By Bekah Davis
Boston-based company DoneGood recently released a marketplace to compliment their Google Chrome extension, and Forbes subsequently bestowed the title of “the Amazon for social good” upon them.
Cullen Schwarz, CEO and Founder of DoneGood
CEO and founder Cullen Schwarz asked himself, “But where can I go to discover companies that I can feel good about supporting?” To answer this question, he created a website that allows you to search for thousands of products across hundreds of mission driven shops. The extension allows users to view more socially responsible purchase choices when Googling an item like “flip flops” or visiting a site like Forever 21. The company features shops that are owned by women and minorities, give back in some way, demonstrate eco-friendly practices, are cruelty-free and more. Customers enjoy a discount from these ethical brands when shopping from their site, and DoneGood profits from a commission off of items sold when directed from their site.
While still in undergrad, Cullen was a member of the organization United Students Against Sweatshops. He helped universities establish a code of conduct in apparel contracts when ordering clothing. Even at that young age, he realized that purchasing power could be an extremely large force. He also realized that while Americans give $4 billion to charity each year, they spend $135 billion on buying goods. He quit his career in politics because he believed that improving lives through guiding people to purchase ethical goods is “the most important thing in the world.”
“The most ideological shift of our time is that businesses don’t just extract money; they’re a primary force to accelerate change” said Schwarz when he spoke with me on the phone.
He continued, “The companies we work with aren’t just making the world better, they’re making better products. Items that are handmade by people making decent wages are better quality than items made in a sweatshop overseas. Our customers are saving the world and saving money for something they were going to purchase anyway.”
Cullen began his career in DC working for social and environmental justice causes on the Obama campaign. “I had a realization that pace of chance comes very slowly in Washington and that bipartisan change is extremely incremental. I think that work is very important and I’m glad that there are people who work to help the world in that way, but I got a little tired of fighting the other side to a tie. I realized that when I spent my money I was working against what I spent all the time at my job doing. I looked around and asked myself ‘what is the biggest potential for the most positive impact in the world?’ And I knew it was the power of the purse.”
While DoneGood now has over 100,000 users, he hopes to increase that number to a million or more in the future. Schwarz faced daily challenges when starting his company. It began as an app to help connect Boston citizens to local, ethical retailers. Schwarz then realized that the online shopping industry was a much larger and faster growing market and that he could reach many more people and businesses through that outlet.
“If I could give advice to my younger self, I would tell him to continue getting customer feedback and let them drive the company you’re building. It’s one of those things that seem obvious but it leads to the most meaningful service possible” said Schwarz
The DoneGood chrome extension can be found here and their online marketplace can be found here.
