If you are going to attract and keep the best talent, what does your company actually stand for? There has been a growing shift in the importance of work culture. Pay, benefits, 401K, snacks in the break room have all become table stakes. Today’s guest on Little Left of Center is Chad Hickey, founder and CEO of Lucky Forks. Lucky Forks is an organization that helps companies implement a social responsibility strategy. We discussed the impact to companies’ bottom lines as well as what multiplying social good can do for a global impact. Also, Chad was super fun and smart! Transcript below.
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Allison Hare: 00:05 Hey, I'm Alison Hare and welcome to little left of center, the podcast that interviews culture changers that are reshaping our world and breaking new ground. If you're going to attract and keep the best talent, what does your company actually stand for? You may have noticed a shift in the importance of work culture, pay benefits, 401k snacks in the break room. They've all become table stakes. And today's guest on little left of center is Chad a Hickey founder and CEO of lucky forks, lucky forks as an organization that helps companies implement a social responsibility strategy. We discussed the impact a company's bottom lines as well as what multiplying social good can do for a global impact. Also, Chad was super fun and smart. Please enjoy. So I am here today with Chad Hickey. He is the founder and the CEO. Is that right? Are you the CEO?
Chad Hickey: 01:07 Yes, that's correct.
Allison Hare: 01:08 Of lucky forks. Lucky forks is a social responsibilities service. And I am so thankful not only to have you on the podcast, but it's so funny because I think that the social responsibility that corporations are now I'm starting to think about is kind of like when you are thinking about buying a Jeep or you buy a Jeep and then all of a sudden you see Jeeps everywhere. And and it's funny cause as I was preparing for this interview, I met this woman in Atlanta. So Chad is in New York city, but I met this woman in Atlanta who has a similar organization called social measures. And I thought, you know what, it is the thing, it is a thing. So I want to hear yeah. But I want to hear more from you to tell me more about, about you and how this came about.
Chad Hickey: 01:59 Yeah. So you know, I've been in the advertising space for the past 17 years primarily in sales leadership. You know, started my career out in print that the Atlanta journal constitution. So I know you're in Atlanta, so shout out. Yeah.
Allison Hare: 02:13 The AJC. Yes.
Chad Hickey: 02:15 Yeah. So I'm, I started my career there. You know, move to New York with a startup, work in various different, you know, technology companies. But you know what, what I was, I think they, you know, as you go through your 20s and your thirties talking about how you land kind of on what I'm doing today, you know, as you go through that, it's a scenario where you learn a lot of things of like what you want out of life and what you don't want out of life. And what I ended up doing was just realizing at one point when was I the most happiest in my career and I kept going back to different experiences that I had where I was doing something socially impactful. And I was lucky enough to work for a company who had, you know, a social responsibility strategy.
Chad Hickey: 03:01 And I saw what that did for the organization. I saw what I did for employees, I saw what it did for the culture, those sorts of things. And so when I was saying, you know, what do I want, you know, as I go into my forties, because I'm not a spring chicken anymore, I go into my forties, you know, what do I really, what do I really want? You know, it wasn't necessarily about chasing the paycheck anymore. It was more about like doing something that made me happy. So that was where I landed when it came to social responsibility is it was really that was the catalyst and then it started to spiral into other things. To your point, like doing research on, you know, products that are socially responsible, but then also just the workforce change that's happening with gen Z because there is, I think such a fundamental shift happening that people aren't paying attention to where people want more. You have a generation coming into the workforce that will be 24% of the workforce next year and that's gen Z. You know, that's always grown up with school shootings and social media and they just think completely different. They, I actually get a panel had advertising week this week with a gen Z and I asked them to use words that describe themselves and one of the words that they used was entitled and abs first. Yeah, yeah. And so you probably have a, a reaction like Ooh, kind of a negative
Allison Hare: 04:27 Yes.
Chad Hickey: 04:28 To describe yourself. But after thinking about that conversation, you know, what they were really saying is I'm worthy. You know what I mean? And they were saying, I am worthy to have a good clean environment. I am worthy to have a workplace that gives me in a work life balance, I am worthy to work at a company that shares my values and respects me as an individual. And I thought it was just so powerful that that was one the way they defined it and to just how they think so differently. But I mean it will be the largest transfer of wealth the next 10 years. In 10 years, gen Z will represent 75% of the workforce. And I just don't think that employ, like employers are paying attention to how fundamentally different they are. So that that's, you know, a long answer to how I landed on the company. Lucky forks. But you know, it kind of encompasses all of that of getting these companies ready.
