August 8, 2024 • 27 mins
Are you looking for a Third Growth Option ℠ ?
Anna-Maja Björkenvall, CEO of LXMI, shares transformative insights on how meaningful work can elevate both your business and your impact. Inspired by the late Laila Janna's philosophy of "give work versus do good," this conversation explores how businesses can uplift marginalized communities through dignified employment, connecting underserved populations with opportunities at Fortune 500 companies. Learn how technology can bridge opportunity gaps and promote economic empowerment on a global scale.
We also delve into the world of sustainable skincare, exploring how mission-driven practices can differentiate your brand from competitors. Discover the benefits of authentic sourcing, overcoming greenwashing, and building a strong social impact initiative.
Anna discusses how purpose-driven strategies can enhance employee loyalty, boost customer advocacy, reduce marketing costs, and increase engagement.
Always growing.
Benno Duenkelsbuehler
CEO & Chief Sherpa of (re)ALIGN
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, welcome to the Third Growth Officer podcast,
where we talk about all thingsgrowth, yes, even and especially
those hard parts where you shedsome skin and pick yourself up
by the bootstraps.
Hey, I'm Benno Dunkelspüler,growth Sherpa and OG hashtag
growth nerd.
We're on a mission to redefinesuccess inside and outside the
(00:23):
business, one TGO episode at atime.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
All right, Anna Maja Bjorkenvall, CEO of Luxme New
York bjorken vall, ceo of lux me, new york.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
You're in new york today.
Uh, I'm benno the host.
Um, this is third gross optionpodcast.
Um, uh, anna, you have beenpart of lux me for six years ceo
since 2020 and uh, lux me, aswell as other businesses around
the Luxme brand, are very, verypurpose-driven.
(01:10):
Purpose is sort of a buzzwordout there.
People try to.
You know, people sometimesmisuse it.
The concept of purpose to fit.
You know, to check a box.
The concept of purpose to fit,you know to check a box.
And Luxme, and you know this,I'll call it the parent company
(01:36):
or brand, samasource.
You know you can't really talkabout Luxme without talking
about your late founder, lailaJanna.
Did I say it right now?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, Laila Janna.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Did I say it right now?
Yes, laila, janna.
Okay, good, you have sent mesome of her YouTube videos and
articles.
Just a lion's soul, I think youcalled her a few minutes ago.
Her social impact venture,samasource unbelievable.
Started as a nonprofit, hassince become a self-sustaining
(02:07):
for-profit company.
So I want to just get yourinsights and your thoughts
around the power of purpose andthe impact purpose you know is
having on Luxme and possibly youknow your own growth is having
on Luxme and possibly your owngrowth.
(02:27):
But let's start with Laila'sphrase give work versus do good.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
What does that mean to you?
To me, it really meanseverything currently right In a
day and age.
Like you said, the worldnowadays, do good often means
nonprofit and philanthropy andthe business world's focus on
maximizing profits and maybe atbest, value added.
Nice to haves, planting treesor give back donations.
(02:58):
Ultimately, it's afundamentally disempowering
approach.
It's a fundamentallydisempowering approach.
There's so much talent in theworld that we, on a global scale
, are not tapping into simply bythis lottery of geography.
Talent is equally distributed,opportunity is not, and for us,
(03:21):
we really see that giving workis just such a powerful force
when it comes to creating change, work and feeling productive.
It's at the core of humandignity.
It really provides a sense ofagency and sustainable
opportunity in a way thatdonations and handouts rarely do
(03:42):
.
And it also comes down to afundamental perspective on human
life and potential.
You know it's.
Do we view these marginalizedpopulations as kind of helpless
charity cases in need ofhandouts, or do we view them, as
you know, humans capable, foryou know, all sorts of great
(04:06):
endeavors, as long as they getthe opportunity to do so?
So you know it's, I thinkhandouts and this kind of
nonprofit do good worlds, or theapproach.
It makes us feel good as donorsa lot of the times, but it
doesn't truly solve coreproblems and it can create a lot
(04:26):
of really unsustainabledependencies, whether it is, you
know, giving to someone, to anindividual, or on the kind of
larger scale, you know, foreignaid model, where a lot of the
times we, you know, we give andhope that it reaches the people,
that the funds reaches thepeople that need it the most.
But even in the case when thathappens, it still can create a
(04:49):
lot of um, unbalanceddependencies where the recipient
government is then more, uh,responsible to the donor
community, to the donorgovernment and the indebted,
literally indebted, yeah, andindebted?
Yeah, exactly, and it's thewhole thing around.
You know, we try to solve allthese other issues downstream,
(05:27):
whether it's healthcare oreducation or sanitation, by
giving work and fair wage,meaningful, dignified work to
people in these communities.
It really kind of shiftseverything and, you know, kind
of flips it on its head.
