By Anita Brightley-Hodges
I have always run a small boutique business employing no more than 12 people at any one time. My dad has been my inspiration for playing sport and travel. As an Army Brat we lived in Germany, Aden, Hong Kong, Cyprus. Indeed I always wanted to be on Jacque Cousteau’s team aboard his wonderful Calypso! However it was not to be. I grew a successful award winning international branding and design agency which I nurtured for over 25 years. As much fun, I have to say. My clients included Sony, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Boots, Red or Dead, Glaxosmithkline and AstraZeneca, amongst many other leading brands.
One day, whilst waiting to take a brief from the communications team at Great Ormond Street Hospital for their annual report, I noticed a leaflet asking for fundraisers to Trek the Namibian Desert. I had no idea what this was exactly and where it would lead me but….the rest as they say is history. Next came Machu Picchu. It was whilst I was walking in the rain, in the mud, out of breadth that I thought…here am I having the time of my life, raising funds for equipment for GOSH and taking 10 days out of my busy working life. If I can do this in my small business why not others?
As soon as I got back to the studio and asked who would like to take 10 days as extra paid leave to do something amazing. My web developer took my offer up and hey presto, raised enough funds to go to Rowanda and help build a school in the deepest poorest community. ‘I’ve made a link for life’ he said.
Since then we have created a scheme My Ten Days and we encourage all small businesses to offer to their staff just ten days to do something amazing either here at home in the UK or overseas. That could be 5 x 2 people, 10 x 1 or 2 x 5 or 1 x 10 days. We have had some success over the years, mostly with family businesses, but I am proud and delighted with each one of them.
Since 2010 we have created a new business Family Business Place we promote and support UK family firms of all sizes and from all sectors. We are one ourselves as I work with two of my daughters, my husband and son-in-law I have had the pleasure of meeting so many great leaders at the helm of their family firms. Some are just a husband and wife start up, others are multi generational dynasties. It’s business, culture and a history lesson all rolled into one. But at the heart of our community is ‘family’. The biggest issues are communication, succession and next generation. That’s my expertise in beginning these tricky conversations that the family are unable to have themselves for fear of upsetting each other.
For our part we now use our 10 days to raise funds to build fresh water bore hole wells in deepest, rural Uganda. Our campaign is WellGood and to date we together with many other fantastic family businesses have built 30 wells between us.
The impact is that each WellGood well saves the lives of between 200 and 2000 people in a village. That’s potentially 60,000 people, when filthy water kills more children than aids and malaria combined. I believe we are making an impact for good.
I forgot to say, I lost my business in 2010 the worst time of my life. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. What helped to get me through it was my fantastic friends and family of course, but also the thought that no matter how shitty my life was at the time, someone somewhere was having a worse time by far. In fact they were dying. I think of this everyday and count my blessings . Roll on the next next 30 wells!!
Pioneers for Change is a seed-bed for innovative thought. An activator of personal potential. A catalyst for collective energy. A community to drive social change. Pioneers for Change is an initiative of Adessy Associates.
Adessy Associates believes social and business objectives are mutually reinforcing. We equip organisations with sustainability / social responsibility strategy, management and communications. We focus on benefit for people, planet and profit, with bespoke services that harness sustainability, innovation, consciousness and purpose. We are proudly B Corp certified.
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About Anita Brightley-Hodges
For over 20 years Anita has guided independent and family-owned businesses, through some of their most exciting and challenging times. From taking them on a journey to establish good governance, to resolving long-established disputes between family members in the business and mentoring the next generation in preparation for succession.
Anita is a regular speaker at events and chairs round table discussion groups on all things family business. She has lectured at Hendon Business School and has been interviewed on BBC radio 4's Today, BBC Radio London and appeared on KMTV Chris & Co and local radio. She works with her husband and two daughters Amalia and Olympia.