What came out of the summer of kindness?
Saying thank you to the bus driver is common place again, shouting cheers up the road to the Amazon team as they deliver another parcel feels good. From the NHS to key workers, refuse and recycling teams, check-out staff, teachers, curry makers and pizza creators – the summer of kindness left us feeling and acting differently towards people doing jobs, who before this summer, we often took for granted.
This summer we’ve gone from sitting in the sun and long bikes rides, to the horror of what if the world has changed forever, to mowing the lawn and bbq’s to braving the tube back into town. Then on arrival feeling that these deserted streets are just too powerful a symbol of the kind of world we have all created.
But so much good humanity has been poured out, we find it easier to empathise with each other when we are all in the same situation. New thoughts and new ways of doing stuff is emerging, new entrepreneurs, new experiences in person and online – this wave of kindness has triggered innovation across many small businesses and not for profit communities – so what came out of the summer of kindness?
Key insights for small business and not for profits
We see two keys areas of growth for small business and not for profits – largely due to the opportunity the last 6 months has presented to all of us.
1. The rise of side business brands
Research has shown that Millennials and Gen Zers are 188% more likely to have the aim of creating side businesses, compared to baby boomers*. With so many people with more flexibility creating a second income from already established side businesses like Deliveroo, Uber or AirBNB is highly popular. Of course there are also those with the dream to become their own bosses and see a side business develop into something big. This also includes by the way, not for profits and sustainable innovation. The summer of kindness has provided the incentive for so many to go for it and try something new on the side to our everyday job.
So the first obvious answer is that out of the summer of kindness comes new side businesses and not for profit innovation, many of them needing help in taking their ideas to market. We believe this a great opportunity for organisations like RAW Brothers who can journey alongside new side businesses bringing niche brand strategy and creative input.
2. Big brand thinking for small organisations
With furloughed staff and projects on hold for many small businesses this has been a time of uncertainty but also a time of opportunity. We predict two areas that will impact small businesses for the better – 1. The rise of the local business hub, this will see local coworking communities more mixed up with large corporates allowing staff to work locally and in doing so rubbing shoulders with organisations already operating in the satellite towns – 2. Exposure to new ways or working, small organisations will shrink large corporate strategy into bite size junks to add competitive edge. With the mixing up of where people work there is going to be amazing cross pollination of innovation.
The second answer to what came out of the summer of kindness is that smaller organisations will innovate and change, reinventing old ways, establishing faster more efficient ways to work and take products and services to market. But to do this they need to get their brand strategy on point. Here lies an opportunity for creative consultants like the RAW Brothers to bring big brand thinking to the aid of smaller organisations.
