The world of business is often denoted as cut-throat, competitive, and ruthless. And while this may of course be true, there’s also room for kindness — that’s at least what Sarah Friar, the CEO of Nextdoor, believes. A seasoned CEO — she was previously at Square and Salesforce — Friar is a great believer that profit and kindness aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, she’s known for offering actionable insights on how monetization can be driven by responsibility and purpose. Nextdoor is a hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods that seeks to bring people and local businesses together. It monetizes by offering brands, local businesses, and public authorities and governments the opportunity to advertise on its platform so long as they are relevant to each community. In other words, the message needs to add value to Nextdoor’s members and the platform has a responsibility to ensure its advertisers are vetted to meet these criteria. “You’ve got to walk the talk, there’s actually no other way to do it. You have to be authentic and genuine,” Friar adds. Friar really is best placed to chat about how advertising can be used for good (yes, you’ve read that right!) to empower local communities and individuals while also generating revenue — and I look forward to digging deeper into that topic during our discussion at TNW2020 this week. Personally, I’m also very keen to hear what Friar has to say about the challenges she’s endured in growing a community-driven platform. For example, how can businesses such as Nextdoor deal with the proliferation of racism, or other types, of hate speech? In a world so focused on growth — sometimes at all costs — and given the current zeitgeist, I’d say kindness has never been so important. Don’t miss this refreshing take on how technology can be used for good, to create better, more successful businesses, that actually care about their people and customers. You’ll walk away with plenty of food for thought, a new perspective on business, and hopefully, an increased interest in using your power for good. What are you waiting for? Secure your free ticket to TNW2020 now!
