Introduction
In today's fast-paced business world, it's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of profits and growth at any cost. However, Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Healthy Snacks, presents a refreshing alternative in his book "Do the KIND Thing." Lubetzky argues that businesses can and should be both economically sustainable and socially impactful. This book outlines ten central tenets of doing the kind thing in business, offering a roadmap for entrepreneurs and business leaders who want to make a positive difference in the world while still achieving success.
Lubetzky's journey as an entrepreneur and his experiences building KIND Healthy Snacks serve as the backdrop for the valuable lessons and insights shared in this book. Through personal anecdotes, practical advice, and thought-provoking ideas, he demonstrates how kindness can be a powerful force in business and life.
The Ten Tenets of KIND
1. Be Kind to Yourself and the World
The foundation of the KIND philosophy is the idea that kindness should extend both inward and outward. This means taking care of your own well-being while also considering the impact of your actions on the world around you.
For Lubetzky, this principle manifested in the creation of KIND Healthy Snacks. The company's products are made with whole nuts and fruits, eschewing synthetic ingredients and preservatives. This approach not only provides consumers with healthier snack options but also reflects a commitment to using natural, high-quality ingredients.
But the concept of kindness goes beyond just product formulation. Lubetzky shares how he used his business ventures to foster peace and cooperation. In 1994, he launched a cooperative venture that brought together Arab and Israeli innovators to create a line of products. This initiative demonstrated how business could be a vehicle for social change, building bridges between people from different backgrounds and even opposing sides of political conflicts.
The key takeaway from this tenet is that businesses don't have to choose between being profitable and being socially responsible. Instead, they can strive to be both, creating a positive impact on individuals and society while still maintaining a successful enterprise.
2. Make Your Passion Your Purpose
Many entrepreneurs start businesses with the primary goal of achieving financial success or gaining power. However, Lubetzky argues that these motivations often fall short when faced with the inevitable challenges of running a business. Instead, he encourages entrepreneurs to align their business purpose with their personal passions.
Lubetzky's own story serves as a powerful example of this principle. Coming from a Jewish background and having family members who survived concentration camps during World War II, he developed a deep-seated passion for promoting peace. This passion became the driving force behind many of his business ventures, including the cooperative project that brought together people from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and Turkey to produce a sun-dried tomato spread.
By aligning his business goals with his personal passion for peace-building, Lubetzky found the motivation and resilience to persevere through difficult times. This alignment gave his work a deeper meaning and purpose, which in turn provided the fuel needed to overcome obstacles and setbacks.
The lesson here is clear: when your business purpose aligns with your personal passions, you're more likely to find the determination and inspiration needed to push through challenges and achieve long-term success.
3. Achieve Your Purpose Through Determination
Building on the previous tenet, Lubetzky emphasizes the importance of determination in achieving your business goals, especially when those goals involve doing the right thing. He acknowledges that taking the high road often requires more effort and perseverance than choosing easier, potentially less ethical alternatives.
Lubetzky shares his experiences in launching KIND Healthy Snacks to illustrate this point. The company faced numerous challenges, including higher production costs due to the use of high-quality, whole ingredients. Additionally, introducing a healthy snack bar to a market dominated by less nutritious options was an uphill battle.
Despite these obstacles, Lubetzky remained determined to stick to his vision of creating a healthier snack option. He even went as far as going door-to-door across the country to sell his bars, demonstrating the level of commitment required to turn a passion-driven purpose into a successful business.
This tenet underscores the importance of staying true to your values and mission, even when faced with difficulties. It's this unwavering determination that can set a kind business apart and ultimately lead to success.
4. Be True to Your Brand
Trust is a crucial element in building a successful, long-lasting business. Lubetzky argues that earning and maintaining this trust requires consistently staying true to your brand identity. This means carefully considering every business decision and product innovation to ensure it aligns with your brand's core values and promises.
To illustrate this point, Lubetzky shares a cautionary tale from his own experience. When KIND launched a sweet-and-spicy Asian Teriyaki pepper spread, it marked a significant departure from the brand's established Mediterranean flavor profile. This inconsistency confused consumers and led to a decline in sales, damaging the trust that KIND had built with its customer base.
