Gwen Whiting is a creative entrepreneur with a passion for helping others craft and grow their businesses with purpose. From building communities decades before community became a buzzword, to advocating for sustainability in consumer products years before it became trendy, Whiting is always innovating and always ahead of emerging trends. Now, she’s on a mission to share her unconventional philosophy with refreshing candor. Some of her tips include:

• Create With Purpose: Building a business with heart and soul. Focus on a problem you’re trying to solve or a way you’re improving people’s lives, not a line item on a spreadsheet.

• Make Business Personal: Creating community by forging relationships with everyone who touches your organization - from the newest hire to the trusted vendors and partners. Foster relationships with partners, friends and family, embrace these people who are so much more than a box on an org chart.

• And Profitable: Being mindful about how to sustain and scale in a way that creates jobs and has a positive impact on your community.

• Do It Your Way: Don’t listen when everyone tells you that you need to fundraise, or you need to seek venture capital. There are other ways to build businesses. And giving away even a small piece of your company is not always worth the reward - do you want quick cash or creative control?

• Strive For Excellence: Only offer quality, premium products and services that you can stand behind. Demand accountability in leadership, partners and throughout your entire supply chain.

• Pay It Forward: Being mission driven throughout every aspect of a business offers partners and employees a sense of purpose, collaboration and motivation - all the ingredients needed for a successful, long-lasting, sustainable venture.