My Journey to Launch

I'm thrilled to have launched TheChange and to see my vision of advancing the sustainability movement locally coming to life with the help of a great team and community support. A couple months post launch, I thought I’d take the time to reflect on my journey to date.

I grew up on the West Coast of BC and was raised to be environmentally conscious and socially active. I’ve always been interested in getting involved with companies that are built to make the world better. They are why I wake up in the morning, and the inspiration for the kind of company I hope to create.

In late 2007, I came up with the concept for an online platform that connects people to companies that align with their values. It started as an extension of my personal interests, and then became a business opportunity when I noticed the demand increasing for corporate responsibility, green jobs and eco-friendly products/services.

I didn’t have a technical background, but I saw the web as the perfect medium to get people informed and inspired to participate in the green economy. Ultimately, I saw the web as a tool to power offline action.
With this business concept in mind, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce program with a specialization in Entrepreneurship at Royal Roads University. The program allowed me to work on a business plan and participate in a start-up incubator. I graduated top of class and with $25,000 in awards. I used this money to incorporate Ethico Solutions Inc. in the fall of 2008.

I spent the next year researching, networking and understanding my customer’s needs. I managed the administration and marketing for the Victoria Values-Based Business Network and Organic Islands, Canada’s largest outdoor green expo. I attended the Social Venture Institute and Web of Change Conference. These experiences gave me to the opportunity to build relationships with many small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the local sustainability space.

I learned that SME's primary challenges were in marketing and recruitment. I was always motivated to get involved with a company as a customer or employee after learning about their mission and sustainability practices so this became the focus of how I would profile these businesses online. I recruited a technical partner in the Fall of 2009 and for the next six months we worked together, along with designers, branding and legal professionals to release the first version of the platform known as TheChange. 

TheChange launched in Vancouver and Victoria May 15th, 2010 and aims to connect people with local sustainable companies in a relevant and engaging way. Since launching, TheChange has been featured on the front pages of local media, raised money and hired four employees! We currently have over 70 local organizations onboard, are growing daily, and are working diligently on version 2.0 of the platform based on our beta testing and customer feedback. We’ve also launched a new service called ethicalDeal – the latest way people can engage TheChange!
ethicaldeal helps people discover the best green stuff to do, see and buy in their city, at exclusive discounts, through the power of group buying. ethicalDeal gives people the chance, as well as the reason to go green. It provides newcomers an easy way to get introduced to a green lifestyle and the already-converted an excuse to try something new!

I’m very excited for what lies ahead and truly believe that together we can advance the sustainability movement on a city-by-city basis across North America.

Join us in TheChange!

Annalea