Melissa Belec, the 22-year-old Canadian intern at Reho Travel is back and this week she talks about the impact Reho has on her business perspective.
I grew up believing I would become a powerful business woman – powerful because I want to make a difference in the world.
Five months ago I was taking an accounting course at Harvard University and a colleague labelled me as naïve. He told me my perspective on business was utopian and that in reality business is all about cut-throat money-making.
This didn’t shock me but it wasn’t what I wanted to hear about my future. Now, having interned at Reho Travel, I have proof that my way is possible.
A large source of inspiration for Reho Travel is Looptail by Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of G Adventures. The book discusses how one company can change the world by reinventing business.
Poon Tip believes that “our purpose in life is achieving happiness”. In his view, “what keeps many of us from achieving that happiness is the flawed, outdated way we try to keep our work separate from our lives”.
In light of this, Reho’s business model is founded on its culture and values. They also apply the ‘pay it forward’ approach where what the company does today is a foundation for its success in the future.
Reho Travel is a company that uses business for good and it is not the only one. Being B Corp certified, Reho is a part of a network of companies that work together to make the world a better place.
B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
To be more specific, B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee. Through this vigorous program, Reho has achieved business improvements such as switching to 100 percent renewable energy, the use of reusable cups, and an extensive rubbish system where worms eat their paper.
Beyond having a positive impact internally and within their community on a daily basis, Reho also founded their own charity based in Malawi called Rehope. These are just a few examples of what drives Reho’s shareholders (owners) and stakeholders (employees) to get up in the morning and do good in business and good for the world.
Reho Travel has recently been awarded the Helloworld Innovation Award 2015 in Hong Kong.
Karsten Horne, Reho’s managing director, attended the event and delivered a speech entitled ‘Standing for something’. He argues that having a point of difference is important now more than ever, and that continual innovation is key to a business’ success.
In his acceptance speech, Karsten also made a connection with the movie he had just watched on the plane, Pride. The movie is about the Gay and Lesbian Movement supporting the Welsh miners. He said, “In the 80’s prejudice against homosexuals was the norm. It took a small handful of individuals to make a stand and change our mindset forever.
Maybe in another 30 years, the only surviving businesses will all have a positive impact on the world and we will look back and laugh about an era where businesses were set up solely to make money”.
As a result, my ‘utopian’ business perspective is not naïve but rather a very realistic and successful business model. Reho’s business is growing exponentially and the company is well-respected across industries. They have built credibility and trust, which attracts like-minded clients.
Reho will often draw in new business by aligning values and only later are finances discussed. Therefore, it is apparent that there is a legitimate trend in consumer demand for purpose-driven companies.
In conclusion, my experience at Reho Travel has taught me business values that I want to bring home with me. I have even created a list of qualities that I admire in influential business people and aspire to apply them in my career.