Allison Hare: 05:22 And I thought what was interesting is I listen to your, your, I think it was the first episode of your podcast. What's the name of your podcast again?
Chad Hickey: 05:30 It is the, the new voice of the employee,
Allison Hare: 05:33 The new voice of the employee. And I was kind of stopped dead in my tracks because I never thought of it this way, but you and a guest were talking about about kind of what the, the playing field is like when you're looking for a job. So whether it is gen Z, gen Y millennial, whether it's whoever is that you, what I remember about looking for a job is you want to make sure that there are good benefits. There's 401k, there's some security there, a ping pong tables, NYSE maybe that they have snacks in a kitchen, but I think that the point was those are table stakes now that when people are looking for a career, they want something that that the culture is going to fit them. And even when I, you know, like I've, I've worked for Salesforce, so Salesforce is real. Like we have social responsibility embedded in our culture and you know, even if I get hit up all the time by recruiters and I always, you know, think about, well, what if I were to go somewhere else? And the culture ; nothing beats the culture of Salesforce. And so I'm wondering from your perspective, why is social responsibility from a corporation so important to their bottom line?
Chad Hickey: 06:52 Yeah, because it, it says that you care beyond profitability. I mean, if you look at what happened with the business round table in the 181 CEOs that, that came out and said, look, it's about the stake holder, not just the shareholder anymore. I mean, that was a very powerful statement, fundamentally different from anything that's ever been done in business. And I think that, you know, from that perspective, you know, these, these companies, it doesn't matter if you can play ping pong if you don't have a planet to live on in 30 years, you know what I mean? I don't care if you're like catering my lunch. Yes. To your point it is table stakes. And I'm not saying those things aren't noticed and they don't help, you know, gain an edge or get an employee, you know, in the walls of your organization. But it isn't the differentiator anymore.
Chad Hickey: 07:40 And I don't even think having a social responsibility strategies should be used as a differentiation. It should be used as a responsibility. I mean, these companies have a responsibility because you know, there's a fundamental erosion of trust in the institutions that we could depend on in the past government, church, whatever. You know, people do not feel the same level of trust that they, that they have in the past. And so they are looking to their employer to say, listen, help me and build, build a future for me. You know what I mean? Or I'm not going to spend, you know, two thirds of my time at this job. And I think that's a very fair thing to, to expect.
Allison Hare: 08:22 Yeah, I think there's a cultural shift that has happened all across where people are looking at, where do I spend my dollars, where do I spend my time? Or is it going to be where my dollar is, my time, my resources, my intention is going to go to someplace that's going to be doing good. So whether it's things like Warby Parker and Toms and companies that are and even hanky panky, the panties company, you know, there, there are a lot of there are a lot of incredible stories that are going going along there and people have a lot more choices, which is some of the benefits of having a strong economy. And like I said, I work for Salesforce and a company that puts social responsibility in its forefront. But I find that, and again, I'm in the South, so I'm in sales, so I work with a lot of organizations that their companies tend to be stuck in a less socially responsible mindset. So how do you find companies that you work with? Are you looking at companies that are, you know, kind of moving in that space? Or how do you inspire companies that may not have thought that way? Tell me about your strategy for infiltration. Yeah,
Chad Hickey: 09:36 No, it's a great, it's a great question. So we primarily focus on well there's two kind of answers to that question. One, we've, we primarily focus on companies within the advertising and tech space. And the reason why we do that is I believe the advertising and technology space can change the world for the better more than any other industry in business. And the reason why I believe that is because from a technology standpoint, we are changing the way people behave on a daily basis. Uber has changed the way we get from point a to point B. Amazon has changed the way we shop. Like we are fundamentally changing consumer behavior. And for you to think that that will not apply to the way that we volunteer or the way that we interact with nonprofits, you know, is just not realistic, you know? And so how do we make those companies realize that nonprofits out there cannot spend money on technology and they cannot stand, spend money on marketing, right?
Chad Hickey: 10:40 Because they have to put as many dollars to the, the mission as they can. And so it's what we do every day, right? Like we are constantly focused on those two things. And so they need us as an industry to bring them along. And so I think getting into these organizations and talking to them about that and making sure that they understand that, listen, it's great that you went and planted a tree or it's great that you donated to, you know, this, this homeless shelter. And I'm not saying that you should not do that to be clear, but I do think that you need to authentically work, like lean into what you do on a daily basis as a company to see how you can amplify social good. So that's the first thing. The second thing that you know, when we're prospecting for companies is when I got into the location space in 2012, it really what I'm going through right now reminds me of that time because we were really building and evangelizing the importance of location.
