Brianne West is an environmentalist, social and serial entrepreneur, founder of Ethique, Incrediballs, and Business but Better, 2019 NZ EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year, in the 2023 Women Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, and just so happens to be a Barbie role model.
She actively leverages and champions business being a force for positive change - not only leading from the front by building businesses that do exactly that, but also advising and supporting purpose-led entrepreneurs starting and scaling enterprises that solve meaningful social and environmental problems.
In this interview, she delves into:
- The factors that are essential to building a successful purpose-driven business (and whether there has to be a short-term trade-off for long-term success),
- Ways to go about validating a business idea,
- How she builds powerful, engaged communities from the very early days
ME: Kia ora Brianne! You might just be Aotearoa New Zealand’s most active voice and leader when it comes to supporting and building businesses that do good for people and the planet. You built the ethical beauty brand Ethique, which has prevented millions of plastic bottles from going to landfills and are now building Incrediballs, a plastic-free drink concentrate. You are an investor and mentor to entrepreneurs building businesses who are purpose-driven and exist to have a positive impact, and you have a podcast, community, and resource hub to help entrepreneurs on that journey.
Based on your track record, it’s safe to assume that starting a purpose-driven business can lead to long-term positive outcomes for the planet, people, and the business - and that consumers will rally behind a business that’s leading the way.
In your experience, what factors are essential to setting a purpose-driven business up for success?
BW: A combination of big-picture thinking and a sprinkle of idealism, but with an eye to practicality. A lot of people who I speak with are too idealistic, so often their idea is not commercially viable, or they have the idea that money is evil (more common than you might imagine). A proper mission-driven, ethical business needs to be sustainable in every sense, including financial and this is often skipped over in the pursuit of impact and doing good. And I get it! But we cannot change anything unless we have a viable business that creates impact for the long-haul. At the end of the day, the mission needs to be deeply embedded into the company from the foundation up. We've all seen the trite 'mission statements' of big corporates which are meaningless. To really mean it, and grow your business in pursuit of that mission, it must be embedded deeply. That and an idea of 'net-positive'. Every business has impact, some of it negative. I have seen entrepreneurs get so bogged down in the fact that they couldn't be absolutely perfect that they end up paralysed, and their great idea goes nowhere. Much like you cannot be the perfect environmentalist, you cannot be the perfect business. But you can do a lot of good - more good than bad! Then of course, they need everything a more 'typical' business needs; great team, IP and legal foundations, finance basics, a solid brand so on and so forth.
"A lot of people who I speak with are too idealistic, so often their idea is not commercially viable, or they have the idea that money is evil (more common than you might imagine). A proper mission-driven, ethical business needs to be sustainable in every sense, including financial and this is often skipped over in the pursuit of impact and doing good."
Is there a short-term trade-off (for the business/profit) to pave the way for long-term positive impact for people, the planet, and the business? And if that has been the case, have you had times when it’s been difficult to get stakeholders on board with that long-term view?
BW: It would probably be disingenuous for me to say no there isn't, but it's also not as significant as people think and if you do it right, it shouldn't last too long! It's proven that mission-driven businesses grow faster, engender more loyalty from customers and team members, and are profitable quicker.
ME: You’re an innovator who disrupts the status quo of an industry by presenting a different alternative. How do you go about deciding on and then validating an initial idea before deciding to go all in and disrupt a market?
BW: I like talking to people and getting feedback on an idea. It's always quite telling and I'm lucky enough to have a big (ish) network of diverse people. That often includes industry experts and places like NZTE. I spend a lot of time on social media (yes, I know) and that tells you an awful lot about what's going on in certain demos with certain industries and products. Then, depending on what comes of that, I will crack on making a product that hopefully people can experience in some way, and do consumer testing. The best feedback though comes from people who paid from the product - they are of course much less forgiving than those who got it free. So I like to get a product to market (online only preferably), and have a LOT of surveys and chats with customers.
ME: You’re an expert community builder, as proven with Ethique. You’re now very openly building the Incrediballs community in tandem with developing the product and building the business. What approach did you take to community building when starting Ethique, and how has it evolved for Incrediballs?
