Key Messages
How To Do The Kind Thing In Business: Lessons From Kind Healthy Snacks’ Daniel Lubetzky
With KIND’s Do the KIND Thing book, learn how to run a successful business that goes beyond profit and growth and focuses on doing the kind thing to make a positive social impact.
The book covers ten essential topics of kindness, such as insisting on the word “and” instead of “or”, being true to your brand, staying grounded in nature and more.
Discover how you can use seemingly small gestures like giving up your seat on the subway or offering an olive branch through sun-dried tomato spread to foster relationships and earn trust while making the world a better place.
Through these practices, you’ll be able to not only sell great products but also do something meaningful for others in the process.
Doing The Kind Thing: How Businesses Can Be Both Economically Sustainable And Socially Impactful
The first and primary tenet of the KIND philosophy is being kind to yourself and the world.
This means taking care of your own body by eating healthy, using gentle cosmetics and embracing a healthier lifestyle.
At the same time, it means being kind to the world by forging bonds across cultures and promoting social change.
The idea behind KIND has always been one of creating something economically sustainable and socially impactful at the same time – a principle that was symbolically put into practice when KIND released its line of Healthy Snacks, made without synthetic emulsions or pastes, as well as its 1994 cooperative venture between Arab and Israeli innovators who created a line of KIND products together.
This way of thinking in terms of “AND” instead of “OR” creates more possibilities for success, both financially and morally.
It’s all about shifting our perspectives and seeing that there doesn’t have to be a conflict between economic sustainability and social impactfulness – we can embrace both at the same time!
Sticking To Your Values Is The Key To Success In Building A Kind Business
The KIND approach to business is all about making a passion your purpose and achieving it through determination.
This was demonstrated effectively by the author’s story of producing a sun-dried tomato spread with a cooperative relationship between team members from Palestine, Israel, Egypt and Turkey.
The author’s passion for peace was so strong that it helped fuel his determination to make the project successful in the face of all the challenges he faced.
This same passion was also behind his determination to build up his own KIND business, despite the fact that healthy products were uncommon and more expensive than competitors’ products at that time.
It took lots of effort, including going door-to-door around the country to sell his snack bars, but eventually he overcame all obstacles and got his business off the ground.
By doing this he sent an important message to customers – that they can trust in his values.
Each of us have our own values we strive to uphold in our businesses, and this is why sticking to them is crucial if you want success in what you do.
Staying True To Your Brand Is Critical For Business Success
KIND knows that any successful business has to have a trustworthy brand which customers can rely on.
The author of Do the KIND Thing found this out the hard way when he launched a sweet-and-spicy Asian Teriyaki pepper spread, despite their focus being on Mediterranean flavors.
This confused customers and caused their trust to be broken, resulting in disappointing sales.
To really make sure your brand is reliable, it’s important to only bring out products that are consistent with its identity; this also means not expanding into stores that don’t fit your product like generic convenience stores if its target audience is health food stores and specialty chains.
By investing most in those places where your target customers are, you’re more likely to get maximum benefit out of them.
In the case of KIND bars, Whole Foods locations across the US saw hundreds sold in just one day compared to just one or two bars when sold in convenience stores.
Sticking to KIND’s fourth tenet ensures that customers will be getting what they expect from you and builds trust between you and them over time.
Doing this allows for long-term success as well as a powerful stream of income – all thanks to strong customer loyalty!
Staying Honest, Down-To-Earth, And On-Brand Is The Key To Long-Term Business Success
KIND’s 5th tenet is that products should be kept simple and grounded in nature if you want your business to keep having staying power.
This means avoiding trends like low-carb items, which are quickly phased out.
Instead, try to stick with long-term trends that have lasting appeal.
You can do this by remaining loyal to your brand identity when it comes to product innovation.
For example, KIND Healthy Snack Bars achieved success with their consumers by not compromising on their brand identity despite competitors entering the market claiming lower sugar content.
KIND didn’t give in to these tactics and instead kept their products true to the original concept by creating a new line of snack bars – the KIND Nuts & Spices – which had less sugar due to the removal of fruits, but still kept its natural feel without utilizing unhealthy emulsions.
Build Your Brand With Authenticity And Transparency To Increase Customer Trust
The KIND Thing book emphasizes the importance of transparent and authentic marketing for businesses.
This is the seventh tenet among the KIND tenet’s and it’s clear to see why this is so important when building customer trust.
KIND products are known for their no-frills names, like Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew, which clearly tell customers what they’ll be getting.
The wrappers also help to make sure that customers know what they’re getting with transparency – as you can literally see through the packaging!
Moreover, KIND makes sure to keep their marketing true and honest, using real pictures without any unnecessary romanticization or styling.
When it comes to authenticity, KIND products stayed true even during the Greek yogurt craze.
While other companies attempted to make a quick profit off artificial flavors resembling Greek yogurt, most people were able to see through this deception and trusting in those who provided authentic products.
Transparency and authenticity in marketing maintain customer trust – it’s vital for businesses stay honest and remember who they are no matter what challenges lie ahead.
The Power Of Empathy And Letting Your Team Lead: Lessons From Kind’s #Kindawesome Campaign
KIND’s eighth tenet is all about showing empathy, and they do this by encouraging kind actions in public through their #kindawesome cards.
If someone is spotted doing something nice, they’re handed a card with a code that can be redeemed for snacks on the KIND website.
By linking empathy to their brand, people will make positive associations with it and hopefully purchase their products.
Then comes the ninth tenet – trusting your team to lead.
At the 2013 National Product Expo West trade show, the author started off the presentation before noticing how well his team were presenting.
By stepping back and allowing his team to lead, KIND mastered their presentation and retailers bought every product in their new line.
Letting your team lead can bring surprising results!
Empowering Your Team And Fostering Resourcefulness Is Key To Running A Kind Business
KIND’s tenth tenet encompasses a focus on resourcefulness and the empowerment of your team members.
This means that rather than simply focusing on being frugal, the goal is to employ strategies that will maximize value for the company by getting more done in less time.
For example, when KIND was starting out, the author spent a lot of time chasing down overdue payments from retailers and distributors.
Eventually, though, he realized that this wasn’t the best use of his time – better to focus his efforts on closing new deals instead.
When KIND lost Starbucks as a retailer of their bars, they didn’t get mired in their budget concerns – instead they looked at what other coffee shops they could get into and ended up successfully entering The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Peet’s Coffee & Tea!
Finally, KIND encourages its team members to think like owners by offering them stock options and treating everyone equally.
Through empowering their team in this way, KIND creates an atmosphere where employees can speak up and share ideas while still feeling appreciated by the company.
In such an environment, everybody is responsible for successes as well as failures – helping to foster greater commitment from the staff and ensuring that everyone enjoys their experience with KIND!
Wrap Up
Do the KIND Thing is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business owners.
It provides invaluable advice on how to create an authentic brand that is successful and has social impact.
The main message here is that both “push” and “pull” factors are important.
When pushing a product onto store shelves, it’s also essential to consider whether it will be something customers want to pull off the shelves.
Otherwise, you might succeed in getting it stocked but no one will buy it, leading to a strained relationship with the store buyer.
Overall, Do the KIND Thing offers invaluable advice that businesses should take seriously if they want to find long-term success while still making a positive impact.