This, this, this idea that youknow, yeah, work in a business
(05:48):
and make all your money and then, you know, when you reach a
certain age, then give it allaway in philanthropy, but you
can actually, you know, create,uh, businesses like luxme or
samasource, as you mentioned, ormany other social impact
ventures out there that do goodin the whole um, during, during,
before, during and after um thewhole purchase, the purchase
(06:11):
cycle, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Talk, talk a little bit about SamaSource, because I
I found that, um, I I think whatSamaSource has is about has
done is doing is amazing.
Uh, it about has done is doingis amazing.
Uh, it's just amazing work.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
So just talk a little bit about samasource before we
get into lux me yes, I meansamasource, like you mentioned.
It's, it's kind of the parentsister company to us.
Uh luck, miss founder lila janafounded that in her early 20s
she, um, she was setting upthese computer centers in in
rural parts of africa, uh givinggiving work to uh women and and
(06:54):
young adults and very basiccomputer uh entry skills,
programming or entry uh, evenjust yeah, data annotation or
say, for example, commentmoderation for Facebook or
annotating images for Tesla,that sort of stuff.
It's very basic, simple,straightforward tasks that can
(07:17):
be done on a piece piece bypiece basis.
I mean, you don't need a lot oftraining but in that way,
connecting these marginalizedcommunities to Fortune 500
customers like Google, microsoftand Tesla, and that is really
the power of you know, the powerof technology, because
(07:40):
obviously we have a lot of youknow, really amazing ventures
where it's you know, giving, forexample, microloans to people
in these communities.
The tricky thing is, you know,yes, you're empowering people
with not a lot of resources tosell to other people with not a
lot of resources.
So by connecting thesecommunities through the power of
(08:03):
technology with these Fortune500 companies, you can really
create a lot of really amazingchange.
Started doing that, like I said, in the early 20s, built that
(08:25):
up, started as a nonprofit andthen later built it into fully
sustainable and amazing forprofit.
And as she was traveling backand forth to Africa a lot and to
these remote regions, she cameupon these amazing local
ingredients that people havebeen using for generations and
she just realized how amazingall of these plants and
botanicals are, but obviously alot of the big skincare brands
(08:47):
don't go and scout in ruralUganda or something like that.
So she realized that, oh, byapplying the same type of give
work model, she was also able tocreate them LuxMe from that.
So it's the whole mission ofgiving work as a way to uplift
and create change in society.
(09:09):
She, like I said she, was areally incredible soul.
Uh, she very sadly passed awayfrom from an aggressive form
form of cancer, um, in 2020, andjust at the way too early age
of 37, but already at that pointshe had lifted over 50 000
(09:29):
people out of poverty.
And you know, it's just.
I always think what would have,you know what would have
happened had she lived until her80s or 90s.
Right, she just had this visionabout how to create a
difference in this world.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
But what I found so fascinating about Laila's story
is that she had just a singlesort of simple vision for let's
just help, let's just dosomething.
I wrote down these three tipshow anyone can have impact, and
(10:10):
I just kind of wanted you toreact.
Or let's talk about that alittle bit.
She says, number one try toturn pain into power, to build
grit every chance you get.
That one really resonated withme because grit is one of my
(10:30):
company's core values.
When I'm not a podcast host, Irun a growth agency and it's all
about grit, um.
And the third one don't needyou, don't need to be a saint to
make an impact.
And and my god, when you watchthese videos of this um, of your
late founder, you do kind oflook at her as you know, a saint
(10:53):
, but, um, she just put herpants on one leg at a time, like
everybody else, and she justtried to make stuff happen.
Um, and I think peopleovercomplicate purpose, people
overcomplicate helping um, talk,talk a little.
I mean anything in those threethat I just mentioned resonate
(11:17):
more than the other two maybe.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Of course.
I think all of it is soimpactful in the message and I
think, like you said, laila wasincredible and it was such a
blessing to work with her, butshe was also just a regular
person, right.
She just had this vision andthis idea that it's through
(11:41):
creating work that you canreally make a difference.
And you know, she had worked alot, just volunteer working from
an early age in predominantlyin Africa, and just seeing all
of this talent that was thereand all of these super smart
kids that just didn't have theopportunity right, and
especially her herself as animmigrant, um, you know, first
(12:04):
generation, um first generationindia to california right
exactly, and seeing that youknow, yeah, she, she had the
chance through a lot of hustleand grit.
You know, the family didn't comefrom good means at all, or so I
think, seeing also that, yeah,it's, it's, it is a birth
lottery, right, a birthplacelottery, and all of these
(12:28):
amazing people that live withyou know terrible circumstances
and you know it's just how do wereally empower them?
And, um, in that way, like, yeah, once you realize that it's
really work that makes adifference.
Because, yes, of course, we cancome in and you know, well
intentioned, from the west andbuild a school, for example,
right, but what happens to thatpoorest kid when their parents
(12:52):
can't afford school uniforms orschool books and they get taken
out of school, right?
Right, then it just evencreates even bigger gaps in
society, right.