BW: I think expert is pushing it! It wasn't a calculated approach with Ethique at all, and it hasn't really been for Incrediballs. It was simply about building something in plain sight and getting feedback on everything from product names to what stores we should be in next and so on. Truly having conversations with people ensures they feel like they're part of the brand (which they of course are) therefore helps build loyalty and brand appeal. You need to implement at least some of that customer feedback, have honest conversations with them online, engage in comments on social posts, show the whole journey (not just the good bits), and explain why you are doing what you are doing. People want to feel part of something and if you go back to those super early days for Ethique on FB, you will see I got very personal (don't look back, my design work is so embarrassing!). You need to of course have boundaries, but being human is really important. Incrediballs will be exactly that, though it is ebbing and flowing as we're still in the pre-launch phase and sometimes there isn't much to talk about!
ME: Taking Incrediballs as an example, in the early days it looks as though community building relies heavily on your time, transparency, and heart - how do you scale the community and maintain engagement while also scaling the business?
BW: It does - and that's part and parcel of it at least to begin with, as you are infusing part of yourself into the brand and community. You can be clever and efficient with what you create in terms of content, and play to your strengths and what you like doing. If you like writing, maybe a blog, or story updates. If you don't mind being on camera, short videos. If you like talking, a podcast might be an option. If you make it fun, or at least something you can do long-term, it makes it more achievable. Don't try and do it all, you'll do it badly, just commit to what you can do and be consistent. I have chosen to be quite active on social media through both video and podcast, and it will become a significant part of our marketing strategy when we launch, so I see all the time on it now as an investment in the company's success. Things like time blocking and organisation of course help, as my team help plan and schedule content and start conversations in the Business, but Better community for example. But it's also important to build your marketing team's expertise in community building, so they can gradually take over, or at least help you with some of the heavy lifting when other things start to become as important. (Note I say as important, because community and brand are all you really have a business, your product can almost always be copied, or the problem you're solving solved in another way. Almost always.)
"Don't try and do it all, you'll do it badly, just commit to what you can do and be consistent. I have chosen to be quite active on social media through both video and podcast, and it will become a significant part of our marketing strategy when we launch, so I see all the time on it now as an investment in the company's success."
ME: From an outsider's perspective, you are extremely authentic and genuine in how you show up and where you direct your energy - though you’ve also spoken on your Business but Butter podcast about your fear of judgement (which I’m sure people find refreshingly vulnerable to hear). How do you bring your genuine self to environments that might be unfamiliar or out of your comfort zone?
BW: I couldn't actually not. And I'm often out of my comfort zone, but I do quite like that challenge. I'm not very good at putting on a filter, the word people seem to call me the most is 'authentic' which isn't put on at all - sometimes I often say too much - but that is who I am. I am quite intimidated by a lot of people, and avoid conflict, so in those situations I stay quiet, but I can never 'act corporate' or like I feel I sometimes should in some environments. I am also gradually learning that I don't need to fit into the 'businesswoman' box, and that being me is just fine.
🔥 Quick-fire questions
Your favourite (or most popular) resource on your Business but Better platform?
Plan on a page! We have a lot of very early-stage entrepreneurs come to BBB for advice on how to even get started and I find simply writing down their idea, working through things like their goals, and steps to get there, competitors, unique things about their business idea. But it's also helpful for slightly more established businesses too. I ran Ethique off a plan on a page for many, many years!
A word or phrase that reflects how you approach life at the moment?
Why is this the hardest question. I suppose... cautiously optimistic but inspired by those around me?
It’s the year 2044, what’s one thing that you hope has materially changed for the better as a result of the work you’re involved with?
I hope that governments have made it a requirement for businesses to properly account for the environmental cost of their products and services. As Sylvia Earle said, to 'put the Blue on the Balance Sheet'. Because only when we see it's true value to us economically, and only when it is expensive to cause damage, will businesses start to consider the natural world in their decisions. People will roll their eyes at the idea of another business cost, but frankly, we cannot continue to just keep taking natural resources and not accounting for the damage that does to the only place we have to live. It's absolutely possible to have a successful, profitable business that does net good, without exploiting people or planet. Plenty of examples out there and more and more coming out every day - the ambition in the mission-driven entrepreneurs I am lucky enough to work with is genuinely inspiring.
Meet Brianne here.
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