Chad Hickey: 11:41 The idea that, you know, where you went in the physical world, said something about you was still pretty new for most people. Right? And so we were out there kind of, you know, the company I was working at the time, which was ground truth. It was formerly known as X ad. You know, we were really changing the mindset and getting people to think a different way. And this past year of launching lucky forks and talking to people about social responsibility, it has reminded me so much of that experience because, and, and I'm thankful for that experience because it's made me realize that you have to meet people where they are. You cannot expect to walk into an organization that has no sort of strategy around social responsibility and say, you know what, you've got to have these policies and programs. You've got to have seven volunteer days, you've got to do all these different things.
Chad Hickey: 12:31 It will overwhelm people. And so you've got to speak to them in a way that one I think doesn't feel overwhelming, but then two meets them where they are so that they see it and they feel it. And then they start to understand that. And time and time again, you know, when we work with companies now the first time they have an experience, one of the common comments we get is people will say, I get it now. Like I totally see how we can impact society. And so it's, it's understanding that process and respecting that process. And knowing that, you know, to your point, I'm probably 99% of the time walking into a company that probably doesn't understand its value, meaning the value of social good at the level that they can fully impacted. And so I've got to evangelize and educate that and bring that along the journey.
Allison Hare: 13:24 And I love what you said about it can be very overwhelming. Cause I, I thought about that too. There are so many causes to support. How do you help a corporation narrowed down how to help and what will make the most impact, as I imagine it's probably, you can go so many different ways. Like how do you, how do you narrow it down for them? How do you help them find what's, what works?
Chad Hickey: 13:45 No, that's a, that's a really great question. I think it starts with their values. One and, and then two, it starts with who they are, like what they have to offer. And then three, it starts with, you know, what they are in the start, but you know, it is what their employees care about. You know, and I think that if you get those three things you know, at a basic level, you're gonna get, you know, to a strategy that can resonate. But you know, I think people try to boil the ocean a lot where they're like, Oh, you know what, it's so overwhelming. And, and in the company's defense the profits, you know, for lack of, you know, ill intention, you know, they, they are not the easiest to to work with because they're just trying to keep their head above water.
Chad Hickey: 14:34 They are running with really lean staff. They don't have time to, you know, answer an email like in 30 minutes. And so, you know, I think a lot of companies kind of get frustrated, you know, with that process and that's understandable. But you know, when you start with the values, you've, you really from the values perspective, what nonprofit aligns with your values and then you dig into really what do they need? They may say, Hey, I need money. But you realize that they really have no sort of infrastructure or system to know when to reengage their donors. Then maybe you have the data and the technology to help them do that. You know what I mean? And so then there's a much more authentic connection between what your company does and then what that nonprofit needs from a corporate partnership perspective. But the, the thing that we say is, listen, social responsibility is not a volunteer day.
Chad Hickey: 15:27 You do not go and you know what I love, I'm just going to make it up, habitat for humanity and I'm going to go and volunteer at habitat for humanity and now I am a socially responsible company. That's not how it works. That is, I am a company that has these values. I've found this nonprofit that I'm going to have a longterm partnership with and we are going to help each other and you know, help get to a common mission I think is the, the right way to do it. And then to understand that you've got to create smaller pads for your employees to plug in if they're not passionate about the one or two things that, or your corporation chooses, whether that be volunteer time off or some sort of matching program. So that they have their own personal outlets to then engage and connect.
Allison Hare: 16:15 So do you feel like companies typically do have their values established or is part of your service kind of flushing out what those might be?
Chad Hickey: 16:24 Yeah. so that's a good question. I'm, I'm sometimes surprised, you know, when we have conversations, not necessarily that the companies don't know their values, but that
Allison Hare: 16:38 Are they clearly defined.
Chad Hickey: 16:40 Yeah. Or there's too many of them or they just can't recite them, you know? I've worked in companies where the values were like drilled in our heads, you know what I mean? And so people would say, what's your values? And it was like, you rambled off. Right. And so I'm always a little surprised when I am, you know, meeting with a company and I say, you know, what are your values? And the people go, Oh, what was it again? What's the five words? Or, or you get into a company where maybe there's like 12 or 15 values and it's like so overwhelming that no one could really remember all of them, but you know what I mean? And so it is helping them kind of narrow that down and really engage the employees to say, what does the employees really care about and how do they describe the organization? And then how does that overall value definition get constructed?
