Being of service and helping others has been an important and integral part of my life and the major motivation to my setting up Genuinely You Ltd. I have a big mission: To Positively impact on a million people by 2024 through the development of Enlightened Leadership. Sadly, the negative impact of poor leadership has been evident over the last few years and I believe it is vital that there is a fundamental shift in the quality of leadership if businesses and those who work in them are to thrive. I have over 30 years' experience of supporting personal empowerment and transformational leadership.

Right from the outset it was my plan to use a percentage of any profit from the business to support local projects around the world and to encourage those who signed up to any of the Genuinely You Projects to actively support them too. I'd like to share with you the wording from the part of my original plan for Genuinely You, written nearly three years ago:

"The Wider Thriving Together Tribe With Genuinely You"

We are all connected. The decisions we make, the actions we take, all have an impact on the people we know, the rest of mankind and the world in which we live. Every act of kindness, however small, is significant. If the human race is to thrive rather than simply survive, we must learn to enjoy our similarities and celebrate diversity.

An ancient African proverb recognises how profound even the smallest act can be. "If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent the night with a mosquito" The Wider Thriving Together Tribe It is my intention that a percentage of the profits from Genuinely You Ltd will be used to provide funding to pump prime/support projects to help empower others as individuals, families and support communities to become more self-sufficient, to encourage greater community cohesion and to help the environment.

I would be looking for us to work in association with existing organisation/s with a proven track record in this field.

I would like the members of Genuinely You to have the opportunity for personal involvement, if that was appropriate. What shape that would take will depend on how this develops. The involvement could be in the form of mentoring, sharing expertise etc."

As you can see, I wanted to find a partner organisation where they had the experience, expertise and contacts to identify appropriate projects and to ensure that those projects were well run and actually delivered what was promised. I had no idea how I might do that, but the intention was set.

Then it was then time to focus on creating the business which was designed to reach as many people as possible - all online. I had very little internet presence, as I had not previously needed to do any marketing for my other business - Gina Gardiner Associates - for over 10 years. It consistently attracted plenty of business through recommendation and word of mouth. Creating a new business structure, a brand, creating content, an internet presence and database consumed my time and attention until late 2020.

I belong to Collaboration Global, a great organisation run by Gill Tiney. If you are a business owner or entrepreneur I urge you to check it out. It brings people together to support, challenge and collaborate. It was at one of the Co Glo meetings that I first heard of B1G1 and how Collaboration Global was now a member.

I have been making contact with people via Linked In over the last couple of years and setting up conversations with people whose work is aligned with my own. One such conversation was with Steve Pipe, one of the authors of this book. I was incredibly impressed with his passion and determination to help B1G1 continue to thrive and grow. During the conversation Steve suggested I speak with Paul Dunn, which was quickly arranged, and a lively conversation took place soon afterwards.

I was inspired by the story of the creation and development of B1G1 and by how Masami Sato's original wish to help others had blossomed into a world-wide organisation creating a significant impact on both the recipients and those who were giving. I LOVED it!!..

B1G1 stands for "Buy 1, Give 1" Essentially it is a 'Business for Good' movement that allows any business to put kindness, caring and generosity at the heart of what we do.

I love it. And I am pretty sure you will love it too. I then invited Masami to be my guest on the BBS radio show I host once a fortnight. She is an incredible human being, and I felt privileged to do what I could to let others know about the work B1G1 is doing. Soon after the interview, I joined B1G1. The benefits of being a member of B1G1 are profound for those who receive help.

It is the 21st century: having clean water, enough to eat, a good education and access to health care should be available to all and looking after our environment is vital if we are to survive. Surely it is time for us to recognise that every choice we make has the capacity to leave a living legacy. That legacy can be a negative one of division, fear and hatred or a positive one of consideration, kindness and compassion.

The choice is yours!

It is also important to recognise that the benefits go both ways. In the act of helping others, we give ourselves a gift too. Kindness, compassion and serving others has a profound impact on how we feel about ourselves. This is true at both a personal and a business level. B1G1 have created a model which makes it easy and affordable. Even the smallest business can get involved as the way B1G1 has been structured facilitates making an impact at very low cost. Because it breaks things down to an individual meal or day of education, impacts are possible on the smallest budget. You can start small and choose how and when you donate.

If you don't have a business you can still get involved as an individual and make a positive difference too. How is that possible? B1G1 brings together the combined impact of all the small donations creating a meaningful way of making a very positive difference. The B1G1 community is growing, and as it does, so does the opportunity to help others in a truly meaningful way.