So by giving work to thosepoorest parents, you can really
shift a lot.
The same thing when it comes tohealthcare, education, all of
that stuff, right.
So I think it's the thing ofnot putting people that make a
(13:15):
difference on a pedestal, Ithink is so important, because
it really, you know, we run therisk of kind of thinking of us
versus them and in that way, youknow, feel like yes, these are
people if we look at, you knowMother Teresa or MLK or Gandhi
that you know.
(13:35):
It's easy to view it as theyhad something that I don't have.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
They are specifically talented, it becomes
intimidating to the rest of us.
Right that are not Gandhi orMartin Luther King or Mother
Teresa.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, and I think that's the big part of the
problem, because we removeourselves from that moral duty
to act right and and yes, noteveryone can do everything and
obviously, you know, motherTeresa and all of these heroes
have done fantastic things, butthey're human, regular human
(14:12):
beings as well, right, just justlike you and I, and I think
that's why it's so empowering tosee that, yes, you know, we can
all do something, and just that, whatever that little might be,
I always, you know, encourageespecially entrepreneurs and
business owners to look at asocial impact model.
There's so many easy ways that,you know, people can incorporate
(14:34):
purpose into their business,even if it's not on their own
business, but looking at who dothey partner with, who are your
vendors, where do you buy yoursupplies?
There's so many different wayswe can tap into that, and you
don't have to be a sage for thatright.
So I think it's, you know,there's, you know there, yeah,
(14:58):
there's, there's, there's justso much to I can talk about it
in terms of all of these thingsyou know it's passion.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Let's pivot a little bit from sort of the founder
story and Sama source and youknow that concept that she came
up with of uh.
You know, give work versusdoing good, and let's
specifically talk a little bitabout you.
You in your role as ceo of luxme.
(15:31):
Talk a little bit of uh.
So you mentioned uh.
You know it's a personal carebrand, uh and uh built with
natural ingredients.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Talk a little bit about lux me and yeah, uh, let's
just start there yeah, I meanobviously I can talk a lot about
that too, but just briefly toto explain that lux me is a
social impact skincare brand, uh, based on rare, clinically
effective plant-basedingredients that we source in
(16:00):
these developing nations throughwomen's fair trade cooperatives
and in the process, then givingwork to oftentimes, women or
indigenous communities and also,in that way, give a financial
incentive to the localcommunities to keep these
natural resources alive andpreserve the biodiversity.
So it's a really cool processfor the modern consumer to be
(16:23):
part of doing something good notjust for your skin but also for
the world at large and theenvironment.
For example, we have oneingredient is called tuka oil
that we source throughenvironmental nonprofit called
Conservation International andthis tribe in the Surinamese
Amazon jungle, where the projectenables the tribe to protect
(16:48):
235,000 hectares of Amazonrainforest.
So it's a really cool, you knowway to for the modern consumer
to, especially when it comes toclimate change.
It can feel so daunting and alot of the things that we hear
about climate change is somehowlive less.
It's eat less red meat, flyless, drive less, live less.
(17:11):
Do these type of initiativeswhere you're getting ready in
the morning anyway, but you canmake a difference in something
so simple as your skincareroutine, while also then tapping
into this incredible library ofmedicinal plants that are
available out there but that wedon't really have access to
(17:34):
because, you know it's it iscomplicated to source them, but
it's a source that source themright in a in a in a good way.
But that is one of those thingsthat you know, I'm really
excited about when it comes toLuxme and the promise that we
can, that we can get to thecustomer.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And I I bet you that one of your challenges at Luxme
is that is having your messagecut through the clutter of a lot
of other brands that are sortof you know, greenwashing,
whitewashing, you know that arepretending to be, you know,
(18:14):
pretending to have a purpose,pretending to be good for the
world and the environment andhumanity, and all of that, and
they're really not right.
I mean, there's a lot of yourcompetitors are saying some or
many of the things you're saying.
So how do you get your storyout there in a cynical world?
Speaker 2 (18:38):
It's true there's a lot of clutter and a lot of
noise out there, but I thinkalso the consumer is really
savvy and they do see through alot of this inauthentic
messaging in our message.
They know it's not a trend forus.
This is what we're built aroundand I think when you come from
(19:08):
a really deep-rooted mission andwhere it's value-led not, like
I said, a nice-to-have after thefact the consumer really
resonates with that and we allwant to make a difference right,
and I think the consumer isrealizing that they can really
kind of vote with their dollars,you know, make an impact
through their wallet and theirpurchases.
(19:29):
So of course, there is alwaysgoing to be competition, but
that's kind of just part of thegame.
It's just how do you keep onstaying true and consistent and
authentic in that?
And you know know, having astrong purpose really helps with
that, because it's just kind of, is that a roadmap for us
forward?
