Bonfire with Soul — Drop #1

What’s a ‘Bonfire with Soul’ I hear you ask?

Well, that can be answered at many levels, but superficially, it is a virtual class to ‘unlearn’ business as usual: https://www.bonfirewithsoul.com/

Delivered by Duke Stamp, in partnership with the Do Lectures: https://thedolectures.com/

Based on his own experience of working at brands such as Nike, Seventh Generation, Lululemon, Duke is on a mission to communicate what set these companies apart in their purpose, community and ability to inspire colleagues and customers. How these companies are as unconventional as the they are successful. His goal is to obsolete Harvard Business School.

Packaged into twelve principles, Bonfire with Soul delivers three video bundles each covering four topics, plus ‘kindling conversations’ with inspiring guest speakers, alongside Q&A sessions and a slack community of participants.

In the first bundle we investigate:

1. Product is a Mirror into Your Soul
2. Widen the Lens
3. Live Empathy
4. It Begins inside

Product is a Mirror into Your Soul

Key takeaways:

• Recognise that the best brands don’t just have a product team, they have a product culture. They are obsessed with delivering the best product possible.
• The best brands are able to romanticise their product. That is, they are able to communicate the idea, such that customers can see and feel the product, beyond the physical thing.
• The best brands also shift the aperture. They recognise that product is everything you do. Every touch point with the customer; marketing, website, packaging, sales experience, first use, second use, efter sales care… Everything.

Kindling conversation: Steve Wilson — Founder of 21c Museum Hotels

Steve is a maverick. Born and raised in Southern United States, Steve chose the unconventional path of art and design. His vision is to revitalise downtown USA, with destination hotels; that are part gallery, part hospitality. His message is the quality of experience is in the details.

Widen the Lens

Key takeaways:

• If you’re talking about your competitors, you’re already down the wrong path. If your focused on what your competitors are doing, your not focused on what you can create and control.
• This isn’t about a generic tagline. This is about what you truly stand for beyond the product. Why do you matter? Infect your culture with this point of view.
• Be consistent. This is hard. Have integrity, and ensure all your decisions are aligned to your values. Consistently.

What does the world, or your community, need most, that you are uniquely qualified to deliver?

Kindling conversation: Clare and David Hieatt — Founders of the Do Lectures and Hiut Denim.

Clare and David promote the importance of community. They are proud to be Welsh, and proud to live and work in Cardigan, Wales. Cardigan is a jeans making town. Hiut Denim’s purpose is to bring back jeans manufacturing to Cardigan, bring back a tradition, create jobs, and revitalise a community.

The Do Lectures are also a community. A community of like minded mavericks and makers, who want to create a better way of doing things. Having been seeded by Clare and David, the community has taken on a life of its own, with an annual festival of inspiration.

Live Empathy

Key takeaways:

• When there’s empathy, there’s understanding. When there’s understanding, there’s connection. And with connection comes effortless loyalty.
• It’s about understanding the essence of things. When you understand, you can connect.
• And, that’s the power of any great brand.

Kindling conversation: Khalilah T. Olokunola— EVP HR TRU Colors

Khalilah is a phenomena. Born in upstate New York, to upper middle class parents, Khaliliah had a fractious relationship with her father and slipped into gangs, and participating in illegal activities. Following five years in prison. Khalilah is not only on a mission to rebuild her life but to rebuild the lives of others. Through her inspirational culture building at TRU Colors.

Destiny Disruptors

TRU Colors are building a company to stop gang violence and unite communities across America. They recruit active gang members from the local community, placing them on a training programme to foster recognition, reward, and responsibility. Once the training programme is complete they graduate to full time employees.

Gang violence has dropped 80%

Oh, and they make beer.

It Begins Inside

Key takeaways:

• Honour what matters most, which is your inside culture. When that’s done well, it’ll have an amazing ripple effect into the outside world.
• Love the idea of effortless loyalty. Create the conditions for people to feel valued, to feel heard. Whether that’s through clarity of purpose, a sense of trust, or a sense of empowerment.
• Create a visceral feeling that everyone is part of beyond the product.

Kindling conversation: Chipper Bro— Patagonia icon

Chipper is a free spirit. Raised in seventies Southern California, Chipper embraced the outdoors. Rather than college, he became a freestyle frisbee professional and was sponsored by a beer brand (yes, that was a thing!). And lived a dirtbag lifestyle, touring the country and world, participating in frisbee tournaments and showcases.

When he decided to settle down he applied to this small local company, Patagonia, with three key words on his CV: landscaper, frisbee, surfer. ‘Perfect!’ said Patagonia.

Chipper came to embody the brand; perfect product, alternative culture, socially and environmentally conscious. He was the receptionist. He was the voice, and face, of Patagonia. He understood the values of Patagonia, and he lived and presented these to all.

So what do I take from the first Bonfire with Soul video drop? Firstly I take a whole lot of inspiration. There are some amazing people out there doing amazing things. However, it occurs to me that nowhere in any of their stories do they state, I am where I am, doing what I do, because I went to an unlearning lecture.

So what is it that has led these folks to lead fascinating lives, and do awesome things? For me its authenticity, and integrity, and an unwillingness to bow to social norms. They’re all living lives true to their own vision, and values.

And I think that’s what I can take away; Live authentic.