The lesson learned was clear: innovation should always be guided by a strong understanding of your brand identity. When developing new products or expanding into new markets, it's crucial to ask whether these moves align with what your brand stands for and what customers have come to expect from you.
Lubetzky also emphasizes the importance of focusing on the right distribution channels for your product. Rather than trying to be everywhere, KIND concentrated its efforts on health food stores and specialty chains where their products performed best. This strategic focus not only led to better sales but also helped reinforce the brand's identity as a healthy snack option.
By staying true to your brand in both product development and distribution strategy, you can build a strong, trusted relationship with your customers, leading to long-term success and loyalty.
5. Keep Products Simple and Grounded in Nature
In a marketplace flooded with trendy, over-processed products, Lubetzky advocates for simplicity and a return to nature. This approach, he argues, gives businesses staying power beyond short-lived consumer trends.
Lubetzky shares how this principle guided the development of KIND bars. Instead of chasing fleeting trends like low-carb diets, KIND focused on creating a simple, wholesome product using natural ingredients. This strategy proved successful in the long run, as consumer preferences shifted towards more natural, less processed foods.
The key insight here is that by keeping your products simple and grounded in nature, you create something that has enduring appeal. While trends come and go, there's a lasting demand for honest, straightforward products that consumers can trust.
6. Stay on Brand When Innovating
Innovation is crucial for business growth, but Lubetzky cautions against innovation that strays too far from your brand identity. He emphasizes the importance of staying true to your core values and brand promise even as you develop new products or enter new markets.
To illustrate this point, Lubetzky shares how KIND responded when competitors entered the market with lower-sugar options. Instead of compromising their commitment to whole, natural ingredients to lower sugar content, KIND launched a new line called KIND Nuts and Spices. This new product maintained the brand's commitment to natural ingredients while offering a lower-sugar option by removing fruits from the recipe.
This approach to innovation allowed KIND to respond to market demands without sacrificing its brand identity. The lesson here is that successful innovation should always be rooted in your brand's core values and promises.
7. Use Transparent and Authentic Marketing
In a world saturated with advertising, Lubetzky advocates for transparency and authenticity in marketing. He argues that overpromising and under-delivering is a surefire way to lose consumer trust. Instead, businesses should strive to present their products honestly and clearly.
KIND exemplifies this approach in several ways. Their product names are straightforward and descriptive (e.g., "Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew" instead of fanciful names like "Black Forest Cake Supreme"), giving consumers a clear idea of what to expect. The company also uses transparent packaging, allowing customers to see the product before purchasing.
Moreover, KIND's marketing materials use realistic, unenhanced images of their products. This commitment to authenticity extends to their approach to trends as well. When the Greek yogurt craze hit, many companies tried to capitalize on it with artificial Greek yogurt-flavored coatings. KIND, however, chose not to follow this trend, staying true to their commitment to natural ingredients.
The key takeaway is that authenticity in marketing builds trust with consumers. Even if your product isn't perfect, customers are more likely to appreciate and remain loyal to a brand that is honest about what it offers.
8. Show Empathy and Celebrate Kindness
Lubetzky believes that businesses can create powerful positive associations by linking their brand with empathy and kindness. He shares an innovative campaign that KIND launched to promote and reward acts of kindness in everyday life.
The campaign involved distributing "#kindawesome" cards to people observed performing kind acts in public. Recipients could enter a code from the card on the KIND website to receive a free snack pack. This initiative not only promoted kindness but also created a positive association between acts of kindness and the KIND brand.
By celebrating empathy and kindness, businesses can create emotional connections with consumers that go beyond the product itself. This approach can lead to stronger brand loyalty and a more positive public image.
9. Trust Your Team to Lead
While it's natural for entrepreneurs to want to control every aspect of their business, Lubetzky emphasizes the importance of trusting and empowering your team. He shares a personal experience from a major trade show where he initially took the lead in presenting new products to retailers. However, as the presentation progressed, he realized that his team members were equally, if not more, capable of showcasing the products effectively.
This experience taught Lubetzky the value of stepping back and allowing his team to shine. By trusting his employees to take the lead, he not only showcased their talents but also demonstrated confidence in his team to potential clients.
The lesson here is that a strong, empowered team can be one of your business's greatest assets. By trusting your employees and giving them opportunities to lead, you can tap into their full potential and create a more dynamic, capable organization.
