Giving is a core value of ours at Quest Workspaces. As part of its mission to positively impact the entrepreneurial communities where we work, Quest regularly provides free office space to selected non profits. This month we’re turning the spotlight to Myrna Raquel Quiles’ Caring For Life Foundation, a charity that helps empower those impacted by social injustice from our shared office space in Plantation, Florida. Myrna’s story, as well as how Quest has implemented its own core value of giving, can serve as an example and as an inspiration to all businesses who want to make a bigger impact on the world around them.
Supporting Those Who Take Care of The Less Fortunate
Myrna founded her non profit with the goal of providing those in need with basic human necessities such as food and toiletries. To achieve her goal, she liaises with hospitals and doctors in the local community surrounding our shared office space in Plantation, Florida.
Myrna became inspired by the scarcity of resources available to help the less fortunate in her area. “There is just one soup kitchen in Hollywood, Florida, to feed 200 homeless people.” Seeing this unserved population, Myrna fired up her entrepreneurial spirit and took action!
The Foundation is a grass roots effort in the sense that Myrna puts so much of her personal resources into the effort and forges relationships directly with the community. For example, she cooks from her home and ventures forth to the street to distribute the food and water to homeless people.
What an exceptional example of a kind and giving human being.
As her work with the charity progressed, Myrna saw the need for a more professional image. As she had been doing all her work from home, she endeavored to find office space to work from, but the budget constraints facing her startup operation were substantial. She turned to Google for help, and Quest came to the rescue through the search results!
The Foundation has been housed in Quest’s shared office space in Plantation, Florida, for about a year now. Says Myrna:
This company is so caring. They gave me a small office space where I can meet with potential donors. I have a professional beautiful private space where I can have the conversation in a professional way.
The Foundation is benefiting from this improvement to the brand. When Myrna talks to doctors, she can give them an office address at an established space well known for being home to many successful businesses rather than just a home address.
The Foundation is holding a toy drive this holiday season to benefit children. Currently there are over 40 underprivileged children ages 6 months to 17 years of age from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Puerto Rico. Their parents have to decide between buying a toy for their child or having a meal. The need is real.
Caring in Action, Not Just Words, in Quest Culture
Quest cares. We don’t just say that we do; we back it up with action through outreach programs that we provide as a company as well as enable our team members to pursue individually.
We aren’t just a shared office space in Plantation, Florida, or a coworking center in New York. We are a company with a mission to enrich the world around us. As such, we actively support local charities through donations of resources and time. We have even gone so far as to award our team members a paid day off and encourage them to volunteer with a local charity.
Examples of companies that we have helped include NVEEE, Style Saves, Fashion Inspires More, Miami All Stars, Branches, Drops of Hope, Unity Coalition, and Dream Defenders.
Holiday Inspiration: Rethinking Your Business and its Giving Strategy
Giving isn’t just something do at Quest once in a while, it’s a core belief of our culture and one that is a key basis for how we select team members. It’s who we are as a company and it has indubitably driven us to achieve what we have.
Giving is sometimes philanthropic but in the larger scope of things, can be tremendously instrumental in a business’s success.
As you look back at your business this holiday season and think about what you’ve done this year and have not, consider how much you have given. And then resolve to give more next year. Give, give, give! The more you give, the more you’ll see come back to you. It always does.
Sometimes people are afraid to put themselves out there and give in the business world. As the infamous saying goes, “nice guys (girls) finish last.” On the contrary! To serve is the highest honor.
- He or she who gives the most, controls the most.
- He or she who takes responsibility has the most control.
- He or she who gives as much as possible reaches his or her true potential.
- He or she who gives more than others exceeds others’ expectations.
By giving on a high level, you make yourself indispensable. Your time and your services increase in value the more you are needed. Isn’t that what business is about?
All of this has to be done in concert with your mission. Take some time to rethink it through. What is your business designed to give? Are you really giving to people what they need? Or is the gift perhaps getting lost somewhere in the translation? If so you may be seeing the symptoms of this; lost clients, unfulfilled clients, complaining clients, difficulty getting referrals or convincing new clients to join you.
Out of all the marketing techniques imaginable, word of mouth is the strongest, fastest, and most effective way to build a business. There is no competitor tactic that even comes close.
While we would never recommend that any business rely solely upon word of mouth marketing, we do highly suggest that you get this effect working in your favor as much as possible.
The equation is very simple.
Giving + giving + giving = gratitude = people talking nicely about you = positive reputation = clients seeking you out.
Summing It Up
This article presents numerous examples of companies who give. Let it be an inspiration to your business. Make a list of the people you want your business to impact next year, and write down 3 ways you are going to give to them more than what you did this year.
