How Entrepreneurs Give Back “Connected Generation-Style”
As a member of the Connected Generation, I have been trained to give back to my community. Along with the peers of my generation, I have grown up in a world of school fundraisers, community service projects, volunteerism, and generosity on a mass scale (think tsunami recovery aid, organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, and foundations like Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong).
We crave opportunities to give back, but we want to do it, well, our way. Differently. Socially. Collectively. Entertainingly. Expressively. Josh Hindson and Erik Prowell, the founders of the non-traditional clothing company, No Star, understand this better than most. After starting their company, they wanted to make a difference in their community of Bend, Oregon. So they rolled on their bikes, and others rolled with them…
I wanted to hear more about how to successfully integrate entrepreneurship and community service, so I talked to Erik Prowell about his experiences. He told me that it all started in 2000 with about 25 friends who wanted to have some fun and express their freedom on the Fourth of July by dressing in costume and riding their bikes through the streets of Bend. Word got out about the Freedom ride and that number quickly jumped to 60 participants the following year in 2001.
No advertising, no big marketing scheme to get people to come. It was just a group of guys having fun and other people in the community wanted to be a part of it. The “Freedom Ride” became an annual event, growing through fliers in bars and coffee shops and through word-of-mouth as viewers and participants told their friends.
It soon developed into a community affair, celebrating freedom in an irreverent atmosphere with an emphasis on patriotism over politics. After the ride, participants gathered at Columbia Park to listen to bands and enjoy a barbecue with food and beer provided by local companies.
As the number of riders grew every year, the event organizers saw an opportunity to do more than just organize a fun community event. Drawing on their own love of biking and memories of exploring their childhood worlds on two wheels, they decided to sell No Star clothing at the barbecue and use the money to purchase bikes, helmets, and locks (at a reduced rate from Bend-area bike retailers) for underprivileged kids in the community. Hitting the right notes with the locals, the Freedom Ride had 400 riders in 2006 and saw that number swell to over 700 participants in 2007.
The rise of the No Star company came through a similar type of organic growth. In its seventh year of not-so-serious business, No Star (with just four employees) boasts t-shirt products sold in retail stores in thirty-one states and eight countries. The company’s growth is driven by its commitment to its mantra: “make smile. happen”.
No Star reaches their audience by reflecting their values, including the craving to give back. It knows that “giving back” comes in many forms and works best when everyone is having fun. No Star is truly a company committed to making people smile—whether they chuckle at the message on a t-shirt, laugh out loud as they participate in the Freedom Ride, or enjoy a ride on their own newly-donated bike.
Learn more about the Give Back craving of the Connected Generation by checking out the 10 Cravings blog and podcast series.
This post was written by Joel Steward
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