19 | Simon Griffiths | Who Gives A Crap | Just Be You Podcast with Amber Hawken

The guest on today's show, Simone Griffiths, who is the co-founder of Who Gives A Crap toilet paper, has been abundantly successful in raising over $1000,000 in donations and building toilets to those in need and in turn, contributing to the reduction of the (currently) estimated, 800 children who die a day from unsanitary toilet conditions in disadvantaged countries.

It all began with Simone sitting on a toilet for 50 hours straight, to raise the cash for his (successful) Kickstarter campaign which funded the first production of toilet paper. 

Simon and his team have massive hearts, using recycled materials for their paper, donating 50% of all profits which funnel into said donations and considers the economy, our environment and it's people every step along the production and distribution of their product. 

Simon was recognised in The Age’s Melbourne magazine as one of the top 100 influential people, and in 2013 he was shortlisted as Young Entrepreneur of the Year. 

What fascinates me most about this world is the variety of ways in which people discover themselves and what it is that makes them feel alive. Some of us seem to understand ourselves from a really young age, and some of us need to explore 13 different jobs, 50 countries and 3 marriages before we get it.

Simon is in my opinion, someone who falls into that first category - lucky bastard.

In a nutshell we discuss:

• How to return to goals and find your ambition again after massive (perceived) failures
• What is Who Gives A Crap toilet paper, and how does the business work?
• The concept of consumer-driven philanthropy and how it is potentially a more effective way to make an impact
• How the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper brand was born
• The best advice for ensuring you’re not going to fumble over your own ego
• What it means to be a social entrepreneur and the impact it has at a personal level, as well as professional
• The process of creating a video that ultimately resulted in Simon sitting on a toilet for 50 hours straight to raise funds via a Kickstarter campaign
• How standing out, creating memorable experiences and interrupting the industry doesn’t happen overnight, but takes patience, persistence and planning  
• Why it’s the attention to the often overlooked details in business every single step of the way that creates momentum and customer commitment
• How surprise, delight and weaving your persona into your business make for excellent marketing

After our interview, I went through my notes and smiled as I saw a similar pattern in Simon as I do in so many of the people I get on the show.

At our core, we know who we are and what it is we are capable of, even if we don’t know it consciously. It just seems that some of us are better are having a go, being different and following that contribution pull that seems to be ingrained into our human hard wiring, and we eventually end up with our heads and our hearts aligned, resulting in  the world becoming a better place.

Enjoy the episode and be sure to listen right through to the end where Simon shares his ultimate Dad advice that trumps most inspirational books on the shelves.

Also published at amberhawken.com

We would love to hear from you over on the blog, so make sure you go and check it out.

Most of all, time to switch toilet paper companies. Discover Who Gives A Crap and get your first box of delight right here. 

More places to find Simon and WGAC team. 

Facebook. 

Instagram

Twitter

Hugs, 

Ambz