Is your business BIG? I don’t mean BIG in the sense of giant — like GE or IBM or Microsoft. I mean BIG as in bold, innovative, and generous. Whether you run a five-person operation out of a single room or a Fortune 500 behemoth with offices around the globe, your business will be better if it’s BIG.
Maynard Webb, CEO of the technology company LiveOps, captured this BIG thinking beautifully in a recent post on his blog: “As our nation grapples with how to maintain its leadership position in the global economy, we should view imbuing a spirit of philanthropy into our companies as one of the vital ways we can foster a culture of creativity, involvement, and commitment to doing good that will make not only individual companies, but our country as a whole stronger. (Companies that give back also gain the added benefit of attracting and retaining the right people.)…As companies and individuals, we can all do more…By giving more, we receive more.”
When he founded LiveOps, Webb (pictured at right) established a charitable foundation and immediately instilled the spirit of giving in the company’s culture. Borrowing from a program that Salesforce.com established, Webb introduced the 1/1/1 program at LiveOps. Employees may use one percent of their work time — a few days per year — for paid days off to do charitable work. The company donates one percent of its profits to charity. And one-percent of the company’s pre-IPO equity has been donated to the foundation. The company also gives new employees a small grant on their first day on the job and asks them to donate the money to the charity of their choice.
“This ‘Day One’ Campaign underscores our belief that being a caring and giving company is not something you do once a year, but everyday,” Webb writes.
In our book, we note that we no longer can rely on giant institutions like the government to solve the world’s problems. It’s up to us as individuals and businesses (tiny or giant) to be bold, innovative, and generous. It’s not only good for a world in need, but it’s also good for your business and your employees.
How can you make your business BIG? Can you adopt a 1/1/1 program? Start small if you must. At one of the companies where I worked, we took a few afternoons off each year to volunteer as a group at a local non-profit. We donated web development services to a few charities each year, and we discounted our products and services for non-profits. We always reminded our employees we did so, and we encouraged them to take their own BIG steps.
As Rich LoRusso, Bruce Cohn and others profiled in our book note, their businesses benefit from their BIG actions, and their work is FAR more fulfilling.
Your travel guide for your BIG journey. Inspiring stories of BIG people and how they did it. Guidance to help you achieve your BIG dreams. And connections so you can join the rising tide of dreams to action. 
Bold, innovative and generous people are in every corner of America. We want to find them, celebrate them, and connect them with you. In the next few weeks and months, we plan to connect with BIG people in every congressional district in America.