prove that. But yeah, and for some examples, I guess there's a Interface a pretty good one there, the modular carpet company. I remember doing a lot of case studies on them in my masters. And they recently did a factory as a forest project. And I think they did that as a pilot project in Australia, and now changing another one of their factories in Atlanta, I might be mistaken. But essentially, what it is, is they wanted to look at their manufacturing plant as also part of like, the physical environmental ecosystem around them, and how that I mean, it says in the title, how they can really have their factory, be a forest and give back. So that's an interesting project to look at. Then there's certain businesses who have it, like, that's their bread and butter, that's what they do is, you know, help. Okay, well, I'll give an example reefs.com. That's something that I've recently looked into, because we work with them an Impact Hub here in Berlin. And so they regenerate degree to coral reefs through coral restoration. So another way to think of regenerative brands is, you know, obviously an organization that their main purpose is to regenerate the environment around them. And on top of that, all I can say is, yeah, look at ReGen friends, BBMG, which is really the San Francisco agency they've worked with Northface is also a really great resource. They have a lot of great articles to talk about what regeneration is, and they also help companies. And then there's a great community online, talking about online communities. That's also my expertise, Global Regeneration Colab is a is a place similar to Business of Purpose, but for business leaders, scientists, academics, everyone who's working in this space,

16:50 Amanda That's great. I think, you know, one of the takeaways from what you're saying is the difference between sustainability and regenerative. Sustainability would be all about doing no harm, whereas regenerative would be doing good. So it's additive. It's actually you're adding good into the world, not just trying not to do bad. And I think that, to me, is a little takeaway that could tell the difference, like. It's great to be sustainable, and it's important, so do no harm. But perhaps the future of where business is going is to actually do good, right to be that additive force, which is really cool.

17:29 Izzy Yeah, I think one of the main things is, is also, we really have to extract this obsession with growth, the hockey stick growth, the ownership and the exponential wealth. And with sustainability, working under sustainable principles, sometimes you could still have both, you can have your cake and eat it too. And you can still, you know, grow fast and, you know, own the company and in the traditional way that you would. But really, I think, with regenerative principles, and others, really pokes a hole in that. And I think we really have to take a long, hard look at ourselves and this business world that we've created, you know, we're not in the times of Milton Friedman anymore. You know, why are we starting businesses just to sell them? You know, I think Simon Sinek had a talk about that, where he talks about, yeah, we're starting businesses just to sell them. Where does that even come from? Why are we still hanging on to that that's clearly very destructive? Why is the success of a company held by, you know, that's held by X amount of employees belong to just one person? Like, these are the questions that we should really be asking ourselves.

18:52 Amanda A whole new model for the business world. So, you know, from global inspiration at Business of Purpose to this idea of Local Activation at Impact Hub, Berlin, you know, on one level, it's a great career shift for you, which is fantastic, but I can't help but reflect on how it may also be a profound reflection of the larger purpose movement. So this idea of moving from inspiration to activation from global to local, as being a crucial key in sort of this next phase of the purpose driven business movement. What's your take on that?

19:30 Izzy Yeah, I definitely given a lot of thought to that myself in this specific transition. But yeah, I think I mean, one of the big trends that is happening in the purpose driven business space is, brands are even partnering with organizations and people who are actually making a real local difference, brands are even tuning into it. I think after COVID their studies done to show that consumers went hyperlocal in their purchasing, you know. Obviously, we all were buying things online, but once people could start shopping local, there was a huge uptick in people wanting to support the, you know, their local spaces around them in their local communities. I think for me, this transition was more reflection of what I needed personally in my life, and what I craved personally, and I did a lot of thinking as to what my purpose statement is. And it really came down to community. So I say that I have this purpose statement, and I can't recall it quickly, but it would be something along the lines of, you know, empowering communities to become an unbridled force of positive change, really. I truly believe in the power of community and I think it can change the world. And for me, I think I had to go back to the basics and, really work on a local level to see what that looks like.

21:00 Amanda Yeah, I think, well, it's at the local level, when we talk community, we know there's a global community, yes, we're part of something bigger, but it's at the local level, where you can see the impact, you can see the change happening, you can be a part of it, you can actually give life to those ideas and incubate them in a in a much more profound way. So yeah, for sure. That's a great purpose statement, by the way, as a personal purpose statement, that's not that's a pretty good one.

21:31 Izzy I urge everyone to do it every two years.

