Here’s Why People Join Business For Good
San Diego business owners are pretty awesome people. We’re serious about what we do, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We love and support our communities, knowing that when our communities thrive, so do our businesses.
Local business owners like us join Business For Good for one of three reasons: to make a sale, to make a connection, or to make a difference.
Oftentimes, it ends up being all three. Your point of entry into BFG organically leads to growing your business, making long-term connections, and helping to drive policy that improves San Diego for all. Read on to discover all the ways joining BFG can benefit you!
Join Business For Good to Make a Sale
The idea of making money sometimes gets a bad rap, but it shouldn’t. Operating a successful business is difficult, and it is costly. And for some businesses, COVID-19 has now made those costs astronomical.
Business For Good is an excellent space for values-conscious business owners to form meaningful connections that lead to new, qualified client work. Our monthly General Member Meetings and Social Hours, as well as our lively members-only Slack channel, all give you ample opportunities to get to know other BFG business owners and learn how you can be of service to them.
“I joined BFG to make connections, but also to grow my business with the types of clients I really wanted to work with,” said Sarah Beauchemin, owner + founder of Protagonist Content, a brand messaging strategy and copywriting outfit.
As a busy solopreneur with a home office, Sarah found it challenging to forge meaningful connections with other professionals. “Entrepreneurship can be lonely,” she said. “Having a connection and camaraderie with local like-minded business owners is precious.”
But that camaraderie was also an integral part of lead generation for Sarah’s business.
“When I started Protagonist Content in 2015, I had lots of connections, but I struggled with finding qualified leads,” Sarah said. “My dream clients were folks who are actively working to make the world a better place—B Corporations, sustainable brands, social entrepreneurs, and nonprofits.”
Most of Sarah’s own purpose-driven background was rooted in nonprofits and education: two sectors that are notoriously underfunded.
“Sadly, these organizations often have to choose between having a functional website or crafting their core messaging framework,” Sarah said. “Both are necessary, but they simply don’t have the budget to cover both. I had so many connections tell me they really wanted to work with me, but just couldn’t swing it financially.”
Sarah joined BFG in 2018 in the hopes of partnering with other purpose-driven business owners who were actively seeking messaging strategy and content support for themselves or their own clients.
Since joining, Sarah is thrilled to have worked with six other BFG members as clients. And these six clients have led to four other clients outside of BFG.
“I cannot emphasize just how grateful I am for the values-aligned professional and personal connections I’ve made at BFG,” Sarah said. “The old saying ‘business is all about who you know’ is absolutely true. And when you know incredible people like BFG members, your business will no doubt thrive.”
Join Business For Good to Make a Connection
It can be tough for socially conscious business owners to make genuine professional connections. Traditional business networking groups can feel too salesy or disconnected from the values and beliefs that matter most to us.
Beth Gutierrez, owner + founder of Joy Culture Events, joined Business For Good for exactly this reason.
“I think BFG’s key differentiator from other networking groups is that all our members have a mutual love for San Diego and the simultaneous drive to constantly improve it,” she said. “We really want to make it a more inclusive home for everyone.”
Another plus for Beth is that BFG is not industry-specific like some other business networking groups. At BFG, she met people from all backgrounds, perspectives, and areas of expertise. She found tremendous value in getting to know, and learning from, folks in industries outside of her own.
“Beyond that, I love that BFG isn’t a stuffy group,” Beth said. “It’s definitely not a crowd that’s going to try and pass out as many business cards as possible. Everyone I’ve met in BFG is just…cool.”
Beth also mentioned that connecting with BFG really helped her feel part of a supportive, collaborative community—something that was incredibly important in the early days of growing Joy Culture Events.
“I learned about BFG from my cousin in early 2017, when the organization was just getting off the ground here in San Diego,” she said. “I had just left the marketing agency world to start my own event company, so I was very eager to meet other like-minded solo and small business owners in San Diego County.”
Making connections through BFG helps people with businesses that are new, small, or a bit unstable to find both belonging and support. Many of these folks regularly attend BFG events and are active in our member committees because of the community and connection they have found.
“Our members are so passionate, driven, creative, and uncompromising in their values,” Beth said. “They are just good humans. I encourage all community-minded business owners to join. You will find so much value in ways you may not even anticipate, and will be endlessly inspired just by knowing this group.”
Join Business For Good to Make a Difference
Some San Diego business owners already have a strong network and an established business. But they want to go further with making a real, meaningful impact in San Diego. Business For Good is the perfect place to do that.
“I was having lunch with former BFG board member Jamie Hampton of Mixte Communications a couple of years ago,” said Jay Buys, co-founder + CEO of Visceral, a digital agency and Certified B Corporation.
“We were discussing the challenges of running a small business while trying to do the right thing, and how to get involved and make an impact in the community,” he said. “Jamie mentioned BFG as a growing community of local business owners that all care about these things.”
After attending a couple BFG meetings and chatting with members, Jay was hooked. So hooked, in fact, that he became a BFG board member in 2020.
“BFG is a great way to get local business owners a seat at the table where policy decisions are being made,” Jay said. “But it’s also an amazing community of people with shared values who are not only excited to help make San Diego better, but also to help and support each other.”
Jay pointed out that major local policy wins BFG rallied behind—such as the City of San Diego’s styrofoam ban and Community Choice Energy—are proof that it’s possible to make real impact through groups like BFG and its partner organizations.
“If you want a better nation, start by being a better citizen,” he said. “Business owners are particularly important in influencing local policy because our collective voices carry more weight with elected officials than any one individual voice does. We have a moral responsibility to use the power we have to help shape policy in a way that benefits everyone in San Diego.”
Most of all, Jay admires the unwavering determination of BFG members.
“These are very busy folks who show up and volunteer what little free time they have because they believe they can make a difference,” he said. “It is one of the most inspiring communities that I’ve ever had the fortune to be a part of.”
