I was incredibly saddened to learn earlier this week that Anita Roddick had passed away.
More than any other business executive, Anita Roddick has had the largest impact on me.
Not only in business but in life.
What Anita Roddick did was more than create a great global brand with The Body Shop.
Quite simply - Anita Roddick showed the world that commercial brands can have a conscious.
Anita Roddick demonstrated that the true power of being a business executive was not only to build shareholder value, but to leverage the power of the brand to try make a difference in the world.
Anita Roddick changed the definition of what a brand is and what it's place in the world should be. Her approach to business was certainly not loved by all. But to me, she is the reason - the inspiration - why anyone should start their own business today.
Piers Fawkes, who shares my admiration for Anita Roddick found a great excerpt from Roddick's last interview.
ET: What would you do if you were 30 years old now?
AR: I keep on thinking, well there’s a huge market, a huge section of society we haven’t got a name for, and its my age group. We’re not quite the age concern group - we’re the baby boomers - we keep on reinventing ourselves.
You take a look at women in their 60s now and they don’t look like women in their 60s that I remember, when I was 20 or 30. There’s a whole market for that. The trouble is there’s no language around it.
The people who’ve got it best are the travel agencies, that use travel as an education tool. I think the direct selling has got it fantastically in terms of how you can approach a community of women selling products. I think the fashion industry is up the bloody spout in terms of our age group - you know, what have we got? Women in their late 60s and 70s in this country - its not exciting. I think there’s a market there. It’s been well-established in cooking shops, Lakelands is brilliant, M&S is doing a terrific job.
But in terms of business, I think the most exciting thing that is going on in this country right now are the social businesses - the businesses that have a social purpose, and they are so creative, so fascinating.
These are the ones that should be supported. They’re making a product or a service that is beneficial to the community. I do a lot of work with them in the British Library. I do a one to one. I do a day a month - I choose people that apply to sit and talk to about their marketing or their business.
They’re all established. One company that has electronic clocks… Another woman is creative with green funerals. It’s thrilling - it’s not just inspiring, it’s thrilling.
If you know who Anita Roddick is, but don't know much about her and what she did, here's two good places to start. Here and here.
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