Speaker 1 (19:49):
and I mean it's clear , it's clear to me and you know,
in the conversations you and Ihad prior to recording this
podcast and you know in inwatching the you know YouTube
videos of Lila talking aboutSamus Horse and purpose and give
(20:09):
work versus doing good that youknow you're all bought in.
I mean, you've devoted the lastsix years of your career to
helping and supporting andnurturing and growing Luxme.
(20:32):
So I think for you and peopleon your team, you know there is
sort of an employee loyaltyaspect that comes from just
feeling good about what you'recontributing to, that you're
contributing to something biggerthan just a P&L income
(20:55):
statement.
You know some press release youknow some press release.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
You know you and your customers really believe in
what you're doing Absolutely,and I think that's one of the
many benefits of being a missionled brand.
And I think you know a lot oftimes if I talk to other
entrepreneurs or founders andwas trying to encourage them to
go the social impact route andthey say, oh, you know, it
sounds expensive, right, and youknow, I understand that.
That, you know, I understandthat concern, but I think you
(21:31):
know for sure it takes effortand thoughtfulness to put
something like that together.
And you know it might not befor everyone to take on, not be
for everyone to take on, but,like I said, it's you know,
looking at it, holisticallythough it's, can you afford not
to?
You know for, for, for you know, any social impact brand or any
brand, right it's.
You know employee retention andrecruitment of you know really
(21:55):
high quality talent is reallytricky, especially in this
globalized world, right, and youknow many people, especially in
the youngerized world and manypeople, especially in the
younger generations, they're notjust looking for a paycheck.
Of course, pay is alwaysimportant and we all have bills
to pay, but at the end of theday too, we want to feel like
we're part of something bigger.
And keeping employees engagedhear a lot about this quiet
(22:19):
quitting and all of that stuff.
Motivation is a huge, hugething.
So having a clear why to yourbusiness that is, you know,
beyond just we want to crank outproducts and get rich type of
thing it's really important and,like you said, it's also for
the customers.
You know they, you know theycome, they, the customer, come
to us for the quality of ourproducts, but they stay because
(22:42):
of what we do and they becomereally loyal customers because
of that.
They tell their friends, theybecome real advocates for the
brand and, like I said, theywant to be part of this movement
.
So we barely spend money onmarketing and this is just
thanks to this social impactmission that just kind of
(23:02):
energizes every part of thebusiness.
So you know you might do aregular business and, you know,
end up spending way more inmarketing, turnover costs,
hiring and you know employeeengagement and all of that.
So I think if you look at itholistically and you see that
everybody wins like even themost crude, hardcore capitalist
(23:22):
would see, then the benefit ofgoing for something like that.
Obviously, like we said, it hasto still be authentic and
genuine, because people see whenit's, you know, perfunctory and
inauthentic, but you know, justlooking at, okay, well, what is
something that makes youfrustrated or angry in society
or something that you feelreally passionate about and kind
(23:43):
of build around there, and yeah, it just, it just acts as this
kind of sixth gear, both formyself and for the team and for
for for people around the brand.
So I do, you know, I couldn'trecommend it more than you love
what you do and you're verypassionate about it.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
And I think that's a good place to sort of wrap up
this conversation and also giveor ask you if folks wanted to
reach out to you one-on-one,what is the best way for them to
(24:22):
find you on LinkedIn or anemail address, whatever you feel
comfortable giving out there,because I think, after listening
to you talk about the power ofpurpose and what it means to the
Luxme brand and what it meansto you personally and your team,
and people are going to want toask you one-on-one because
(24:45):
they'll have questions abouthelp me walk, help me, you know,
talk me through your experienceas it relates to my experience.
Right, what's a good way forpeople to reach you?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
It's easiest to reach me on LinkedIn.
It's a little bit of a trickyname to spell, but you know I'm
not trickier than mine exactly,exactly, so you know, put that
in whatever podcast podcastdescription to to make it easier
to find, or through um lux meofficial on all of the big you
know, all of the big socialmedia platforms, because I do
(25:21):
think that, yes, there are a lotof really easy kind of
low-hanging fruit tools to applywhen it comes to social impact.
Like I said, it doesn't have tobe so daunting to redo your
whole business, but it mightjust be the vendors that you
work with and for e-combusinesses, for example, there's
(25:42):
a lot of really great resourcesout there they can look into.
For example, abilityonecompanies that do 3PL handling,
but it's the biggest worktraining program for people with
disabilities.
So it's, you know you can makea difference through something
which is a subsidized governmentprogram and in the same way,
(26:03):
you know, really leave a legacyin a way, and you know it helps
in the storytelling around thebrand.
So there's so many of theselittle tools that people don't
necessarily know about, but youknow I'd be happy to share and
if there's anything I can do tohelp, I'm always happy to do so
to share and, um, if there'sanything I can do to help, I'm
(26:26):
always, always happy to do soand, by the way, lux me is lxmi
and I and I guess your websiteis lxmicom, correct?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
okay, you know, I took a leap of faith there.