Allison Hare: 17:32 So, and that makes sense to me. And he, you kind of touched on this a little bit, but this is kind of a burning question for me. Do you think that it is important for corporations to take a political stance because when it comes to valuers social, a lot of it so intertwined but so incredibly loaded, you know, when it emotionally loaded. So, you know, what are your thoughts on that? Is that important? Is that part of the strategic direction that you guys can offer?
Chad Hickey: 18:02 Yeah, I think that the no longer is it as much of a faux pas to take a political stance where if you would've asked me this three years ago, you know, was recently that I probably would've been like, Oh, you know, like, stay away from certain issues. I think that if you authentically can connect the values of your company with a controversial topic that you want to get behindthat is when I feel like people are much more accommodating then, you just taking a stance to, to take a stance. And I think that you have to be, you know, if you're going to take a stance like that, you do have to be able to explain why. And we have a partner if you are listening to the podcast Teeds that partnered with planned Parenthood or put out, you know, with some other companies like full page ad in the New York times. And I asked that same question. I said, you know, what was there any sort of negative impact of that? And there wasn't because their organization really cares about the diversity and inclusion of all the people within their organizations. So it very much aligned with what their employees care about and they did not see any negative impact from it.
Allison Hare: 19:12 That's what I figured. That's what I figured. And
Chad Hickey: 19:16 For a thing, it's a different way for people to wrap their heads around. It's fairly, it's,
Allison Hare: 19:20 This is so new too. Yeah.
Chad Hickey: 19:23 Yeah. It's very understandable, you know, for companies to kind of go, Oh, you know, like what, where is the line and what am I going to step over it?
Allison Hare: 19:31 It's kind of like you can, it's not something that you dip your toe in. You kind of have to jump in, you know, if you're going to take a stance that like that. So whether it's political, whether it is a controversial social issue there's so much importance to that too. Yeah. And I'm, I'm curious about hiring practices. So from a cultural perspective, you've got organizations that are, are defining their values, they are defining social responsibility. What is your take, do you feel like companies that you hire to fit a culture or do you hire, do we expand what the culture could be?
Chad Hickey: 20:11 Ooh, I love this question. You know what? I one time was interviewing a candidate at a, at a former company, and she said to me, she goes, I want to see not how you're a cultural fit, but how you're a cultural ad. And I love that, right? Like, if you were constantly trying to fit within an organization your organization doesn't evolve, you know, and I, I to to your point, I think that looks, there have to be fundamental values that you align. And one of the things that came out of the panel that one of the panelists said that I thought was super interesting because I said, at what point where do you draw the line that if your employer does something that you say, this is fundamentally against my values and I need to look for another job because you hear so many things around gen Z specifically, you know, really wanting to work for companies like that. And the answer was, you know, when it starts to impact who I am as an individual, you know, and so I think as an organization, as long as you can, you know, continue to you know, allow people to be individuals, you fundamentally stay within the bounds of who your organization is, but you continue to have that flexibility to evolve with different people. I think that's the strategy to take.
Allison Hare: 21:36 I love that. And it's funny cause I heard that question being posed or at least that concept being posed on masters of scale. And I wonder when so much talk is around culture. How do you find the right people? And I think it's interesting. So lucky forks, where did the name come from? And my second part is do good. Be ready. Is your tagline be ready for what? So tell me about your name. My mind is just going like, be ready for what?
Speaker 4: 22:07 Yeah,
Chad Hickey: 22:09 I am not, look, while I'm serious about the value we bring to the industry, I am for people who know me also know I'm a pretty I, I liked to play practical jokes. I'm a, I'm a pretty you know, I'm not a super, super serious person.
Allison Hare: 22:25 I heard you do a great version of the Arkansas fight song. I might ask you to do it later.
Speaker 4: 22:31 Oh, Julie Stewart,
Allison Hare: 22:32 Julie Stewart.
Speaker 4: 22:35 But maybe, maybe that is true. But anyway
Chad Hickey: 22:40 So you know, from now you've made me forget what the question was.
Allison Hare: 22:43 It was lucky for it, like the meaning of lucky forks and then do good, be ready.
