The Entrepreneur Proving You Don't Have To Choose Between Profit & Purpose | Stuart White

What this episode is about

Stuart White discusses his company, We Are World, which bridges the gap between charitable giving and consumer shopping by allowing individuals to purchase luxury items at discounted prices while donating a percentage of each sale to their chosen charity, thus making philanthropy accessible to everyone. He reflects on a pivotal personal experience that inspired him to create a platform that not only promotes effortless giving but also leverages technology to positively impact the world.

Key takeaways

• Giving without spending: shop luxury, fund change. It's retail therapy meets philanthropy.
• Affluent donate easily, but WOW democratizes giving. Access is key, not just intent.
• From ocean dreams to charitable themes: Inspiration rides the waves of accessibility.
• Luxury discounts fund Forbes' Top 100. Buyer wallets stay untouched, hearts abound.
• Wow-approach: redefining ecommerce, where shopping for stocks means stacking up goodwill.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Daniel (Host) · 6 min speaking
• Stuart White (Guest) · 11 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Forbes, Thomas Stuart
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Forbes
3. 9:00 – 12:00: Cashback, Thomas Stuart
4. 12:00 – 15:00: Facebook, Instagram, Michael Douglas, Thomas Stuart
5. 15:00 – 16:14: Thomas Stuart

Notable quotes from "The Entrepreneur Proving You Don't Have To Choose Between Profit & Purpose | Stuart White"

• So Stuart, I gotta say I'm excited by what you're doing because I feel like with technology and everything we can do, I don't know if we're always creating things that can positively.

  about Thomas Stuart · at 1:02

• Good to be true, and the bottom line is this. When it comes down to it from a cashback perspective, we want to of course incentivize people to keep coming back for more. The…

  about Cashback · at 11:30

• World. It's really that simple. It reminds me, of that line in that Michael Douglas said in Wall Street, right? We all remember that movie and it was a very he had a lot of…

  about Michael Douglas · at 13:06

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Thomas Stuart — Person · 5 mentions · first at 1:02
• Michael Douglas — Person · 1 mention · first at 13:09

Companies & orgs

• We Are Our World (WOW) — Company · 20 mentions
• Forbes — Company · 3 mentions · first at 0:48
  We donate 5 to 10% of every purchase to your charity of choice from the Forbes top 100 charities in America. It cost you absolutely nothing. You shop and we give.
• Instagram — Company · 1 mention · first at 13:29
  Charity. Everyday people and mega influencers, if you will, can post on their socials, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and earn real money for referring others to shop. And…
• Facebook — Company · 1 mention · first at 13:32
  Influencers, if you will, can post on their socials, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and earn real money for referring others to shop. And you're shopping with a purpose. And…

Concepts & topics

• Referral marketing — Concept · 3 mentions
• Cashback — Concept · 1 mention · first at 11:35

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 We really needed we are our world. What was the problem you were solving? Think people as a whole, right? We think about charity and volunteering. I realized, you know, there's a barrier for a lot of people and it wasn't the lack of caring. It was a lack of access. Affluent and wellto-d do people, they give, but every day people want to go ahead and contribute as well. They just can't always afford to do so. They don't have the bankroll. So, this is where we are world comes in. We make giving effortless. Sometimes the greatest businesses and companies come from something that is so simple yet it solves a major problem. And here's how it works. You know, you shop luxury brands at discounted prices and you come to our site at weworld.com.

0:45 We donate 5 to 10% of every purchase to your charity of choice from the Forbes top 100 charities in America. It cost you absolutely nothing. You shop and we give. So Stuart, I gotta say I'm excited by what you're doing because I feel like with technology and everything we can do, I don't know if we're always creating things that can positively impact the world. There's a lot of talk around, you know, AI, is that going to damage things? Is it going to make it better, worse? I don't know. At least what you're doing is you're leveraging technology and you're doing something great for the world. So what was that moment for you when you realized that we really needed we are our world and what was the problem you were solving?