Donating impacts is of course a major part of supporting the B1G1 projects. But when you encouraging others to get involved you are helping too. I know you are very busy and your time is incredibly precious, so be reassured B1G1 have made the process of joining very easy, their website is easy to navigate and offers lots of help with information and images for you to use on your website and in your marketing.

They offer online sessions for new members and there is always someone ready and willing to help people like me who are often technically challenged! As a business owner, you have the opportunity to engage with staff, your clients, suppliers and local community so that they too feel as if they are making a contribution to something positive which is bigger than them. If others join B1G1 through your introduction and use your name or individual code you get to see how the ripples of kindness can spread like bees pollinating plants...

If you decide to join B1G1 I'd love you to use my code so that together we can see what we can achieve collectively.

My code is: BM14177 I'm still early in my B1G1 journey but as more people go through the Genuinely You Programmes my initial dream of partnering with an organisation who will identify appropriate programmes designed to support EMPOWERMENT rather than a dependency model has become a reality.

I feel confident that the projects are vetted, monitored and supported. I can get on with the business of my business and make a positive difference to my clients AND at the same time make a positive impact on those who are vulnerable and who need a chance to fulfil their potential through B1G1.

Let me share with you how I'm developing my interaction with B1G1. Three months ago I became the host of "The Leadership For Life" W4CY TV and Radio show. The shows are live, but are then syndicated to many other stations as downloads including iHeart Radio and Spotify. "Leadership For Life" covers many related topics on how a more enlightened approach to leadership in all areas of our life can make the world a better place.

We are the common denominator in our own lives, we take ourselves into every situation from the moment we are born until we die so it makes sense to be the leaders of our own lives. Before you can lead others effectively you have to first do the deep inner work to be the leader of your own if you wish to be an Enlightened Leader.

The show is going really well, and the conversations I have had with my guests have been eye-opening and thought-provoking for me (and I hope, therefore, the listeners!). I know my world has been improved by them. Masami was a guest on the show on December 31st 2020 when she shared her story and the development of B1G1. (You can hear the recording on W4CY's YouTube channel or on iHeart Radio or Spotify. Just look for the "Leadership For Life" with Gina Gardiner.)

I got to thinking about how I might use my TV and radio show help B1G1. How might I harness the opportunity the show offered to make a tangible difference in a sustained way? Here's what I came up with: Each guest appearance unlocks one of three acts of kindness.

Before the show each guest is offered three different projects to choose from, at least one which operates in their home country. The projects focus on different issues such as: eradicating poverty, education, feeding the hungry and on improving health. (B1G1 have a wide range of projects across the world). Guests are encouraged to share information about B1G1 and their choice with their contacts. Genuinely You then donates impacts to their chosen project...

Provide access to clean water for life by sponsoring a simple well and water pump.

In the villages of Malawi, high infant and child mortality are caused by water and sanitation related diseases. These problems are made even worse by a lack of knowledge about proper hygiene. Your contribution of a well and water pump well make such a difference to the life of a family in Malawi.

The forest of Betampona, on the East Coast of Madagascar is one of the last surviving lowland forests on the island and is home to thousands of endemic species. The survival of this precious forest is threatened by the extreme poverty of the local population who rely on it for food, firewood, and shelter. By taking a long-term approach to support families in developing sustainable alternatives to destructive slash & burn agriculture, they can learn to value and protect the land, as well as live off the land in a sustainable yet profitable way.

Help a woman who received a micro-loan establish, grow her business and lift her family from the cycle of poverty by providing 20 day's of fortnightly business mentoring session. On-going training is essential in imparting relevant skills such as financial literacy to ensure that their businesses are sustainable and profitable in the long run, allowing them to contribute to the livelihood of their families.

Feeding children and young families in the UK - Provide 5 nutritious meals to children and young families living in the most deprived areas of Gloucestershire, UK. They offer meals including 'build your own pasta pots' and fresh fruit salads and encourage children to get involved in the preparation and serving of the food.

Educating children in Zimbabwe - 100 days of primary education will be given to disadvantaged children so they can lift themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty.

Preventing child blindness in Tanzania - a child will receive an initial consultation with a trained medical team as the first step towards sight-restoring treatment that, in turn, will allow them to achieve their full potential at school and in life.

5% of any money paid to Gina Gardiner Associates also goes to B1G1.

It is easy to become an active member of B1G1 and help to achieve the outcomes you feel are important. If you want to check it out, details are here on the B1G1 website. It would be fantastic if you could use our unique code BM14177 when signing up so we can track the impact we create together. Time is of the essence - please ACT now...