Chad Hickey: 22:48 Yeah. Yeah. I was like, Oh God, I started picturing myself in my head. But anyway,
Speaker 4: 22:52 So
Chad Hickey: 22:54 You know, I wanted something playful. I didn't want something super serious. Walk is something that brings good fortune, but out of a lack of preparation. And I feel like a lot of the companies are not prepared for this fundamental shift. So that was the luck piece. And then a fork is about a fork in the road. I think it w it's, it was about a fork in the road for me personally to choose, you know, what I wanted to do rather than it just be about money. And then you know, also a fork in the road for these companies. And then a fork is a tool to, you know what I mean, that that feeds some sort of need. And so there were several different things that kind of kept bringing me to those, those two words. And I kind of liked the lightheartedness and ambiguousness of it because when we meet with people, a lot of people will ask that question.
Chad Hickey: 23:42 So which is understandable. And then from do be ready, I mean obviously do good is pretty self explanatory, but be ready is, you know, speaking to our clients, like this is not a trend. It's not a fad. This is something that is what I tell people is think about it. Like when you used to go into offices and that they were all closed door offices and really high cubicle walls, you know, and it was just, you would, if you walked into an office in that way today, it would feel stiff or like an outdated culture. Right. That was probably the impression you would have, especially in advertising and tech. And what I, what I say to people is this next workforce shift is not as tangible as that. It's more of a feeling that it is something that visual and people are feeling it. Everyone's feeling it because I, I talked to people and they'll say, something just isn't connecting anymore. Or, you know, I'm not curing cancer with what I'm doing with my job. And it's more than just feeling this intangible workforce change evolution that's happening. And so that's the best way that I've been able to think about it in my mind of change. But the change is emotional. The changes you know, more spiritual or something that's not tangible, if that makes sense.
Allison Hare: 25:06 It does make sense. And I feel like that's happening all over the place where even how this my podcast little left of center has started is how can I do more and how can I be of service? How can I serve as kind of what I, I'm constantly asked myself, how can I serve? And so, and that kind of plays along with your concept of do good, be ready. Tell me about, give me five.
Chad Hickey: 25:31 Yeah. So give me five. So, so here's what I'll say, kind of just piggybacking on what you, what you just said and then I'll get him to GiveMe5 is I completely agree and I think that where people overcomplicate it is they think that,uthat being of service has to the like I'm out there planting trees or building a house or whatever. And I, I just fundamentally don't believe that, you know, I think if you talk to any of my friends, I've never been a big like person out there volunteering or that sort of thing. You know what I mean? And so I don't claim to be, but I do think that as business people, you know, we have a responsibility to take those skillsets and see how we can amplify social good from that perspective. You know what I'm saying? I think that you've got to find where you're comfortable with giving back, whether that's just by making donations cause you're a busy person and that's okay.
Chad Hickey: 26:27 And that was kind of where I always went, you know, in my direction was more just like in a monetary sense. But you know, kind of landing on one, giving herself that flexibility to really land on what your skill set is, but then to you know, really think about what makes you happy. So I just wanted to say that from a, from a GiveMe5 perspective kind of going into what do you know with, you know, by previous comment, what I knew was how to, how to run sales teams, right? Going into this, you know, I've been a part of the company who did the social responsibility program, but I was like, I know how much money is spent by entertaining clients. You know, there's, in our industry, there's a lot of fancy dinners, there is a lot of baseball games or concerts.
Chad Hickey: 27:17 There's buying jeans and all kinds of stuff. Right? And what I'm sort of thinking about, you know, was how much money was wasted or, or not used in a fully beneficial way. And if there was a way to get a company to think about taking 5% of that budget, not necessarily finding new budget, but taking 5% of the budget they already have and utilizing that budget more for social impact and for ways that could actually be entertainment that gave back to community. So maybe instead of the really fancy dinner where you have three or four glasses of wine and forget what you talked about after the [inaudible] or that's what happened to me,
Allison Hare: 28:00 What it was,
Chad Hickey: 28:01 Why not take that client out and do something in the community that and use that money that to actually give back. And so that's how GiveMe5 got started. And what I'll say is that the response from the advertising and tech community has been so strong that, you know, we launched that initiative April 1st
Allison Hare: 28:21 Because it's really a challenge to other organizations, isn't it?