Uh, thank you so much, anna.
Uh, this was uh.
I appreciate you sharing yourinsights and your passion for
what you do.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Thank you so much for having me.
This was great.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Thank you for listening to this episode of TGO
Podcast.
You can find all episodes onour podcast page at
wwwrealign4resultscom.
You can find me, benno, host ofTGO Podcast, there as well.
Just email, benno B-E-N-N-O atrealign4resultscom.
(27:14):
Let's keep growing, you.
Hey, welcome to the Third Growth Officer podcast,
where we talk about all thingsgrowth, yes, even and especially
those hard parts where you shedsome skin and pick yourself up
by the bootstraps.
Hey, I'm Benno Dunkelspüler,growth Sherpa and OG hashtag
growth nerd.
We're on a mission to redefinesuccess inside and outside the
(00:23):
business, one TGO episode at atime.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
All right, Anna Maja Bjorkenvall, CEO of Luxme New
York bjorken vall, ceo of lux me, new york.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
You're in new york today.
Uh, I'm benno the host.
Um, this is third gross optionpodcast.
Um, uh, anna, you have beenpart of lux me for six years ceo
since 2020 and uh, lux me, aswell as other businesses around
the Luxme brand, are very, verypurpose-driven.
(01:10):
Purpose is sort of a buzzwordout there.
People try to.
You know, people sometimesmisuse it.
The concept of purpose to fit.
You know, to check a box.
The concept of purpose to fit,you know to check a box.
And Luxme, and you know this,I'll call it the parent company
(01:36):
or brand, samasource.
You know you can't really talkabout Luxme without talking
about your late founder, lailaJanna.
Did I say it right now?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, Laila Janna.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Did I say it right now?
Yes, laila, janna.
Okay, good, you have sent mesome of her YouTube videos and
articles.
Just a lion's soul, I think youcalled her a few minutes ago.
Her social impact venture,samasource unbelievable.
Started as a nonprofit, hassince become a self-sustaining
(02:07):
for-profit company.
So I want to just get yourinsights and your thoughts
around the power of purpose andthe impact purpose you know is
having on Luxme and possibly youknow your own growth is having
on Luxme and possibly your owngrowth.
(02:27):
But let's start with Laila'sphrase give work versus do good.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
What does that mean to you?
To me, it really meanseverything currently right In a
day and age.
Like you said, the worldnowadays, do good often means
nonprofit and philanthropy andthe business world's focus on
maximizing profits and maybe atbest, value added.
Nice to haves, planting treesor give back donations.
(02:58):
Ultimately, it's afundamentally disempowering
approach.
It's a fundamentallydisempowering approach.
There's so much talent in theworld that we, on a global scale
, are not tapping into simply bythis lottery of geography.
Talent is equally distributed,opportunity is not, and for us,
(03:21):
we really see that giving workis just such a powerful force
when it comes to creating change, work and feeling productive.
It's at the core of humandignity.
It really provides a sense ofagency and sustainable
opportunity in a way thatdonations and handouts rarely do
(03:42):
.
And it also comes down to afundamental perspective on human
life and potential.
You know it's.
Do we view these marginalizedpopulations as kind of helpless
charity cases in need ofhandouts, or do we view them, as
you know, humans capable, foryou know, all sorts of great
(04:06):
endeavors, as long as they getthe opportunity to do so?
So you know it's, I thinkhandouts and this kind of
nonprofit do good worlds, or theapproach.
It makes us feel good as donorsa lot of the times, but it
doesn't truly solve coreproblems and it can create a lot
(04:26):
of really unsustainabledependencies, whether it is, you
know, giving to someone, to anindividual, or on the kind of
larger scale, you know, foreignaid model, where a lot of the
times we, you know, we give andhope that it reaches the people,
that the funds reaches thepeople that need it the most.
But even in the case when thathappens, it still can create a
(04:49):
lot of um, unbalanceddependencies where the recipient
government is then more, uh,responsible to the donor
community, to the donorgovernment and the indebted,
literally indebted, yeah, andindebted?
Yeah, exactly, and it's thewhole thing around.
You know, we try to solve allthese other issues downstream,
(05:27):
whether it's healthcare oreducation or sanitation, by
giving work and fair wage,meaningful, dignified work to
people in these communities.
It really kind of shiftseverything and, you know, kind
of flips it on its head.
This, this, this idea that youknow, yeah, work in a business
(05:48):
and make all your money and then, you know, when you reach a
certain age, then give it allaway in philanthropy, but you
can actually, you know, create,uh, businesses like luxme or
samasource, as you mentioned, ormany other social impact
ventures out there that do goodin the whole um, during, during,
before, during and after um thewhole purchase, the purchase
(06:11):
cycle, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Talk, talk a little bit about SamaSource, because I
I found that, um, I I think whatSamaSource has is about has
done is doing is amazing.
Uh, it about has done is doingis amazing.