1:35 Great question. Absolutely. So you know really if you were to look back at a distinctive moment in my life and what really made me think of the idea behind we are a world. I was living in Hawaii at the time spending almost every day in the ocean and one day I saw a young couple. They were pushing their son in a wheelchair down to the water. Several of us, you know, offered to help, but the parents were very, very proud and they politely declined. I watched this little boy. He was probably no older, Daniel, than five or six years old who was in a wheelchair. Yet, he was so excited to get down to the ocean, and everybody was excited for him, too. His parents lifted him out of the chair. He was paralyzed, you know, unfortunately, from the waist down, and when the water touched him, he lit up. His arms were flinging, completely joyful. uh for that moment he was just like any other kid. And watching him I felt inspired but also

2:29 honestly relieved never to face what he would. I mean let's face it you know we're all emotional as human beings and that side comes into play as well. And I kept thinking about it and I said, "Hey, I have to take this situation and you can't, you know, like I I I was stopped from in that moment helping." And it just really inspired me as well that if he's going through these challenges to live his life and his future life, what can I do today to make a difference?

3:02 So, what was the next steps? And I mean, it sounds like an incredible mission. And then how did you say okay I'm gonna connect it to e-commerce shopping like how how did you make that connection?

3:15 Yeah. Uh so let me go over that with you. Um from that standpoint you know think people as a whole right we think about charity and volunteering and you know I realized you know there's a barrier for a lot of people and it wasn't the lack of caring it was a lack of access. you know affluent and wellto-d do people they give but every day people want to go ahead and contribute as well they just can't always afford to do so they don't have the bankroll so this is where we are world comes in we make really giving effortless Daniel this is how simplistic wow I I like to call it as well the acronym for we are our world so I guess you could say wow from that standpoint and hopefully it's that wow moment that people realize this and here's how it works you know, you shop luxury brands at discounted prices and they're not only luxury brands uh from that standpoint, but you know, a lot of them are as well. I made some great

4:14 connections with suppliers and manufacturers and vendors. And you come to our site at weworld.com. We donate 5 to 10% every purchase to your charity of choice from the Forbes top 100 charities in America. It cost you absolutely nothing. You shop and we give.

4:31 How simple, right? Sometimes I think we found the greatest businesses and companies come from something that is so simple yet it solves a major problem. So when you got into this whole world of charity and donations, was there something that came up that you're like, "Oh wow, like this this isn't what I expected."

4:53 Yeah. You know, Daniel, when you look upon it, you know, people think, you know, how did how do they shop? and and and some some companies never dare to you know change their business model if you will you know and and and what's the push back you know that you may face when it comes down to it and what makes we our world really special and different here's the reality of it you're shopping like it's going back to the simplicity that you were saying you're shopping anyway why not make it count you get great merchandise at discounted prices you pick a charity from Forbes top 100 charities we chose Forbes for a reason. It's the most trustworthy, incredible list that's out there. It truly is the top 100 charities every year in America that's donated to.

5:39 So, at the end of each year, we have to actually uh update it. End of each year in December, uh usually about the second or third week in December, they have it from the year before calculated on what was donated the most. But at the end of the day, you're donating a portion uh of your purchase. You're not paying for it whatsoever. I'm just taking and we're taking as a company a percentage of that price point. It cost you absolutely nothing and it's really that simple and easy.

6:06 So what was the feedback like from the customer and then also what's the feedback like from the brand?

6:13 Yeah. So uh from the customer's perspective, you know, hey, it's something that you're able to do something here that's near and dear to your heart. You're able to get great products for yourself, but you're also able to give back to the cause that you want to choose from. you know, it's it's it feels special from that standpoint, you know, and the hope is that you can buy, you know, tons of brand name products and simultaneously give back and thus that's the name we are our world as we can all come together for the greater good. Be better, do better, and do something really special for causes and charities in need. So when you when you think about um how large and how big you can scale this organization, obviously there's billions of people on the planet and I'm sure you could have, you know, millions of shoppers in the US alone. What do you think this will look like and how big of an impact could this

