Doing Good Business With Tessa Clarke
I was reflecting on the powerful Podcast interview I had with Tessa Clarke from Olio today and a few big ideas popped out at me that I wanted to share. If you don’t know the brand please stop now and take a look
What I love most about Tessa and Olio is not so much the product itself, which is AWESOME. It’s who Tessa is as a leader.
Her ability to dial in on her values told me that they were more than ideas, they were workable principles that she stood for.
We talked about how businesses of the future can only work if they follow a similar model to Olio’s, combining profit with purpose. Not profit first then purpose BOTH at the same time.
After our conversation, I was also convinced. Because it’s not just about what occurs on the face the brand, with people benefiting from Olio’s product. For me, the deeper and more powerful transformation happens within the brand’s leadership.
The inside is always reflected on the outside. Her company is a beautiful creative contributor to the world. And that isn’t a coincidence. It reminds me of a metaphor I heard Dr Wayne Dyer use:
“You can’t squeeze an orange and expect apple juice to come out.”
The goodness of Olio as a brand is a reflection of Tessa, Sasha and her team’s goodness.
Cultivating goodness within the brand was possible because she brought it with her at the start of the process. It seems the essential ingredient of a for good brand is a for a good person.
Tessa’s explanation of some of the ways she treats herself and her staff reinforced this:
- Unlimited holidays, and a statutory minimum that you MUST take. (Time to be with family, time to replenish and restore)
- Flexible, and remote centred working. (Spending time working from a location that is beneficial to the human being wellbeing)
- Using WhatsApp to share fun activities that the team members are up to throughout the day like a 10 am yoga sessions. (Showing her staff how to use the workday, focus on results not how long it takes them to create them.
The list goes on…
The essence of how both herself and Sasha lead is one of examples. Prioritising wellbeing and happiness. Giving full autonomy and trust to her staff, then going the extra mile and showing them how to do that.
Tessa explained that these ideas couldn’t work inside a standard model. “The mission keeps the work focussed and results happening.” Her team genuinely care!
Another Big idea I loved was how she openly encourages staff to share podcasts and any other wisdom that they think could help the company grow. This is an extension of what Tessa and Sasha did when they first started the brand. They would use podcasts to generate good ideas and build on them, practising and innovating as they grew. A learning mindset that is happy to say “I don’t know the answer.”
When was the last time you or your employer openly said those words?
And lastly, another big idea that I loved was the very real sense of integrity, and optimism Tessa emanates. She expects the best out of the people in her team, not the worst. This isn’t possible without having the same opinion about herself.
When I heard this, it sounded so ordinary, but then i thought “when was the last time you experienced this in your own life?”
The Takeaway
My overall takeaway was that running a business like hers forces you to work with integrity and a sense of mission. It demands that you show up as a good, kind, caring human beings as well as a professional.
This mix of compassion and competence, for me, is the golden thread that weaves through this brand. And what inspires me to encourage others to follow her lead.
Over to you
What are some of the insights you had from reading this article?
And how could you action these insights today to replicate some of the same results?
If you enjoyed this check out the Podcast episode with me and Tessa Here: Itunes Spotify . Web. And please do let me know what you enjoyed most about our talk?
With love,
Ryan