Uh, it's just amazing work.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
So just talk a little bit about samasource before we
get into lux me yes, I meansamasource, like you mentioned.
It's, it's kind of the parentsister company to us.
Uh luck, miss founder lila janafounded that in her early 20s
she, um, she was setting upthese computer centers in in
rural parts of africa, uh givinggiving work to uh women and and
(06:54):
young adults and very basiccomputer uh entry skills,
programming or entry uh, evenjust yeah, data annotation or
say, for example, commentmoderation for Facebook or
annotating images for Tesla,that sort of stuff.
It's very basic, simple,straightforward tasks that can
(07:17):
be done on a piece piece bypiece basis.
I mean, you don't need a lot oftraining but in that way,
connecting these marginalizedcommunities to Fortune 500
customers like Google, microsoftand Tesla, and that is really
the power of you know, the powerof technology, because
(07:40):
obviously we have a lot of youknow, really amazing ventures
where it's you know, giving, forexample, microloans to people
in these communities.
The tricky thing is, you know,yes, you're empowering people
with not a lot of resources tosell to other people with not a
lot of resources.
So by connecting thesecommunities through the power of
(08:03):
technology with these Fortune500 companies, you can really
create a lot of really amazingchange.
Started doing that, like I said, in the early 20s, built that
(08:25):
up, started as a nonprofit andthen later built it into fully
sustainable and amazing forprofit.
And as she was traveling backand forth to Africa a lot and to
these remote regions, she cameupon these amazing local
ingredients that people havebeen using for generations and
she just realized how amazingall of these plants and
botanicals are, but obviously alot of the big skincare brands
(08:47):
don't go and scout in ruralUganda or something like that.
So she realized that, oh, byapplying the same type of give
work model, she was also able tocreate them LuxMe from that.
So it's the whole mission ofgiving work as a way to uplift
and create change in society.
(09:09):
She, like I said she, was areally incredible soul.
Uh, she very sadly passed awayfrom from an aggressive form
form of cancer, um, in 2020, andjust at the way too early age
of 37, but already at that pointshe had lifted over 50 000
(09:29):
people out of poverty.
And you know, it's just.
I always think what would have,you know what would have
happened had she lived until her80s or 90s.
Right, she just had this visionabout how to create a
difference in this world.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
But what I found so fascinating about Laila's story
is that she had just a singlesort of simple vision for let's
just help, let's just dosomething.
I wrote down these three tipshow anyone can have impact, and
(10:10):
I just kind of wanted you toreact.
Or let's talk about that alittle bit.
She says, number one try toturn pain into power, to build
grit every chance you get.
That one really resonated withme because grit is one of my
(10:30):
company's core values.
When I'm not a podcast host, Irun a growth agency and it's all
about grit, um.
And the third one don't needyou, don't need to be a saint to
make an impact.
And and my god, when you watchthese videos of this um, of your
late founder, you do kind oflook at her as you know, a saint
(10:53):
, but, um, she just put herpants on one leg at a time, like
everybody else, and she justtried to make stuff happen.
Um, and I think peopleovercomplicate purpose, people
overcomplicate helping um, talk,talk a little.
I mean anything in those threethat I just mentioned resonate
(11:17):
more than the other two maybe.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Of course.
I think all of it is soimpactful in the message and I
think, like you said, laila wasincredible and it was such a
blessing to work with her, butshe was also just a regular
person, right.
She just had this vision andthis idea that it's through
(11:41):
creating work that you canreally make a difference.
And you know, she had worked alot, just volunteer working from
an early age in predominantlyin Africa, and just seeing all
of this talent that was thereand all of these super smart
kids that just didn't have theopportunity right, and
especially her herself as animmigrant, um, you know, first
(12:04):
generation, um first generationindia to california right
exactly, and seeing that youknow, yeah, she, she had the
chance through a lot of hustleand grit.
You know, the family didn't comefrom good means at all, or so I
think, seeing also that, yeah,it's, it's, it is a birth
lottery, right, a birthplacelottery, and all of these
(12:28):
amazing people that live withyou know terrible circumstances
and you know it's just how do wereally empower them?
And, um, in that way, like, yeah, once you realize that it's
really work that makes adifference.
Because, yes, of course, we cancome in and you know, well
intentioned, from the west andbuild a school, for example,
right, but what happens to thatpoorest kid when their parents
(12:52):
can't afford school uniforms orschool books and they get taken
out of school, right?
Right, then it just evencreates even bigger gaps in
society, right.
So by giving work to thosepoorest parents, you can really
shift a lot.
The same thing when it comes tohealthcare, education, all of
that stuff, right.
So I think it's the thing ofnot putting people that make a
(13:15):
difference on a pedestal, Ithink is so important, because
it really, you know, we run therisk of kind of thinking of us
versus them and in that way, youknow, feel like yes, these are
people if we look at, you knowMother Teresa or MLK or Gandhi
that you know.
