What are we really building for? - by Jane Zhang

When I was in high school, I started a business where I sold painted rocks. Yes, actual rocks. A couple of friends and I would sit around plastic folding tables in a garage and paint rocks with our school club logos. We then encased them in resin, wrapped them in small cube boxes, and sold them as keepsakes during competitions and performances. We made a couple grand and donated it to an elementary school in an underserved community. One weekend, we visited that elementary school and spent the afternoon painting rocks with the kids. We didn’t sell those, but I remember having the thought: what if these kids painted their own rocks and sold them to their nearby high school? Could they raise money for their own school programs without having to rely on donations? Back at school, I hauled around my box of rocks and wrestled with the idea of creating businesses that achieved some kind of social impact but were backed by a sustainable business model. With that in mind, I went to the library

When I was in high school, I started a business where I sold painted rocks. Yes, actual rocks. A couple of friends and I would sit around plastic folding tables in a garage and paint rocks with our school club logos. We then encased them in resin, wrapped them in small cube boxes, and sold them as keepsakes during competitions and performances. We made a couple grand and donated it to an elementary school in an underserved community. One weekend, we visited that elementary school and spent the afternoon painting rocks with the kids. We didn’t sell those, but I remember having the thought: what