Awesome Office: Lead. Create. Inspire

Does this Business Hold the Key to Solving LA's Homeless Crisis? w/ The Giving Keys President Brit Gilmore

04.24.2017 - By Sean SpearPlay

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The Giving Keys has put up some impressive numbers under president Brit Gilmore’s watch: 70+ employees. 1400 retail stores around the globe that sell their products. Half a million keys sold to date. But there’s another, even more impressive number. 100 - that’s the percentage of the company’s production team that is staffed by people who are currently transitioning out of homelessness. This week, co-host Sean Spear sat down with Brit Gilmore, the president of The Giving Keys a “pay it forward company” that makes necklaces from keys engraved with inspirational messages. Besides making beautiful hand-crafted jewelry, the company also works with local nonprofits to hire individuals who were recently homeless. With 26,000 people living without a roof over their heads, The Giving Keys can’t solve the homelessness problem in LA by themselves. But they can provide a model for other companies to follow, and together make a huge impact. In this inspirational conversation, Brit walks us through the origin of the company, the daily habits that have aided her success, as well as the challenges that have helped shaped who she is.  She also dispels some of the myths around homelessness, and explains how she and her team have developed a culture that supports the growth and development of all employees, regardless of their background.   Links The Giving Keys Brit on LinkedIn @TheGivingKeys on Instagram Chrysalis First Place for Youth Recommended Reading Business of Fashion Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan Thrive by Arianna Huffington Good to Great by Jim Collins Special Offer for AO Listeners - Try SnackNation Market for FREE Introducing SnackNation Market.   For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it’s available for homes and awesome individuals too. SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep.  With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game. We’ve secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE. Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling). That’s SnackNation.com/AO.

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