One of my many guilty pleasures is that I am a sucker for business motivation books. You know the ones….the ra-ra, “you can do anything you put your mind to” type. Not to offend anyone who shares in my indulgence, but without action those books are relatively worthless.

The operative words there are without action. You see, without action; motivation is hollow – it carries no substance.

However, coupled with action, that motivation can be the catlyst that helps you begin to move mountains.

What does that have to do with today’s post? Absolutely nothing. Except for the fact that one of the authors of those motivational books, Jim Rohn, has one of my favorite quotes of all time regarding using other people’s words:

“Don’t be afraid to borrow if someone else has said it well. Winston Churchill said, ‘The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.’ That’s so well said. You could stay up all night and not think of that.”

In that spirit, this blog post is going to direct you to someone else’s words. Tim Ferriss has a great post on becoming a “Karmic Capitalist.” It explains, with more eloquence and efficiency than I ever could, why Blaine and I have chosen to make Dare To Give our life’s purpose:

Click Here to Read Tim’s Post!

(If you’re not already a fan of Tim’s, spend some time on his site. He has a great entrepreneurial story and always puts out valuable content)

- Benjamin

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be…..the reciprocal of…….the sqaure root…..carry the 6 ……?

Ok, so math isn’t my forte. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth, well – it’s worth watching.

If you gain nothing else from this video, understand this:

YOU have the time to make a difference. 

YOU have the skills to make a difference

YOU are one choice…..ONE choice away from doing just that. 

If you are reading this, then my out-on-a-limb assumptions are that (1) You have a computer and (2) You can read. Those two things place you head and shoulders above human beings who have previously changed the course of this planet. 

You don’t have to start a business. Support one that makes a difference. Work for one. Don’t know where to start? Ask us – we talk to these folks on a daily basis and want nothing more than to help you. Yes, you.

I’ll shut up now. After all, if a video is worth a gazilllllion words, then maybe I don’t need to type that many…

-Benjamin

In entrepreneur-land, most businesses begin by solving a problem.

    They make an existing product better, eliminate a headache, or make it cheaper. Once in a while someone comes along and solves problems we didn’t even know we had. Even high-priced items like designer jeans and luxury cars solve problems such as disease exposures due to lack of clothing, or the inefficiencies created by not having automobile transportation.

 If this is the case (and it is), that problem creates opportunity – let’s examine where the most opportunity exists in our world.

    The United Nations has compiled a list of “Millennium Development Goals.” These are time-bound, quantifiable goals to be addressed by the UN (and society), in order of their gravity.  Among the list are problems of epic proportions such as universal education, HIV/AIDS, and Environmental Sustainability.

 ….But what is the NUMBER ONE problem to be addressed according to the UN….?

 1)   “Eradicate Poverty and Hunger”

 To me, this is beyond exciting.

 ……..Exciting? Yes, exciting! Just as entrepreneurs look to transform problems into opportunities – we must ALL see this as a window of opportunity.

 For Dare To Give, the beauty of this opportunity is two-fold:

 1)   Remember: Problem = Opportunity = Enterprise.

Enterprise creates jobs. Enterprise provides health benefits. Enterprise pays taxes. 

• I won’t go into detail, but those three sentences are imperative to understanding why private enterprise is the answer to most of the problems Washington can’t seem to figure out……with a heavy emphasis on PRIVATE…

2)   In Dare To Give’s case, eradicating hunger represents so much more than a business opportunity. We have at our fingertips the ability, passion, and resources to make a significant impact on the leading global crisis. That is profound.  Doctors go to school for decades, and may save a few thousand lives over the course of their practice. Enterprise with a philanthropic focus represents an opportunity to change the lives of millions of individuals. This is why we will not stop until success is  achieved.

 A quick note on eradicating poverty:

   On the surface it seems that Dare To Give only addresses the hunger part of the Millennium Development #1 Goal, but these issues tend to work in parallel. When a family can sustain life and grow food, it may then grow a surplus, which can be traded/sold and provide financial stability. This is why it is important for Dare To Give not simply to provide food, but to provide resources and education as well. Giving cups of food is generous but not sustainable……However, planting fruit trees in villages and educating families on agricultural technique is – and Dare To Give is dedicated to these sustainability efforts as well.

    Also….we would probably suck at eradicating just poverty. I know I would. There are a lot of numbers involved and Mr. numbers and I have just never gotten along.

    But if you are interested in companies that are acutely focused on eradicating poverty, there are some incredible institutions out there for you to become involved with. The two I recommend are both in the area of micro-finance.

 Grameen Bank: Grameen is a micro-lending bank started by Muhammad Yunus, who has since won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts

 Kiva: Kiva is also a micro-lending platform that allows you to give loans (of various amounts) to emerging entrepreneurs: “Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.”

    That’s all for today. Keep up the good work team! And remember…

Problem = Opportunity = Enterprise

Enterprise = wealth + jobs + health + taxes

And as more and more companies like Dare To Give begin:

Enterprise = Making a Difference

 - Benjamin

This is the statistic that haunts me. Every 5 seconds a child dies from starvation.

It’s an unacceptable number that we can change. No, it’s something we will change. Dare To Give will do whatever it takes to make this problem go away. The reason our company exists, the reason I get up in the morning – is to eradicate world hunger. Period.

We made good progress this week @ DTG. We are close to officially launching the Dare To Give Foundation, our foundation that enhances the mission of our company, Dare To Give LLC.

Thanks for the love and support – the messages that have been pouring in really keep us going. I will keep you updated on the progress of the granola as we get ready to launch in stores. Right now we are in the process of some compliance/procedural due diligence such as FDA standards and nutritional analysis. These steps are necessary, but EXTREMELY frustrating when I think about the “Every 5 Seconds” stat. For those of you who share my impatience and want to help today – don’t forget to use the free resources mentioned in the last post. Those clicks DO make a difference. We can, and we will make an impact.

- Benjamin