7:05 have? Great question. Yeah, you know, really what it comes down to in life in general, right, we always try to plan shortterm and long-term goals. And so those four hero world shortterm I'm focused on getting the word out know podcasts like this social media anywhere I can share the story and build on the brand the more people who know about we are world the more money that will go to charity longterm I want to grow this into a real movement you know I I'll settle for thousands of people first shopping on we are world and millions would be something you know special forget about billions for a moment that would be outrageous Right. Uh but so you know that would be really special you know if we had just you know thousands to and grow from that standpoint but I'm not selfish at the end of the day. You know I look at this as something that other companies should look upon doing too. You know it's really known as a

7:58 social enterprise where it's a company that is yes for profit but at the same time that's giving back to society. So, I'd love to see other companies, you know, adopt this model, prove out that you can build a business that's profitable and do good at the same time. And personally, you know, I I want to expand beyond fashion. You know, I'd love to add electronics, homegoods, everyday products people are already buying. So, if anyone out there, you know, is a manufacturer that's listening or distributor of consumer goods or knows people that are, reach out and we can discuss having your products represented on our site and adding them to our catalog of goods. more products that we have to offer the marrier and combined we can provide and influence that many more people to purchase and in turn raise that much more money for charity. Just send an email to to info@wororld.com.

8:48 So I imagine you get this question a lot. Were you in e-commerce before or were you in retail before this company? like like I I understand if you want to do good and you tied it to this, but I would imagine that you must have had some experience and if not, how did you get into this industry?

9:08 Yeah, great great question uh as well. It's interesting. Uh I've been in sales my whole life. You know, I've sold different products, different services when it comes down to it. Interesting enough when uh before uh 2000 right the bubble burst thing I was actually selling websites you know and it's interesting too because they didn't have all these plugins and everything else you if you were a company you were spending a lot of money on on a to build out a website when it came down to so from a sales perspective the technology end of it I didn't per say know but I love the beauty of it to be able to reach you know thousands to you know millions of people as we just said from that standpoint and I also looked at it that hey I could look at this latter part of my career that was something that was near and dear to me as well I wanted to do something more you know um sales when it comes down to it earned me

10:06 a very good livelihood over the years no doubt about that but it doesn't give me that unique feeling of really being able to influence this and so that's the beauty of we are world as a And you know what I created here, it's an enabler. It's a catalyst, you know, for giving back. And it's something where why would you not if you could go ahead and if you have the same product and you had the opportunity to give back to charity for absolutely free, why would you not choose that opportunity? And that's what my hope is.

10:39 I mean, yeah, it make it makes a lot of sense. I think most people when they go into entrepreneurship, if you were to tell them, not only can you do something successful, you could make money from it, but you can also help people. I think most people would want to add that in. I I don't know if they always look at that as like an addition that they can do in the beginning. But I think if we could, most people would add that portion to their company. So, if somebody out there is thinking like, "Wow, I want to be like Stuart. I want to start a company. I, you know, I want to do good. I want to I want to make that not just a nonprofit typical thing.

11:15 I want to make that, you know, a part of my for-profit organization. What What's a piece of advice that you'd give to them?

11:22 So, most people, you know, I understand exactly what you're saying, and most people think, you know, cash back and referral programs is really what you're getting to is sometimes, you know, too good to be true, you know, and the bottom line is this. When it comes down to it from a cashback perspective, we want to of course incentivize people to keep coming back for more. The more often you come back means the more often that you continue to give back to charity. And that's really what it's about at the end. So the more you shop, the more your charity benefits. And when I say your charity, you could pick on each purchase, you literally can pick different p uh charities that you want to go ahead and donate to. You can you also at the end of the day, we want to be able to be transparent as possible. A lot of uh companies that do give back cash, they actually make sure that you utilize it again on future shopping

12:11 experiences. We're actually giving you an opportunity that if you want to cash out and put it in your bank account, you can. So, the choice is certainly yours. Don't get me wrong, you know, as we grow and as we build, we'll probably incentivize people where, hey, if you want to use it for cash back on a future purchase, or we may even throw in an additional percentage, if you will, that you'll get on a future cash back opportunity. And then when it comes down to, you know, our affiliate program, our referral program, certainly we want to be able to grow organically. Uh, you know, when it comes down to it, we could you could share WOW with your friends.

