Candle
Celebrating businesses that go the extra mile
Several years ago, I worked in Vancouver’s artsy Gastown neighborhood in a cool, turn-of-the-century, red and yellow brick building. Here, I plied my journalistic trade as a clearances and licensing researcher for documentary film and television.
Our small firm handled the archival footage and photography licensing for most of the major production companies in town. Yet there was one documentary for which the firm’s work was particularly well-known: The Corporation (2003). The film not only pioneered the impact documentary style, incorporating a significant amount of archival footage in a unique way, it also had an astonishing premise. Corporations are designated under law as “persons,” yet by any psychological assessment standard, they behave like psychopaths in the world. The implication is that corporations have the rights of personhood, without being held accountable for the responsibilities of personhood.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and living, as I now do, in Vancouver, B.C., it was hard to escape this anti-corporate sentiment. We swam in it. In 1999, when the “Battle in Seattle” or World Trade Organization Protests happened, it came as no great surprise to those on the West Coast. In fact, it seemed an inevitability that globalist forces should—and would—be held to account. The prevailing opinion that permeated much of this region was that business should exist for the good: the good of people, the good of the earth and the good of communities.
Sadly, what was once taken for granted seems to be slipping out of sight. What happened?
The sentiment that corporations should exist to do good in the world—not just to line the pockets of their upper management and investors—seems to have now morphed into ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance. The term gained sudden popularity in late 2020, in the middle of the Covid pandemic. It is a self-reported way to assess corporate performance in these three categories. Corporations began lining up to sign on to ESG pledges in a move that now seems to amount to little more than corporate greenwashing—or whitewashing, take your pick.
Cast your dollar votes thoughtfully
Yet, I’ve long had an interest in thinking about the problem of corporate greed and lack of accountability from the other way ‘round. Rather than shaming corporations—which aren’t widely-known for their integrity or concern for much more than stockholder returns—into behaving better, why not rather support, encourage and hold up as an example, businesses that are already trying to go the extra mile? Of course, as a society we ought to both hold some businesses to account and applaud the best. I just haven’t seen a lot of the latter strategy1.
This became particularly clear to me during the months of pandemic lockdowns. As I watched small business after small business around me fail—while larger corporations were allowed to remain open and thrive—I thought, “I want to vote with my dollars for those businesses who are trying to actually do a good job in caring for their communities, the earth and their employees.”
In fact, my husband and I even funded the creation of a prototype app that would encourage people to choose businesses in this way. While our app didn’t end up getting off the ground to the public, I’ve long wanted to create a publication that would profile good businesses as a model for a better way forward.
So that’s why today I’m launching Candle: a sub-newsletter within Missives from the Edge that will profile commendable businesses and their owners. It will put the spotlight on people who are trying to go above and beyond in their businesses when it comes to caring for both their community, creation and the individuals they hire.
I want to promote people who are trying to do business a better way—hopefully in all three areas above, but if not, at least in one of these areas.
My hope is not to hold any of these people or organizations up as saints, but rather to show what is possible, if only we will to do it. I want to showcase how they are pointing toward an alternative potential.
In a world where it’s very easy to be cynical about the greed and corruption too often evidenced by corporations and even some local businesses, my hope is to instead call attention to those who are doing something exemplary.
Over to you…
If you know of a business like this, no matter how large or small, feel free to mention their name and website in the comments below, as well as why you think they are commendable. I’ll profile businesses that in some way meet my personal standard of ‘exemplary’. Initially, most of these will likely be on the more ‘local’ side. Hopefully, we’ll work our way toward a few larger ones as well. I’ll also tell stories of some well-known, historical businesses that stand as examples of business done right.
Hopefully, in doing so, we’ll collectively hold up a candle—rather than cursing the darkness.
PS — If you’re currently subscribed to Missives, you’ll receive Candle content as well. Candle pieces will come out intermittently as a part of regular Missives from the Edge content.
Your voice is needed, and we’d love to hear it in the comments below. However, if you choose to abandon the voice of love2 in your comments, remember that you are abandoning all of your beneficial power.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe, alone having the ability to create change for the better. Indeed, it is the only force that ever has.
Yes, B-Corporations exist, and I applaud their existence. The process of becoming a Certified B-Corp, however, is lengthy and often prohibitively costly for small businesses. There are many businesses that deserve profile that have not been able to become B-Corp certified.
Love doesn’t mean sloppy sentimentalism: love speaks the challenging truth, yet considers others before itself.