14. So popular that people sat on the floor

How do you make people feel good AND make money? If you were interested in the new, socially conscious business models present at SXSW then this was for you. Saturday afternoon at the Palmer Events Centre was super popular. If like me, you arrived 5 minutes before the session was due to start then you would have slipped through a gap in the curtains that separated the presentation area from the speaking space, realised all the seats were full, and grabbed a square foot of floor. And it would have been worth it.

Four women, all inspirational, in leadership roles, talked about how and why they do the things they do. Two, Adrienne Mischler from Yoga with Adrienne, and Alissa Bayer from Milk and Honey, are Texas icons, Sheena Wilde works at Austin powerhouse, Kendra Scott, and Alex Williamson represented Bumble, the constantly innovating social app.

The discussion was called 'The business of making people feeling good' and they were true to their word. An hour of insight into how these four businesses are successful, while steadily, relentlessly, making the world a better place for their staff, their customers, and their communities. If this is something you're interested in, I'd recommend you look into each of the four organisations and I'll follow up with each one individually in later posts. the linking theme, which I hope you'll find insightful, is that each of these four women started working in hospitality, and said that the principles of successful hospitality have underpinned their business success since. If you work in restaurants, hotels, food and drink in any way, that could be you, and if not, you'll understand how success in hospitality can lead to the mindset of a community focused, empathetic business. More later.

The picture is from the Wellness expo that formed the setting - and the context - for the talk.


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