Can A Non-profit Model Work for Traditionally Profit-driven ...

This is a guest post by Shawn Vincent. More than just a good friend of mine. He is a family Man, technology advocate, guitar enthusiast, writer, awesome cartoonist, foodie, and snarky critic of all things {in a great way}. I?m always amazed at the stuff we come up over a two-hour latte. You can connect with him on Twitter via @shawnvincent.?

I?m no communist. ?I love the free market. I?ve started more than one business, and I?m motivated by profit ? but only to a point:

I want a safe, comfortable home for my family.

I want to send my kids to school.

I want to go out for dinner a few times a month.

I want to be able to travel to visit friends and family a couple times a year.

I?d like a savings account.

I?d like to be able to retire one day.

But once those bases are covered, I find that the motivational powers of money decline exponentially. ?Once those bases are covered, I?m motivated by gaining mastery in my selected field, and making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Fittingly, I had this conversation with ?The Kenworth? at Credo Coffee in College Park, a non-profit business that accepts donations rather than charging fixed prices, and after it covers it?s costs, it donates the profits to community charities. ?We also talked about the model of the YMCA, another non-profit organization that pays its employees well, but reinvests surplus revenues back into the organization. ?The result is a better experience for the customer, and I?ll bet, a more purpose-driven experience for the employees.

As it turns out, over the next couple days, I had this same conversation with other entrepreneurs and innovators, and the sentiment was the same: we?d rather do good, meaningful work than be rich. ?That left me wondering if this is a trend just with the thirty-somethings in my network, or is it something more widespread. ?And if it is more widespread, is there an atmosphere for a non-profit model for more traditionally profit-driven businesses? ?If you can have a non-profit coffee shop, and a non-profit fitness center, can we have a non-profit web development agency? Or and architectural firm? Or a law firm?

I find myself wanting to find out, and I wonder how many other?s out there are curious, too.

Source: http://www.thekenworth.com/2012/02/21/can-a-non-profit-model-work-for-traditionally-profit-driven-businesses/

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