21:36 Amanda I agree with you. I agree with you, personal, purpose statements are not just for big companies or for brands, they're for us as humans, that's what makes purpose so powerful is that it is a human thing. It is a human reason for being. And that's what it is. So, in every episode, we want to leave our listeners with some purpose power tips they can apply today, to level up their business and brand, what would you say are your top two practical power tips for how you would how people can activate and harness purpose to drive growth in their business?

22:18 Izzy Overwhelming, there's so many I can think of, I think the first thing that I would recommend businesses to do is rethink, this is specifically for leadership. But to really rethink your exit strategy as a company. It goes back to what I was talking about a few minutes before and with Simon Sinek, why are we building companies just to sell them? Why are we building companies just to go just to IPO, like, really think about your exit strategy that will lead you into some really amazing spaces. That's how I learned about steward ownership and different ways to own a company.

So that would be the first thing. And then I think the second thing, which is, you know, something less intimidating and long term would be, and it's really simple, but talk to the younger generation, I think I have had a lot of discussions now with 17, to like, even 17 to 20 year old bracket, and like I'm not so much older, but I just I have so much faith in them. And it really inspires me what they're doing. I think it's really great that businesses are finally giving them a time of day. And I think, you know, when we really think about why we're doing this, and we want to leave the planet better than we found it, you have to also think of, for whom, right, and we're leaving it to the younger generation, I think it's better to constantly remind yourself have that and see what they have to say because they're the ones who are gonna have to pardon my French deal with their shit. So talk to them.

And if I could say one last thing, which isn't necessarily something that you can add to your to do list, but it's always a quote that I have sneakily around all my notebooks. I even think I had it on my resume at one point. But it's something because we're tackling some big topics here. And it's a quote by Japanese philosopher, and his name is Daisaku Ikeda, and I really think it's a beautiful quote, and he says, ‘No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve.’ So let that sink in for a second. It really means that these are global problems that we're talking about, and they're scary, and you read the IPCC report and you're like, oh my god, this is overwhelming. But, you know, we created these problems, we did them, and that means that we can't and we have to be the ones to create global solutions to fix them. So we can't underestimate ourselves, because, you know, we did this to ourselves, so we gotta find a way out of it.

25:20 Amanda That was a really profound quote Izzy, can you just repeat who were you quoting?

25:29 Izzy I was born in Japan, but I'm very nervous about my Japanese pronunciation. Daisaku Ikeda, the Japanese Buddhist philosopher.

25:39 Amanda Well Izzy, it’s been great chatting with you all the best to you in your new space at Impact Hub, maybe we'll actually see an Impact Hub in Toronto in the near future.

25:51 Izzy Yeah, Amanda, we're gonna make it happen. If you’re interested in joining then reach out to Amanda and we’ll get it going.

25:58 Amanda Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. So last thing, where can people find you and learn more?

26:05 Izzy Yeah, so you can find me on LinkedIn at Izzy Ahrbeck. And other than that, if you are ever around Berlin, I will probably be living at the new Impact Hub space that's opening next week, Europe's largest social innovation center. So definitely check out Impact Hub Berlin, or you can see on Impact Hub on their website, if there's one near you, because we have over 100 around the world. So chances are, there's one close to you. And other than that, yeah, I'm also an still a very active member of Business of Purpose, trying to launch a few things there. So you can find Amanda and I have Business of Purpose, and you just go to businessofpurpose.com, then you can fill in an application, and then hopefully, we'll see you there. Yeah, and other than that, I'm just very keen to talk to people who either agree, disagree or are questioning things. I love talking to people. So feel free to reach out anyone who wants to.

27:14 Amanda That's fantastic. Thank you, Izzy, for joining us today. And thank you so much for the work that you did at Business of Purpose and are doing and I look forward to seeing all the awesome things that that you take on in the Impact Hub Berlin area. So thank you again.

27:31 Izzy Thank you so much. And thank you for this opportunity.

27:35 Outro Thanks for listening to the Purpose Power brand Podcast. I'm Amanda Stassen. If you liked what you heard, be sure to share and subscribe on your favorite podcast player. We'd also love to hear what resonated with you or if you have a guest suggestion drop us a line at info@bizu.co Special thanks to Mark Salam for original music and lead podcasting for production. Lastly, if you're ready to purpose power, your brand to grow when and impact at scale. Let's talk visit www.bizu.co That's www.bizu.co. Bye for now.