Hands up if you’ve walked past a young homeless person and avoided eye contact. Maybe you wanted to give them a few bucks only to realise you don’t carry notes anymore. Or maybe you wanted to stop and help them but you didn’t know how. Well, today’s guest has felt all those emotions … so much so that he was compelled to do something about it. So, he started a social enterprise with a marketing and sales bent … and he’s never looked back. It’s a heart-warming episode 577 of The (12 year-old, award-winning) Small Business Big Marketing podcast.
A little more about social entrepreneur and Homie’s Nick Pearce …
Nick Pearce is the co-founder of HoMie – a retail and training social enterprise where 100% of profits support young people experiencing homelessness and hardship.
How they do that is what piqued my interest in getting Nick on the show.
You see, from the outside, HoMie is a streetwear clothing label with a retail store on Melbourne’s famous Brunswick Street, manufacturing and selling all the usual suspects … hoodies, Ts, beanies, tote bags.
But then things get interesting … You see, HoMie’s philosophy is that homelessness is a situation that young people can move out of with the right support and tools.
So, the brand also provides training via their Pathway Project enabling those doing it tough to skill-up and become retail store ninjas!
We cover plenty of ground in this chat with Nick including how Humans of New York inspired the first iteration of the HoMie brand, how to develop profitable strategic alliances, along with Nick’s insightful view on guerilla marketing.
Oh, and later in the interview, you’ll hear about a number of fulfilling ways you and your business can support HoMie’s mission … and (spoiler alert) it’s not through donations.
As the founder of a social enterprise, I started off by asking Nick if he felt as though he was on a mission …
Timbo’s Top 3 Attention Grabbers from my chat with Homie’s Nick Pearce …
- I love how Nick and his business partner Marcus did their research upfront by getting out on the streets to truly understand the plight of those he wanted to support. What informal research are you doing in your business?
- I love Nick’s take on moving things forward “… As he said “You don’t need to know exactly what you’re doing.” Just do something … after all, action creates reaction.
- I love the VIP days he puts on offering a dignified shopping experience to those living rough. All in all, HoMie is simply a bloody good story and I’m so honoured Nick chose to share it on this little old podcast.
Other interviews with social entrepreneurs on The Small Business Marketing Podcast
Interview with Thankyou’s Daniel Flynn
Interview with Who Gives a Crap’s Simon Griffiths
Interview with Sleepbus’s Simon Rowe
Last Week’s Episode of The Small Business Big Marketing Podcast
Thanks for tuning in. May your marketing be the best marketing.
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