The Jasper Blueprint Bessi Graham

In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores how socially impactful businesses can navigate the complex interplay between operational strategies, profitability, and their contributions to social change. Bessi challenges you, as a visionary business leader, to reflect on your strategic decisions and the broader social and environmental effects your decisions have. Emphasising the danger of mistaking good intentions for positive outcomes, Bessi equips you with the tools to assess whether your activities genuinely contribute to desired societal changes. 
Also in this episode: 
Your business can achieve both financial success and social impact without detriment to one another; merging money and meaning allows you to leverage competitive advantages. Good intentions do not inherently equate to positive outcomes—rigorous evaluation is necessary to measure impact.
Clarity on your organisation's origin, mission, and vision is crucial for guiding focus areas for meaningful contributions to societal change.
The process of aligning your business to contribute to social impact is ongoing and requires reflection and strategy adjustment.
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Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.

In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into purpose advantage, the idea that aligning business with a broader purpose not only adds meaningful direction, but also serves as a competitive advantage. Encouraging you to step beyond traditional business paradigms to pursue both money and meaning without the need for trade-offs.
Reflecting on the early days of your business is a practical first step to identify what contribution your business is uniquely equipped to make in the world. To help you uncover more purpose in your work we’ve included a link below to the Origin Story Worksheet Bessi mentions in the episode.
 
Also in this episode:
As a business leader you can leverage competitive advantages by connecting financial objectives with meaningful impact.
Understanding your business's origin story is a powerful tool for uncovering its inherent values and potential contributions to society.
Merging money and meaning requires identifying what is important to you as an organisation, exploring areas of influence within the business, and ensuring the right skills and resources are in place.
  Download your Origin Story Worksheet now: https://bessigraham.com/origin-story   Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify


Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.

In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the intersection of profit and purpose, how it can fortify business foundations, creating a stronger and more resilient enterprise.
 
Bessi highlights Dr. Avis as a wonderful example of embodying this symbiotic relationship between financial success and social impact with her firm, Media to Millions. If you didn’t catch our earlier episode with Dr Avis that’s one well worth scanning back through the show to find (it was Episode #30 - Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Entrepreneurship: How Black Women Can Write Their Own Checks).
 
Also in this episode: 
A more powerful understanding of the purpose of business - know the value you bring; understand the value customers want; and capture value in return.
How does clarity around what your business is uniquely positioned to offer help you identify competitive advantages you can leverage?
Addressing discomfort and pushback around high price points by designing a business model with a mutually reinforcing relationship that delivers better results for your customers AND drives revenue into your business.
 
Learn more and connect with Dr. Avis here: www.themilliondollarpivot.com  

Listen to our previous interview with Dr. Avis here: Episode #30 - Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Entrepreneurship: How Black Women Can Write Their Own Checks https://bessigraham.com/2023/05/closing-the-racial-wealth-gap-through-entrepreneurship-how-black-women-can-write-their-own-checks-feat-dr-avis-jones-deweever-both-success-and-integrity-with-bessi-graham/
 
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify


Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.

In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi shares common challenges leaders face on the journey toward sustainable success in business. If the last few years have thrown you off your game, this episode will shed light on potential causes as well as practical solutions for you to reclaim the reins in your business.
Consultants and advisors are promising to help small and medium businesses navigate the current climate, but more often than not they fail to deliver. As a result, business leaders are falling into one of two unhelpful responses: overwhelmed by the speed of change and demoralised by not knowing how to respond in a way that delivers results and makes commercial sense, many choose to do nothing. The second common response is not even to begin exploring but instead stick with “business as usual” and wait and see.
Bessi runs through the risks of these approaches and offers an alternative based on a broader understanding of risk and return.  
 
Also in this episode:
It is important to get “fresh eyes” on your business model to identify low-hanging fruit in your business.
How clarity on foundational elements will save you massive amounts of money when engaging external experts.
The free masterclass, underway this week, could be a great next step to explore how you can break the cycle without having to do it alone. Use the link below or join our private Facebook group to get more information.


Register for the FREE 2-day Masterclass: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/

Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
 
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify


Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.

In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi invites visionary leaders like you to re-examine your beliefs about the intersection of profit and purpose. Challenging traditional approaches to business we’re advocating for a strategy that doesn’t see monetary success and meaningful impact as mutually exclusive. By weaving in discussion around the pitfalls of traditional consulting advice, Bessi presents you with an alternative perspective that fosters a self-reinforcing loop of success.

Also in this episode:
You don’t have to choose between making money and experiencing meaning in your business; merging the two enables you to leverage powerful competitive advantages.
Adopting a 'Both/And' mindset allows you to operate beyond binary choices, embracing the complexities and interconnectedness of your actions.
We’ll show you how to "Think like a system, act like an entrepreneur" — balancing big-picture perspective with actionable entrepreneurship.
 
Register for our FREE 2-day Masterclass Merging Money and Meaning now at: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/

Download the 5 Steps to Reclaiming Decisive Leadership free resource now!
 
Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
 
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify


Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.

In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the theme of how to thrive in uncertainty through the lens of business modelling and strategy, addressing the challenges that established business leaders encounter in today's volatile market. 
Bessi encourages you to identify your own areas of brilliance and what makes your organisation unique. From that insight you are better equipped to identify strategic partnerships and when to delegate tasks to others. We circle back to Bessi’s concept of “The Two Camps Trap" and uncover how it hinders your potential growth when you fail to recognise the intersectionality within your business operations.
  Also in this episode:
Your business can thrive without resorting to zero-sum tactics. Blur the lines between money and meaning rather than treating them as mutually exclusive.
As a leader, you don't need to master everything - identifying core strengths and leveraging partnerships is key.
Mastery in business modelling is vital for understanding the interconnected nature of all parts of your business.
The Business Model Canvas is a powerful tool for innovation and understanding  Frontstage and Backstage business processes.
 
Register for the Masterclass: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/


Purchase the Business Modelling Series: https://bessigraham.com/business-modelling


Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
 
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify


Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
 
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.