10. Focus on Resourcefulness and Empower Your Team
The final tenet of the KIND philosophy emphasizes the importance of resourcefulness over mere frugality and the value of empowering team members to think and act like owners.
Lubetzky distinguishes between being frugal and being resourceful. While frugality often leads to a narrow focus on cutting costs, resourcefulness involves finding creative solutions to challenges. He shares how, in KIND's early days, he spent excessive time chasing small overdue payments, only to realize later that this time could have been better spent on growing the business.
When KIND lost Starbucks as a retailer, instead of fixating on the loss, the team focused on finding new opportunities. This resourceful approach led to successful partnerships with other coffee chains, turning a potential setback into new avenues for growth.
Empowering team members is another crucial aspect of this tenet. KIND gives all employees stock options, treats everyone equally, and encourages open communication and idea-sharing. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among all team members, leading to greater commitment and innovative thinking.
By focusing on resourcefulness and empowering your team, you create a more resilient, adaptable, and motivated organization capable of overcoming challenges and seizing new opportunities.
Putting the KIND Philosophy into Practice
Throughout the book, Lubetzky provides practical advice on how to implement these tenets in your own business. Here are some key takeaways:
Align your business with your personal values: Ensure that your business goals and practices reflect your personal beliefs and passions. This alignment will provide motivation and resilience during challenging times.
Innovate within your brand identity: When developing new products or entering new markets, always consider whether these moves align with your brand's core values and promises.
Prioritize transparency and authenticity: Be honest in your marketing and product presentation. Build trust with your customers by showing them exactly what they're getting.
Celebrate kindness and empathy: Find ways to link your brand with positive actions and emotions. This can create powerful, lasting connections with your customers.
Empower your team: Trust your employees to take on leadership roles and encourage them to think like owners. This can lead to increased innovation and commitment.
Focus on resourcefulness: Instead of just cutting costs, look for creative solutions to challenges. This approach can turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Stay true to your values: Even when faced with difficult decisions or market pressures, stick to your core principles. This consistency will build trust and loyalty among your customers and employees.
The Impact of KIND Business Practices
Lubetzky's book makes a compelling case for the power of kind business practices. By following these tenets, businesses can achieve several important outcomes:
Long-term success: By building trust with customers and staying true to core values, kind businesses can achieve sustainable, long-term success.
Positive social impact: Kind businesses can contribute to solving social issues and making the world a better place, all while running a profitable enterprise.
Employee satisfaction and retention: Empowering employees and aligning the business with positive values can lead to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
Brand loyalty: Authentic, transparent practices can create strong emotional connections with customers, leading to increased brand loyalty.
Resilience: A focus on resourcefulness and a strong sense of purpose can help businesses weather challenges and adapt to changing market conditions.
Conclusion
"Do the KIND Thing" offers a refreshing perspective on business success in the modern world. Lubetzky's ten tenets provide a roadmap for entrepreneurs and business leaders who want to create companies that are not only profitable but also socially responsible and ethically sound.
The book's central message is that kindness and business success are not mutually exclusive. In fact, by incorporating kindness into every aspect of your business – from product development to marketing to employee relations – you can create a more sustainable, resilient, and ultimately successful enterprise.
Lubetzky's personal experiences and the success of KIND Healthy Snacks serve as powerful evidence that this approach can work. By staying true to your values, focusing on authenticity and transparency, and empowering your team, you can build a business that not only thrives financially but also makes a positive impact on the world.
In an era where consumers are increasingly conscious of the ethical implications of their purchasing decisions, the KIND philosophy offers a way forward. It shows that businesses can be a force for good in the world while still achieving their financial goals.
As you apply these principles to your own business or entrepreneurial endeavors, remember that doing the kind thing is not always the easiest path. It requires determination, creativity, and a willingness to sometimes prioritize long-term impact over short-term gains. However, as Lubetzky's story shows, the rewards – both personal and professional – can be truly remarkable.
By embracing the KIND philosophy, you have the opportunity to create a business that not only succeeds but also contributes to making the world a little bit better. And in doing so, you may find that you're not just building a successful company, but also living a more fulfilling and purposeful life.