In today's episode, we have a special guest, John Allen, who will be sharing his incredible journey of using entrepreneurship to make a difference in the world. John believed that building a successful brand and growing his business would enable him to have a greater impact on causes close to his heart. Despite criticism of for-profit businesses, John's nonprofit partners supported his for-profit model, recognising that the ability to reinvest and grow the business would ultimately lead to a larger impact. Throughout his journey, John and his team were driven by a relentless focus on growth and pushing boundaries, constantly reinventing themselves to stay ahead of trends. From shifting their focus to marketing and adapting to new platforms like TikTok, to pivoting their brand decisions as their target audience evolved, they remained determined to keep pushing and staying relevant. Join us as John reflects on the pros and cons of his business's success, the challenges he faced, and the innovative marketing strategies he employed to promote his brand. We'll also delve into his approach to giving back and the impact it has had on his business and the causes he supports. Stay tuned for an insightful and inspiring episode with John Allen on Ecomgold![00:00:37] Fast-growing brand merges entrepreneurship with charity.[00:06:20] Support elephant conservation, build school fence.[00:13:08] Save the Elephants partnership recognized our struggles.[00:19:29] Sneaky marketing tactics helped gain millions of followers.[00:24:05] Pay whatever, don't steal, hard to get.[00:29:41] We worked with Damon John, turned down Shark Tank, sourced products, executed our business diligently.[00:34:46] Customer service overload, cash payouts, PayPal chaos[00:42:00] Continual push for growth and reinvention.[00:45:39] Lucky marketing boosts sales; tough times follow.[00:52:54] Giving back may not help drive traffic.[00:58:05] Opportunity in market: consolidate struggling businesses.[00:59:59] Custom packaging or sourcing? We offer win-win solutions.[01:05:39] Shadows operator on Ecom Gold, stay tuned.Get show alerts and playbooks by signing up on the EcomGold website: www.ecom.goldClaim an extended free trial as a show listener.EcomGold is brought to you by:‍Rewind Shopify App.Back up your Shopify store because not doing so is absolute lunacy! As a listener of the show, you can claim a no strings attached free month with this link: https://rewind.com/ecommercegold/Sendlane.Unified email, SMS, and reviews for eCommerce. Better features. Better support. Better customer experience. Send your customers exactly what they want, when they want it. (Better than Klaviyo in Finn's opinion). https://www.sendlane.com/Follow Finn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/finn_radford