There are so many competing financial commitments in a startup. Finding capital, paying yourself, paying your staff, paying your suppliers, managing budgets, meeting sales projections and ultimately making a profit.
At what point do we have space for giving time over to our Toowoomba community? Our environment?
Community and the environment so often become collateral damage, as they are pushed further and further down the list of priorities.
This is something that is ongoing struggle for myself personally and the business as a whole. I have learnt that is will never be the right time to make the sacrifice of time or profit, that there will always be something else the pops up to take our attention and financial resources.
So when we started I boiled it down to a single question: Will we (Monkey Business Catering) be takers or givers?
Giving, even when it hurts
I choose for us to be givers, even though it hurts. Even though we can’t always be as generous as I would like us to be (that crazy crunch low season January and June hit with BAS and school holidays).
We looked at what we can do:
- Can you take on a trainee and give someone else a start?
- Can you handle any free work experience kids?
- Is there a wastage in your business that can be used by someone less fortunate in your community?
- Can you work your product so that fundraisers or non-profits who are doing things on a shoe-string benefit?
- Can you sponsor or donate something, anything to a fundraiser or charity?
- Is there a community project that you are passionate about that needs extra sets of hands.
I write this next part, not to boast about what we are doing but to show what you can do with limited resources. I fully acknowledge that we are only able to because we have be so incredibly blessed to start with and that there is so much we have yet to do.
What you can achieve with limited resources
- We started with our packaging, as much of it as possible is recyclable and made from renewable resources. Easy, simple, integrated into our daily business
- We have a wonderful school-based trainee who takes time to train but gives up added determination to work with high level of service and professionalism
- Our leftover baking, extra bread and odd shaped goods are still delicious. These ones go out to the wonderful workers at Rosies who look after our homeless
- We give away vouchers for birthday cakes for charity raffles
- We have a standing policy that we will sacrifice 5% of our profit, on any orders made for Toowoomba community groups and fundraisers as our contribution to their amazing community service
Don’t let our community be collateral damage in the pursuit of profits. Do what you can in whatever small or large way to give back. You won’t regret it.
May your joy be multiplied as you give, just as ours has!
Thank you Toowoomba for your part in our journey!
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