Keys to Making Money - and a Difference - with Shopify
Executive Summary
Shopify on Location episode recorded in Los Angeles in which host Benjamin Gottlieb talks with Bob Dalton, founder of Sackcloth and Ashes, a blanket company that donates a blanket to a local homeless shelter for each one sold. Bob says his mother lived on the streets about a decade ago, that his first sewn blanket was janky so he found local seamstresses, and that experience building a nonprofit at 19 taught him to form a team around a mission bigger than themselves. He talks about pushing past obstacles, being okay without all the answers, crediting Shopify for letting a non-coder build a website, and a 2018 blanket drop in Portland that led to his mother getting into a program. Sponsor named: Shopify, which hosts the series. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note draws on the opening, origin, obstacles and blanket drop sections, and may miss parts of the roughly 27 minute video. Personal stories and business claims are Bob's own and not independently checked. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.
Key Takeaways
A personal reason
Bob says his mother lived on the streets about a decade ago, and that experience motivated the company.
One for one
He says for each blanket sold, the company donates another to a local homeless shelter.
The first blanket
He says his first sewn blanket was janky, so he found local seamstresses to make sellable ones.
Experience building a team
He says starting a youth nonprofit at 19 taught him to call people to a mission bigger than themselves.
Obstacles
He says obstacles pop up every month, and the courage to keep pressing on despite them is what got him to the next phase.
Help where you are weak
He says you do not have to have all the answers and can find someone who can help.
The blanket drop
He says at a 2018 Portland blanket drop women's program staff asked about his mother and then offered her a slot, and she was accepted.
The Conversation Breakdown
A personal reason
⏱ Untimed topicBob says his mother lived on the streets about a decade ago, and that experience motivated the company.
One for one
⏱ Untimed topicHe says for each blanket sold, the company donates another to a local homeless shelter.
The first blanket
⏱ Untimed topicHe says his first sewn blanket was janky, so he found local seamstresses to make sellable ones.
Experience building a team
⏱ Untimed topicHe says starting a youth nonprofit at 19 taught him to call people to a mission bigger than themselves.
Obstacles
⏱ Untimed topicHe says obstacles pop up every month, and the courage to keep pressing on despite them is what got him to the next phase.
Help where you are weak
⏱ Untimed topicHe says you do not have to have all the answers and can find someone who can help.
The blanket drop
⏱ Untimed topicHe says at a 2018 Portland blanket drop women's program staff asked about his mother and then offered her a slot, and she was accepted.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
One-for-one giving - Bob's business model
Pair each sale with a donation to a local cause.
Find who can help - Bob's approach to obstacles
Admit what you cannot do and find someone who can.
Mission bigger than yourself - Bob's team principle
Call people to something larger than the team.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Name the cause you are personally connected to and how a product could support it.
- ✓List the tasks you are weak at and who could help you with each.
- ✓When an obstacle appears, decide whether to push on, delegate or change course.
- ✓Treat the personal stories and impact claims as Bob's own and check them before relying on them.
Notable Quotes
“we all have a responsibility to help bring some relief to an injustice that we're particularly connected to in some way”
“maybe I can't do everything but I can find somebody that can help me out”
“you don't have to have all the answers right out the gate”
The One Thing to Remember
Bob Dalton says a one-for-one blanket model, built by getting help where he was weak and pushing through obstacles, lets his company make money and make a difference.