(13:35):
It's easy to view it as theyhad something that I don't have.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
They are specifically talented, it becomes
intimidating to the rest of us.
Right that are not Gandhi orMartin Luther King or Mother
Teresa.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, and I think that's the big part of the
problem, because we removeourselves from that moral duty
to act right and and yes, noteveryone can do everything and
obviously, you know, motherTeresa and all of these heroes
have done fantastic things, butthey're human, regular human
(14:12):
beings as well, right, just justlike you and I, and I think
that's why it's so empowering tosee that, yes, you know, we can
all do something, and just that, whatever that little might be,
I always, you know, encourageespecially entrepreneurs and
business owners to look at asocial impact model.
There's so many easy ways that,you know, people can incorporate
(14:34):
purpose into their business,even if it's not on their own
business, but looking at who dothey partner with, who are your
vendors, where do you buy yoursupplies?
There's so many different wayswe can tap into that, and you
don't have to be a sage for thatright.
So I think it's, you know,there's, you know there, yeah,
(14:58):
there's, there's, there's justso much to I can talk about it
in terms of all of these thingsyou know it's passion.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Let's pivot a little bit from sort of the founder
story and Sama source and youknow that concept that she came
up with of uh.
You know, give work versusdoing good, and let's
specifically talk a little bitabout you.
You in your role as ceo of luxme.
(15:31):
Talk a little bit of uh.
So you mentioned uh.
You know it's a personal carebrand, uh and uh built with
natural ingredients.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Talk a little bit about lux me and yeah, uh, let's
just start there yeah, I meanobviously I can talk a lot about
that too, but just briefly toto explain that lux me is a
social impact skincare brand, uh, based on rare, clinically
effective plant-basedingredients that we source in
(16:00):
these developing nations throughwomen's fair trade cooperatives
and in the process, then givingwork to oftentimes, women or
indigenous communities and also,in that way, give a financial
incentive to the localcommunities to keep these
natural resources alive andpreserve the biodiversity.
So it's a really cool processfor the modern consumer to be
(16:23):
part of doing something good notjust for your skin but also for
the world at large and theenvironment.
For example, we have oneingredient is called tuka oil
that we source throughenvironmental nonprofit called
Conservation International andthis tribe in the Surinamese
Amazon jungle, where the projectenables the tribe to protect
(16:48):
235,000 hectares of Amazonrainforest.
So it's a really cool, you knowway to for the modern consumer
to, especially when it comes toclimate change.
It can feel so daunting and alot of the things that we hear
about climate change is somehowlive less.
It's eat less red meat, flyless, drive less, live less.
(17:11):
Do these type of initiativeswhere you're getting ready in
the morning anyway, but you canmake a difference in something
so simple as your skincareroutine, while also then tapping
into this incredible library ofmedicinal plants that are
available out there but that wedon't really have access to
(17:34):
because, you know it's it iscomplicated to source them, but
it's a source that source themright in a in a in a good way.
But that is one of those thingsthat you know, I'm really
excited about when it comes toLuxme and the promise that we
can, that we can get to thecustomer.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And I I bet you that one of your challenges at Luxme
is that is having your messagecut through the clutter of a lot
of other brands that are sortof you know, greenwashing,
whitewashing, you know that arepretending to be, you know,
(18:14):
pretending to have a purpose,pretending to be good for the
world and the environment andhumanity, and all of that, and
they're really not right.
I mean, there's a lot of yourcompetitors are saying some or
many of the things you're saying.
So how do you get your storyout there in a cynical world?
Speaker 2 (18:38):
It's true there's a lot of clutter and a lot of
noise out there, but I thinkalso the consumer is really
savvy and they do see through alot of this inauthentic
messaging in our message.
They know it's not a trend forus.
This is what we're built aroundand I think when you come from
(19:08):
a really deep-rooted mission andwhere it's value-led not, like
I said, a nice-to-have after thefact the consumer really
resonates with that and we allwant to make a difference right,
and I think the consumer isrealizing that they can really
kind of vote with their dollars,you know, make an impact
through their wallet and theirpurchases.
(19:29):
So of course, there is alwaysgoing to be competition, but
that's kind of just part of thegame.
It's just how do you keep onstaying true and consistent and
authentic in that?
And you know know, having astrong purpose really helps with
that, because it's just kind of, is that a roadmap for us
forward?
Speaker 1 (19:49):
and I mean it's clear , it's clear to me and you know,
in the conversations you and Ihad prior to recording this
podcast and you know in inwatching the you know YouTube
videos of Lila talking aboutSamus Horse and purpose and give
(20:09):
work versus doing good that youknow you're all bought in.
I mean, you've devoted the lastsix years of your career to
helping and supporting andnurturing and growing Luxme.
(20:32):
So I think for you and peopleon your team, you know there is
sort of an employee loyaltyaspect that comes from just
feeling good about what you'recontributing to, that you're
contributing to something biggerthan just a P&L income
(20:55):
statement.