Chad Hickey: 28:24 You know, it is, it's, I say it's an awareness initiatives because it's really about the message, you know? Yes, it is this target of 5%. And it is a challenge because it's a challenge to think differently. But you know, it is, it's also to raise awareness. I had, you know, an agency CEO you know, say to me, look, we have had to put policies and programs in place because of the ways that we are perceived to be entertained. And he said, you are basically saying would give me five, you know, what we can entertain but do it in ways that actually give back to community so that it's more benefiting the public than it is about benefiting us through some sort of like, you know, more materialistic experience. And so so, so that, that was how it took shape. And you know, I'm happy to say that, you know, in seven months we've had, you know, 14 companies sign up and we have more coming on board. We already have people that are committed into 20, 20. And so, you know, and it's, it's, it's companies like Spotify and Hulu and you know, Outfront media that, you know, they have their own social responsibility arms, but they're saying, we believe in what this message is saying to our industry.
Allison Hare: 29:40 This like a utopian state. It sounds amazing to be able to do that. And even when you were talking before about the agencies or the companies that have the high cubicles and the closed doors, it really is like hierarchy versus collaborative level playing field, which I think is where companies are, are moving towards instead of just, you know, like the hierarchical ARCA goal. The little people don't matter. The big people do trivial. What is it, trivial many vital few where it seems like it's much more level playing field where everybody contributes in a way that's impactful, that's meaningful. So I can't see a loss in that, you know, why people would say no, which brings me to my next question is how do you, how do you measure success? What does success look like to you?
Chad Hickey: 30:31 You know, success from, I feel success out of the response I see from people who have a volunteer day with us or you know, our Q3 giving five event. We funded a full year's worth of projects for a school in the lower East side and a silver, a school that is in the lower East side. And the principal and teachers came to our event and talked about for the first time they had iPads and computers and all of these things that they hadn't been able to, you know, afford previously. And we were able to partner with donors choose to at work, which is an amazing nonprofit. If people are not aware of it and fund those projects. And I think it's those, those moments that, you know you start to see your impact. And I think those companies felt their impact. But I will say, you know, being more high level from a lucky forks perspective is it is where the, the mission of the company is. His goal is to create social impact out of the budgets you already have and the time you already spend as an organization.
Allison Hare: 31:45 So it's just re-purposing. It's just repurposing.
Chad Hickey: 31:49 It is, it's, it's saying guys, I'm not asking you to do different things. I'm asking, well, the only thing I'm asking to do differently is to think differently. You know what I mean? I'm not asking you to go find different money. I'm not asking you to change a behavior. I'm asking you to think differently about how you act currently and do it in a really easy way. You know what I mean? That actually when you take one company that then becomes five companies, that then becomes 14 companies that really starts to add up and can do some great social impact. And so so, so that's, that's kind of where I've measured success is watching that growth.
Allison Hare: 32:31 Oh, that's so cool. And I'm wondering, you focused on advertising and technology companies, are there plans go outside of that?
Chad Hickey: 32:41 You know what? Yes. so we definitely have some plans to expand that with some different projects that I won't speak about right now cause
Allison Hare: 32:50 They're in the works. It's embark.
Chad Hickey: 32:52 Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well there's a definitely a focus from everyone, you know, within the team of how do we scale our social impact and how do we find those things that, that can scale very easily and make a really massive impact. And I know that's very ambiguous, but you know, at, at my core, I am a technology person. I have worked in companies where I like data and I like to think about how you impact as many people as possible. So that's always been a goal. So the events, the experiences, all that will remain very fundamental. But I think in 2020, what people will see is that we take it to the next level to say, okay, how do we really maximize impact in a, in a more technological way.
Allison Hare: 33:42 Oh, that's so cool. And I'm wondering,
Chad Hickey: 33:45 It's cool. And you don't even know what it is.
Allison Hare: 33:47 I don't even know. Well, it sounds like you're, you're expanding. So that's, that's important too. And it takes a lot of work. It's hard work to launch and run a business like you're doing. What do you do for fun? I know that. So I don't know if I, I don't think I mentioned this before, but my good friend Dooley's steward had texted maintenance. Like, you've got to talk to Chad to Hickey. He is just so up your alley. You've got to talk to him. He's amazing. And so that's how that's how I came to find you. But Dooley told me that you're really great at karaoke.
Speaker 4: 34:22 What do you do outside of work? Did this just sit there? Probably if she, when she listens to this is, I can hear her cackling, but so I do love karaoke. Ain't no way, but I read the Franklin is my go to song.
Allison Hare: 34:38 These boots are made for walking.
