×
The future of participation
By Shelley Kuipers
May 8, 2017

It’s tempting to seek to change just one person at a time. After all, if you fail, no one will notice. It’s also tempting to try to change everyone. But of course, there really is no everyone, not any more. Too much noise, too many different situations and narratives. When you try to change everyone, you’re mostly giving up. The third alternative is where real impact happens: Finding a cohort of people who want to change together.

– Seth Godin

Better Ventures is a cohort of people who want to change together. We’ve predicted and subsequently demonstrated that the future of business is participation; fair equitable and sustainable business models for mutual social impact and commercial value.

One of our founding principles is working towards the end of the status quo. We call bullshit when we see it and we slay sacred cows.

Even when they’re our own.

We are just over two years into our journey and more focused than ever on advancing our mission. To do that, we are moving further afield from what we’re ‘supposed to be’, the traditional paradigms and business concepts we all know so well.

We have applied a critical eye to our business, the same way we do with our client partners – and it’s time for an evolution.

Today we are announcing the formation of Better Participation Group Inc., a Canadian-based holding company for our participation business initiatives. The company will be headquartered on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, the spiritual home of our company and our purpose. Better Participation Group is composed of three business initiatives – agencyventures and technology.

group-diagram@2x

Some of you might ask why this formation, this structure, this model?

We’ve learned that all our partners have different starting points. Some are looking to create and launch a new participation business from the ground up and need resources and financial support to make it happen. Some are looking to rethink how a legacy business can embed participation and take a stronger step into the future. That requires strategic and creative work that drives hard at unlocking new value. Some need a technology to create the interactions and connections with their participants.

Our new organization gives us all of that, a way to build the future of business, where value creation is a journey shared by a brand, its consumers and its team. Fair, equitable and sustainable.

Better Participation Group is a movement made up of diverse participants from all walks of life and experiences, a cohort of people who want to change together.

Keep following us, we are following you. We are enormously grateful for the opportunity we share with our teammates, clients and partners.

Our journey is just beginning.

Check us out, join our movement, subscribe to our signal or better yet join our team.

Any thoughts? Email Shelley Kuipers and Steve Jennings.