You know some press release youknow some press release.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
You know you and your customers really believe in
what you're doing Absolutely,and I think that's one of the
many benefits of being a missionled brand.
And I think you know a lot oftimes if I talk to other
entrepreneurs or founders andwas trying to encourage them to
go the social impact route andthey say, oh, you know, it
sounds expensive, right, and youknow, I understand that.
That, you know, I understandthat concern, but I think you
(21:31):
know for sure it takes effortand thoughtfulness to put
something like that together.
And you know it might not befor everyone to take on, not be
for everyone to take on, but,like I said, it's you know,
looking at it, holisticallythough it's, can you afford not
to?
You know for, for, for you know, any social impact brand or any
brand, right it's.
You know employee retention andrecruitment of you know really
(21:55):
high quality talent is reallytricky, especially in this
globalized world, right, and youknow many people, especially in
the youngerized world and manypeople, especially in the
younger generations, they're notjust looking for a paycheck.
Of course, pay is alwaysimportant and we all have bills
to pay, but at the end of theday too, we want to feel like
we're part of something bigger.
And keeping employees engagedhear a lot about this quiet
(22:19):
quitting and all of that stuff.
Motivation is a huge, hugething.
So having a clear why to yourbusiness that is, you know,
beyond just we want to crank outproducts and get rich type of
thing it's really important and,like you said, it's also for
the customers.
You know they, you know theycome, they, the customer, come
to us for the quality of ourproducts, but they stay because
(22:42):
of what we do and they becomereally loyal customers because
of that.
They tell their friends, theybecome real advocates for the
brand and, like I said, theywant to be part of this movement
.
So we barely spend money onmarketing and this is just
thanks to this social impactmission that just kind of
(23:02):
energizes every part of thebusiness.
So you know you might do aregular business and, you know,
end up spending way more inmarketing, turnover costs,
hiring and you know employeeengagement and all of that.
So I think if you look at itholistically and you see that
everybody wins like even themost crude, hardcore capitalist
(23:22):
would see, then the benefit ofgoing for something like that.
Obviously, like we said, it hasto still be authentic and
genuine, because people see whenit's, you know, perfunctory and
inauthentic, but you know, justlooking at, okay, well, what is
something that makes youfrustrated or angry in society
or something that you feelreally passionate about and kind
(23:43):
of build around there, and yeah, it just, it just acts as this
kind of sixth gear, both formyself and for the team and for
for for people around the brand.
So I do, you know, I couldn'trecommend it more than you love
what you do and you're verypassionate about it.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
And I think that's a good place to sort of wrap up
this conversation and also giveor ask you if folks wanted to
reach out to you one-on-one,what is the best way for them to
(24:22):
find you on LinkedIn or anemail address, whatever you feel
comfortable giving out there,because I think, after listening
to you talk about the power ofpurpose and what it means to the
Luxme brand and what it meansto you personally and your team,
and people are going to want toask you one-on-one because
(24:45):
they'll have questions abouthelp me walk, help me, you know,
talk me through your experienceas it relates to my experience.
Right, what's a good way forpeople to reach you?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
It's easiest to reach me on LinkedIn.
It's a little bit of a trickyname to spell, but you know I'm
not trickier than mine exactly,exactly, so you know, put that
in whatever podcast podcastdescription to to make it easier
to find, or through um lux meofficial on all of the big you
know, all of the big socialmedia platforms, because I do
(25:21):
think that, yes, there are a lotof really easy kind of
low-hanging fruit tools to applywhen it comes to social impact.
Like I said, it doesn't have tobe so daunting to redo your
whole business, but it mightjust be the vendors that you
work with and for e-combusinesses, for example, there's
(25:42):
a lot of really great resourcesout there they can look into.
For example, abilityonecompanies that do 3PL handling,
but it's the biggest worktraining program for people with
disabilities.
So it's, you know you can makea difference through something
which is a subsidized governmentprogram and in the same way,
(26:03):
you know, really leave a legacyin a way, and you know it helps
in the storytelling around thebrand.
So there's so many of theselittle tools that people don't
necessarily know about, but youknow I'd be happy to share and
if there's anything I can do tohelp, I'm always happy to do so
to share and, um, if there'sanything I can do to help, I'm
(26:26):
always, always happy to do soand, by the way, lux me is lxmi
and I and I guess your websiteis lxmicom, correct?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
okay, you know, I took a leap of faith there.
Uh, thank you so much, anna.
Uh, this was uh.
I appreciate you sharing yourinsights and your passion for
what you do.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Thank you so much for having me.
This was great.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Thank you for listening to this episode of TGO
Podcast.
You can find all episodes onour podcast page at
wwwrealign4resultscom.
You can find me, benno, host ofTGO Podcast, there as well.
Just email, benno B-E-N-N-O atrealign4resultscom.
(27:14):
Let's keep growing, you.
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