CHAPTER 34LIGHTING UP THE WORLD
Just before we sold Swisse, many of the wise mentors at Young Presidents Organisation, my mentorship group, told me to make sure I had a new job or project lined up and ready to go after the sale so that I wouldn't be transitioning from a full-time frenetic schedule to doing nothing. It was good advice. I have had many colleagues, bound by non-compete clauses, go from a hundred to zero and find themselves cut out of the industry they knew and loved for years. I was only 40 years old too. I had plenty more to do.
Just before finishing up at Swisse, Helen and I founded the Lightfolk Foundation, an organisation that aims to inspire conscious living. It's a response to the stressful disconnected existence of so many of us today. In deference to Lightfolk we named our investment and ventures firm Light Warrior, a for-profit entity that uses capitalism for good. (When Helen first told me she loved me, she called me her ‘light warrior’. It was such a cool name we decided it was a fitting moniker for our new company.) Our goal was that the ‘warriors’ would provide for the ‘folk’, with both entities driven to bring light to the world.
I feel passionate about this topic. Four out of five Australians work in private enterprise, so life would be a lot better for everyone if the leaders of these businesses committed to making their workplace exceptional places to be. Business needs to lead the way in making our society better, and creating a great culture ...