Going into business to do good for others is a noble yet challenging undertaking.
While others are always willing to support a business that’s trying to do right by others, this doesn’t mean that a company is immune from the realities of doing business, be it low sales or a changing consumer preference.
Yet despite these odds, fundraising company Double Good has managed to keep the lights while supporting the American youth for nearly 30 years.
How?
By selling popcorn!
Photo from Unsplash
For those who may not know, Double Good is a virtual fundraising platform that helps out communities, schools, and youth teams raise money through the sales of gourmet popcorn.
Fundraising campaigns could be set up through an app without the worry of cash handling or inventory requirements. Moreover, those who set up campaigns through Double Good keep 50% of every dollar sold through the app.
The company was founded in 1998 and last year, it (together with its partners) managed to raise over USD 10 million across youth sports, schools, and community organizations.
To understand how this fundraising platform has managed to deliver in both impact and longevity, we need to take a look at its founder.
His name?
Tim Heitmann!
Photo from Fortune
Heitmann is the founder and current CEO of Double Good. Under his leadership, the company has enjoyed many years of continued growth.
The company has even been named 18 times to Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000 list”—an annual list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.
So, how has he managed to sustain the continuous growth and longevity of Double Good?
Heitmann boiled it down to three things:
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Commit to a purpose
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Be open to reinvention
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Build a firm that can outlast its founder
Double Good’s purpose has been anchored on creating joy internally and externally.
Internally, Heitmann frames joy as “talented people doing meaningful work that delivers on the company mission.”
Throughout the years, Heitmann credited Double Good’s commitment to its purpose as the reason for its pursuit of long-term impact and achievement of growth in the process.
Heitmann credits reinvention as another factor to Double Good’s success. According to him, a few of the company’s biggest turning points have come from being open to reinvention.
Among the biggest turning points include Double Good’s transition from being a big-box channel supplier to a fundraising company. Another one is the company’s rebranding to Double Good from Popcorn Palace.
Heitmann said “when you’re innovating, you can’t be afraid to ditch what you’ve already invested in when a better, more aligned path becomes clear.”
Heitmann says founders who chase longevity should build a company that can outlast them, emphasizing the importance of bringing in a team that can lead and run an organization.
Moreover, he underscored the importance of identifying and supporting capable leaders who can keep fulfilling a company’s purpose.
Heitmann says he’s been practicing this, as he has recruited experts that align with Double Good’s purpose and values.
Most importantly, Heitmann underscores that building a company that can outlast its founder also means being open to change. He said a founder can either drive change or react to it, and if he or she doesn’t react well to it, he or she won’t last very long.
Given these principles, it’s no surprise Double Good has lasted this long!
Heitmann’s strong commitment to his company’s purpose, openness to reinvent, and strong belief that’s oriented towards longevity are the hallmarks that has enabled him to run a multi-million dollar fundraising firm that has raised millions for young Americans since its founding.
If you’re an aspiring founder or business leader, the story of Double Good and Heitmann is definitely something you can take inspiration from.
After all, building a high-growth and long-lasting business doesn’t just require a strong business acumen. It also needs a strong sense of purpose and openness to change.
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Mondays: Marketing Marvels”
Too often, industry experts and the marketing press sing the praises of some brand or company’s marketing strategy.
… only for the audience to later find out that its product was a flop, or worse, that the brand or company went bankrupt.
The true ROI in marketing can’t be separated from the business as a whole.
What good is a marketing case study if one can’t prove that the company’s efforts actually paid off?
At the end of the day, either the entire business is successful or it isn’t. And the roles of marketing and communication are always paramount to that success.
Every Monday, we publish a case study that highlights the world’s greatest marketing strategies, marketers, and communicators.
However, the difference between our articles and the numerous ones out there is that we will always make certain that the firm really did generate and demonstrate earning power worthy of study in the first place in keeping with a person’s leadership skills in the area of marketing and/or communication.
We’ll also study the greatest marketing fails and analyze what they did wrong, or what they needed to improve. We all make mistakes, but better we learn from others’ mistakes—and earlier, rather than later.
Hope you find this week’s topic interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Monday’s “Marketing Marvels!”
Cheers,
Adrian Kyle Vergara
Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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