12:47 They shop and they give to charity and you earn up to 10% of their purchase. Most people shopping means more, you know, going to good causes. When it comes down to it, more people shopping, I should say, means more money going to good causes. That's, you know, right? When it comes down to it, you have to do and let people know about we are a world. It's really that simple. It reminds me, you know, of that line in that Michael Douglas said in Wall Street, right? We all remember that movie and it was a very he had a lot of conviction saying it. Greed is good. So in this case, it really is is you can make money and have a side hustle but with a heart, you know, and collectively come together and give that much more to charity. Everyday people and mega influencers, if you will, can post on their socials, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and earn real money for referring others to shop. And you're

13:36 shopping with a purpose. And you're making a difference in your lives, in your life, and the lives of others by simply shopping. It's really that that easy. I like this. Side hustle with a heart. I've never heard that before. That That's a good one. Um, but Stuart, this has been amazing. We are our world. I'm very inspired by what you what you've been able to accomplish here, your mission. I think if more people thought this way, really the world would be, you know, even a better place. But if people want to get in touch with you, they want to find out more, they want to learn about your affiliate programs and such, how can they do so?

14:10 Absolutely. So, let me actually tell you something. I thought about this long and hard and I want to really give you a great opportunity Daniel for your viewers and your listeners this holiday season with a special promotion. I want to do something special for them. You know it's holiday season. We are running of course on our site a special promotion where you could click on a coupon link that you'll see on every single product. It will open up and you could get back a code that you'll get a cash back. you'll wind up getting cash back in 5% and you'll also get 5% off immediately from that purchase. And that's, you know, for everyone, anybody who makes a purchase on on a site. But if your viewers and your audience could go ahead and make a purchase, post about it on their social media, write a review as well. I'll personally send them, let's call it, you know what, Daniel, let's call it a 5% founder story coupon,

15:04 you know, for their next order. and therefore your viewers, you can save a total of 15% off their purchases and support a charity at the same time. It's my way of saying thanks for having me come on your show, spread the word about what we're doing when it comes down to it and it will be a great opportunity for your audience and I would love to, you know, go ahead and push that forward to them.

15:27 Well, Stuart, I appreciate your time, all that you do. We are our world. I hope everyone checks it out. We'll include links and everything so they have it. Um, but I can't wait, you know, a year, six months, a year from now, just to see how much bigger that you've been able to build this and how much has been able to be donated because I'm sure it's going to be amazing. And you're a pro now. You could go on any interview podcast. You're going to do amazing. I know this was, you know, one of your first podcast interviews you've done.

15:54 So, I can't wait to see how much better you become just in the media game. I know you're going to be incredible. But Stuart, I can tell the passion, love the mission, and thank you for joining us today.

16:06 Thank you so much, Daniel. I really, really appreciate it.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Entrepreneur Proving You Don't Have To Choose Between Profit & Purpose | Stuart White"?

Daniel (Host), Stuart White (Guest).

What is "The Entrepreneur Proving You Don't Have To Choose Between Profit & Purpose | Stuart White" about?

Stuart White discusses his company, We Are World, which bridges the gap between charitable giving and consumer shopping by allowing individuals to purchase luxury items at discounted prices while donating a percentage of each sale to their chosen charity, thus making philanthropy accessible to everyone. He reflects on a pivotal personal experience that inspired him to create a platform that not…

What is mentioned in this Founder's Story episode?

8 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including We Are Our World (WOW), Thomas Stuart, Forbes, Referral marketing, Cashback, Michael Douglas. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Entrepreneur Proving You Don't Have To Choose Between Profit & Purpose | Stuart White"?

The episode runs 16 min; the transcript is about 3,142 words in 28 timestamped sections.

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