What is Social Enterprise

Social enterprise is the broadening of the purpose of a private enterprise to include supporting the interests of its   local and/or global community.  It really means going beyond a purely private profit motivation in the way we do business.  It has grown steadily in the US and private companies have been eager to forge social enterprise relationships or evolve their own models in order to reap the rewards associated with social responsibility in today’s marketplace.  The next step is to really light a match under the explosive power of consumer spending and allow consumers to make knowledgeable and responsible decision about how they spend.  We at Ethix like to imagine a world where a tiny fraction of every dollar swiped finds it way into health, education, sustainability and all manner of public interests.   And remember, when you are out and about spending money, think about how and where you do that.  It makes all the difference in the world!

The Man With A Vision- Steve Patzkowski CEO

We’re all here because of our Chief Executive Officer’s vision and purpose. He envisioned the very financial institution that he has worked for many years, the merchant services industry evolving into an ethical solution to the economy. This was an unbelievable thought at first when the large banks were crumbling our US economy and making headlines doing so. He believed that we could remove the greed and run a business with good intentions and transparency. This would gain the trust back from the people and with our fair, low rates save them money and help the success of America’s small businesses. On top of it all, we give 25% of our revenues to non-profits of the merchant’s choice. Talk about power to the people!

Steve has great ideas no doubt, but is also a spiritual man that leads us in our business and social purpose. He is welcoming and a real leader with an abundance of knowledge and positive energy to share. He welcomes each new sales representative and make himself available to the entire Ethix team with weekly live broadcasts, forums and more. Follow Ethix and the team on our website blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to see how we are helping communities and broadening our social impact.

 

Ethix Wins SF Bay Area Social Enterprise Alliance Pitch Night

SEA Pitch NightOn Tuesday of last week I received an email letting me know that Ethix had been selected to present at the Social Enterprise Alliance Pitch Night in San Francisco.  I had been eagerly awaiting the news as it had been some time since I had completed the lengthy application to be included in this event.   I was excited and started to think about what I wanted to say about our company.

Social Enterprise Alliance is “An alliance of leaders across sectors advancing social enterprise to benefit communities.”  This is very much in our wheel house here at Ethix and I was looking forward to the opportunity to get feedback and insight from this audience.  Thursday came around and I headed over the bridge from our Oakland office and into the city.  On arriving, I was welcomed by Antonio Aguilera, President of the SEASF Board and Jan Cohen, a veteran social entrepreneur and SEA Board Member who spoke with myself and the other pitchers about how to make an effective presentation on our young companies.  We picked numbers to determine the order of our pitches and settled in with a packed house to commence the contest.

I pitched second of five and was inspired by everything I heard that night.  It is really amazing to be a part of the Bay Area’s vibrant community of changemakers.  At the end of the evening the audience was asked to vote.  Ethix and Yellow Leaf Hammocks came out in a dead tie for first place in the first vote.  It was very exciting.  In the run off vote, Ethix took the day!

This has been such a powerful validation for myself and my amazing team of partners who are working to build this company.  We know that we are doing something powerful through re purposing a much maligned model in financial services to make it work for communities but it is really meaningful to share that and have it validated by an organization like Social Enterprise Alliance.  I feel very appreciative of the opportunity and pretty psyched about the results.

Getting Technical With Our CTO Brian Thivierge

Brian perfectly fills the position of Chief Technical Officer here at Ethix. His wealth of knowledge, experience, sensibility and compassion for the “dumb” questions keeps us all working with confidence that we are in good hands. Like all of our other team members, Brian is incredibly valuable in his department and all the other areas that we finagle him into.  Brian maintains the computers, phones, office equipment, website, forums, live webcasts, newsletters, and even the marketing material and e-tools that many will see or use. He has been called a web guru, marketing genius but most importantly he is “our tech guy.” Thankfully his tech knowledge is paired with his creative ideas that help build and improve our growing company. So, technically speaking we’re not just lucky to have him, we’re thrilled!

The How & Why Of It All

Who is Ethix?

We are a committed team that love what we do. We are focused on giving back to our communities in our spare time. We are joined by a National sales team that are knowledgable, experienced and have passion for giving back and paying forward.

 

Why join as an Ethix merchant?

We will lower the credit processing fees you pay and give 25% back to a good-doing organization of your choosing.

 

How do we beat other’s rates?

Our motto is “fair & transparent” and our pricing structure reflects exactly that. We have no hidden fees and provide the simplest statement possible. We charge the interchange with only .25% plus $0.10 per transaction. Our sales reps can provide the saving range you can expect while signing up to be an Ethix merchant.

 

Why do we do this as a company?

We believe that is is crucial to fund organizations that do good work in our communities and it is important for us to be a socially responsible business.

 

How can we afford to do this?

We aren’t afraid of rolling up are sleeves and working hard. With over 12 years experience in the business, we negotiate on your behalf AND keep a much smaller percentage. We believe by doing this hard work we will not only build stronger communities, we can sustain our business through the word of mouth of our merchants and the organizations we help support.

 

How do I join this movement?

  • If you are a merchant, sign up for an Ethix account, processing your credit/debit cards and choose your non-profit you will to support.
  • If you are a Non-Profit or Charity you can have Ethix process you credit cards and save money with lower processing fees and receive funds back from the fees you pay. Then suggest Ethix to your supporters to raise more monthly funds.
  • As a consumer, choose businesses that are socially responsible, support charities and use Ethix as their merchant service provider.
  • We need your help to spread the word about Ethix. The more merchants that work with us, the more organizations we can help.