Speaker 4: 34:40 Well, you know what, maybe we'll sing together sometime.
Chad Hickey: 34:44 You know what, I really love to travel. And, and then outside of that, I mean I could be much better about having a personal life. I think that, look, when you find something that you feel really inspired by and you you know, like you, it doesn't feel like work, if that makes sense. I probably spend a little too much time doing that, but I like it, you know, and so I don't really see that as a negative.
Allison Hare: 35:13 Where do you like to travel? Where is your favorite place?
Chad Hickey: 35:15 Oh, Lake Como, Italy by far. So
Speaker 4: 35:21 Hanging out with little league budget anymore when I'm building a company. But yes.
Chad Hickey: 35:25 I've been there twice now and that was actually a fundamental spot that, that made me land on the idea of doing, you know, my own company as I was at a, at a hotel there, and I was relaxing and I was traveling alone for the first time ever. And I was reading the book, the subtle art of not giving a sock. If people haven't read it, you definitely should. Yeah,
Allison Hare: 35:47 I think it's hilarious. Yeah.
Chad Hickey: 35:49 Yeah. When you listen to the guy, you're like, Whoa, okay. But, but, you know, there's a part of the book that says, what are you feeling to, or what are you willing to feel pain for? And like, I sat straight up when I'd never thought of it that way. You know what I mean? Because look, I, you know, for us in my thirties had had really good jobs that allowed me to be really comfortable financially and I really just wasted a lot of money, you know what I mean? And I didn't know a thing, meaning to media. I didn't do anything meaningful with it, you know, and so it really came down to, for me and my pain point was, you know, are you willing to go back to living on a budget and you know, cooking at home and all those things that I wasn't necessarily doing a lot of if you feel strongly enough that this company, you know, solves a need in the market. And so that's where I just kept going back to that one question. As I really land on, you know, taking the leap and forming the company
Allison Hare: 36:50 And I love that too. And I can relate to that. Like I think when you love what you do, when you're passionate, when you feel like you're serving a purpose, you love it. You know, like you can't wait to do more of it cause it you, you can see the ripple effect of your impact. And I don't know that there's anything more intoxicating than that then knowing what you're doing is making an impact
Chad Hickey: 37:13 Well and taking on, you know, it taking a different form than what you've thought. You know, initially it was just to be consulting and going in and forming social responsibility programs for companies. And it's really taken on a much different meaning, you know, for me, one, you know, the first thing was really learning nonprofits and what they needed. But then too and it's been something recently, fairly recently that, you know, someone pointed out to me, I was having a conversation with someone who had listened to the first three episodes of the podcast and they said, it's really interesting to me how many people in advertising don't think they provide value. He goes, I've heard multiple times on your podcast. People say, well, I'm pushing ads or I am, I'm not, we're not curing cancer here. And I was like, I've heard that a million times by friends in the industry.
Chad Hickey: 38:06 And what I think is interesting about that perspective that really like made the hairs on my arms stand up is when did we get to a point that we stopped understanding the power to influence culture in a positive way. I mean, people who are in advertising shape behaviors, that's what we do. You know what I'm saying? And so who are we to think that we provide no value? If we take that skillset and use it for purpose, that it can be so powerful. So yes, you may not be the doctor that's in the operating room curing the cancer, but you can at least raise awareness through messaging around nonprofits or causes that you can donate to that then will lead to curing the cancer. Do you know what I mean? We play a significant part in that. And so you know the, the, the piece that is like taking shape is making people understand how we can really impact community if we do it in the right way. The problem is, is that most companies aren't thinking about, Hey, it's what I do all the time. It doesn't have to be something else. Does that make sense?
Allison Hare: 39:15 Yes. I love that too. I hope more people, I hope a lot of people listen to those podcasts because I think it's, it's sparking so much for me and I could imagine it makes perfect sense, you know, for people that run businesses, what if they could do more? But with the resources they already have, just reallocating them, you know, and, and even being able to impact like that ripple effect. And I'm curious, what do you know that you wish people could learn
Chad Hickey: 39:44 To decide how to think? Ain't no way
Allison Hare: 39:46 I want to hear it.
Chad Hickey: 39:49 I think that it is like take what you know and don't overthink it and find a way to provide the impact that that plays on your skillset. You know what I mean? In that you don't have to do it the same way as everyone else. Like you don't have to be this person that has always been volunteer of the year or those sort of things that really hone in on those skill sets that can create the most impact in the way that feels the most comfortable to you. And you know, I think that just as valuable to me personally as like what the company is also doing. And so I think it's letting yourself go through that process and like stop fighting the current as Oprah would say, and go with the flow. I tell people all the time, I feel more in the float my life, as cheesy as that sounds in my eyes. Wanna roll back in my head.
