Building a Socially Responsible Business with Katie Boothby-Kung – September 10, 2020

Entrepreneurs often feel like they aren’t doing enough when implementing social impact programs in their start-up. Katie Boothby-Kung, Senior Manager of Social Impact for Shopify, thinks entrepreneurs need to own their imperfections. 

From 9-5, Katie is a Senior Manager of Social Impact at Shopify. By working closely with social impact businesses around the world, she is able to build educational tools and  provide platform support to launch and grow a successful social enterprise. Prior to Shopify, Katie worked for the Prime Minister and other federal ministers in policy and communications. 

Outside of work, Katie is the founder of Copper Root Collective, an eco conscious bath and skincare company based in Ottawa with 100% of the profits from Copper Root Collective going directly to water projects in Zambia. On the weekends Katie can be found hiking with her puppy or playing board games with her hubby.

“There is no such thing as a 100 percent sustainable business. If you’re looking to have more social impact, done is better than perfect,” explained Boothby-Kung. “Doing one thing is better than doing nothing. Own those imperfections.”

On this week’s THRIVE Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Katie discusses integrating social impact programs into your start-up.