original story
Once upon a time, in a far off land (New York City), there was a little girl named Dorothy (actually a grown woman named Monika). She had a vision (some sort of psychological disorder) that the world could be a better place (we all have our challenges) and all the big meanies in it could be kinder gentler people. And then she woke up!
But she happened to wake up in a better place where lots of other kinder gentler people were trying (and succeeding in some cases) against all odds to make the big old grumpy violent self-serving greedy world a happier more joyful place. It’s sometimes called Oz and also known as the United Nations. It is a magical place. As remarkable as it may sound, the majority of people in it devote their entire lives to creating miracles. People plan how to manifest things like world peace, human rights, women’s equality, universal health care, eradicating poverty, eliminating disease, feeding the world’s hungry, and ending war and violence against innocents. Were these people dreaming or were they actually onto something real?
Then the girl..eh um…woman…began to hear voices. They spoke quietly at first and then became louder and more insistent. Even though some global corporations were blatantly violating human rights, draining local resources, polluting rivers, oceans and air, profiting on child labor, disease, poverty and violence with abandon and indifference- these voices said crazy things like, “Business can be a Social Force for Good;” “Business can change the world for the better!” Magically, these voices supported an institution of Hope called the United Nations Global Compact that did just that!
Then Dorothy (we mean Monika) met another gal, the Beautiful Witch Glinda (we mean Sharon Hamilton) and together they thought that maybe dreams can come true. Sharon Hamilton was the Chairwoman of an NGO that actively works to make the world a better place. Glinda (Sharon) believed that love was the most powerful force on the planet. She asked Dorothy (Monika) to be part of a new NGO Working Group called Values & Business. Dorothy gladly obliged (remember she heard voices). She confessed her wish to Glinda that she wanted to go global with the idea of transforming the way business is done from pure self-interest to inclusive world-interest. (It takes all kinds.)
Somehow on the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City (New York) and finding out that the Wizard was a fake (let’s not name names), Dorothy became more determined than ever to create a platform where all people who thought love was stronger than hate, could create a world where business could profit through a win-win model and not seek to destroy anyone! Glinda sprinkled some angel dust (not that kind) and waved her magic wand. Dorothy clicked her Red Spike Louboutin Heels 3 times (she’s a stylish New York woman after all) and voilà! She was not in Kansas anymore! She was no longer in Oz either and Emerald City was none other than a sort-of green (call it sage) Manhattan!
The International Center for Good Business, a corporate philanthropy platform dedicated to building better business for a better world, was born in the summer of 2008. It all began as a simple blog and think-tank for Dorothy’s vision to connect Wall Street finance to social and environmental sustainability. Two months after ICGB was born, the Land of Oz came crashing down with the fall of Lehman Brothers and the collapse of global financial markets. ICGB was there to catch it, but it was mighty heavy. Just like Dorothy’s house landing on the Wicked Witch of the East, ICGB was smack in the center of the action with a bird’s eye view of the economic crisis. The mission to make the world a better place through responsible, socially just, environmentally and economically sustainable business became even more urgent than ever!
After the financial crisis in late 2010, ICGB re-emerged as “Good Business International, Inc.” as an online journal for the latest trends and news in socially responsible and sustainable business. It immediately attracted top thought leaders, corporate moguls, economists and the most innovative companies in 21st century business. (It’s all in the name!) A couple of months later, Good Business was named “Standout Company of the Year ” by the Washington Post Leadership Playlist.
In July 2011, Good Business transformed again into “Good-b,” a new media platform, featuring videos, podcasts, business products and services in addition to sustainable business news. Good-b has become the leading CSR and sustainable news platform in New York featuring top-notch journalism, thought leadership and innovative web productions. Good-b reports on everything “good” in business from impact entrepreneurship, 21st century finance, business ethics, values-based leadership, gender lens investing, social enterprise, environmental sustainability, and CSR best practices that re-establish business as a force for good in society.
Dorothy isn’t a kid from Kansas anymore. In fact she never was (she hails from the West Side and New Jersey). But she still has her Louboutin Spike Heels and a dynamic, dedicated and talented Team to advance the cause. Good-b is read by over a hundred thousand readers in the U.S., Europe, Australia, India and growing bigger everyday!
Why don’t you take a walk down the Yellow Brick Road with us! Together we can help Business become a Force for Good in the World. In this challenging global economy, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore! (Except for those people who live in Kansas- that’s the state just east of Missouri.)
We invite you to click your heels 3 times and make Good-b your sustainable business home! There’s no place like Good-b!
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