Allison Hare: 40:43 Right.
Chad Hickey: 40:44 I feel more in the flow of my life like then I probably ever have because I'm kind of just going with the flow, which anyone who knows me knows I'm not great at doing. I try to can be a control freak. So, but you know what I mean? It's like, and maybe that's what you know, I would say is do, do what you feel is the right thing and then everything else will hopefully work out.
Allison Hare: 41:09 Yeah. It sounds like it's something that is deep inside you is kind of emanating, you know, like you're kind of living your truth to get all Oprah on you. But yeah, like
Chad Hickey: 41:21 I'm going to again, like I'm so not like, you know, a, again, have these conversations. I typically don't do it publicly. But you know, I'm sure it can sound cheesy to some people, but whatever that truth is or whatever that flow is, like find it and then don't put too much scrutiny on yourself to be a certain way. Do it in the best way that, you know,
Allison Hare: 41:40 I love that. I love that. So how can people contribute to your mission? What is the best way? So five listeners, maybe they're in New York, maybe they're in Atlanta, maybe there's somewhere else. How can people contribute?
Chad Hickey: 41:51 Yeah, I think that, you know, if you're in the industries, you know, that we've talked about and you have a sales team and you understand the entertainment budgets that are used and they give me five initiative speaks to you, then we'd love to have companies be a part. If you're a company that you know, has done a couple of things but you haven't really formalized a full plan then we can help you. I think that if you have annual sales conferences or company conferences, we're going up to Canada and a couple of months to actually do an annual conference with an entire company. And we're bringing in 300 kids you know, with a different nonprofit, like we can help you from that perspective. And then if you're just interested in learning more about the company in general, then you know, I'm happy to take calls, you know, and, and to talk to people about a little bit more transparency on the, the longer term vision of the company.
Allison Hare: 42:43 Chad, you're doing such awesome things. I love this. How can people find you? What's the best way to read you?
Chad Hickey: 42:49 Well, you know, by email, you know. Okay. We give them that out chat at [inaudible] dot com you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. And so, you know, we're pretty much on all the social channels, but you can email me directly. But those are the, those are the best ways.
Allison Hare: 43:06 So I'm wondering too, like how do you guys find the nonprofits or do they reach out to you too?
Chad Hickey: 43:13 You know what? So we've spent a lot of time really vetting over 300 nonprofits ourselves. And we use different tools that are out there that we're, nonprofits are rated to see how much money actually goes to the mission and that sort of thing. But most of it is like that's doing our own research or word of mouth. We also have an office in the center for social innovation. And so that is almost like a social impact. We work for a lack of a better comparison and it is all companies and nonprofits and any sort of organization that has a social impact tie to it. And so we've been able to experience some, some really or, or meet some really great nonprofits also through just our office space too. So in fact, our Q4 event is a carnival for homeless children where we're partnering with a nonprofit called knock, knock, give a sock, which we met through our office and they were an amazing organization that does SOC drives for homeless people. And so we're going to be doing a holiday carnival with the companies that have taken the pledge and bring in 250 kids so that they get to experience something at the holiday. So
Allison Hare: 44:26 I love that and I love that employees get to be face to face with people that are facing challenge. I think based on my own experience, it's one thing to learn about it, but when you're kind of in the midst of it, it changes you in a way, in a good way, you know, in a more compassionate, empathetic way. So I love what you're doing. Chad. Thank you so much for, for your work and your impact for taking time with me. You are culture changers. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Chad. I love tugging a chat. Hickey of lucky forks. I'm a little disappointed I wasn't able to get him to sing the Arkansas byte song during our chat, but I loved the impact. Lucky forks is ushering by helping companies define and execute their social strategy. I've linked to Zim foe in the show notes. As for a little left of center, in addition to streaming on your favorite podcast app, these podcasts are also broadcasting on Decatur rep them and sales force radio. If you haven't hit subscribe yet, please make sure you do so. You never miss an episode of these perspective shifting episodes, leave a review, share it with your friends and enemies. I'm also looking for sponsors for future episodes, so feel free to follow me on the socials and hit me up. Thank you so much for listening and I will see you next week.