The Community Issue

To be a mission-driven founder is to be a part of a greater community.

This trend emerged early on while building the first issue of In the Works. We were amazed by the positive responses from leaders and founders who were willing to get involved or be interviewed for a story. But perhaps even more so, we were inspired by the enthusiasm with which each of these founders credited their community.

The theme of community popped up time and again and in various ways.

Dumebi Egbuna, Co-founder of Chezie, talked to us about how crucial it is for historically underrepresented professionals to find an inclusive community at work.

In our Against the Grain documentary series, companies like Naturalicious, Death Wish Coffee, and Piscataqua Savings Bank proved that building a sense of community begets lasting bonds with customers.

Our friends at Klima told us that reducing our carbon footprint — as individuals, companies, and a global society — is a community effort.

B Corp companies showed us how a community of like-minded businesses, committed to both profit and purpose, can come together to reduce financial inequality and nurture a more sustainable planet.

And in all five episodes of Real Quick, founders shared just how key it is to have a community of support in your corner — people to help you prioritize your self-care and mental health in the midst of growing a business.

Across every conversation we had, we learned that the most rewarding, authentic growth happens when founders build community with other founders.

Sometimes it’s about paying it forward. Initiatives like Good For Her and WXR Fund are connecting women entrepreneurs with resources, support, and — more importantly — one another to help end disparities in venture capital.

Other times, it stems from necessity. When Dulma Altan launched her first ecommerce company, she had trouble finding a community of other founders to team up with through the growth process. So she built one.

Every founder we talked to deemed their network essential. That’s why James Chapman built Plain Sight — to help founders and creatives turn traditional networking into community building.

And, speaking of community, creating the first issue of In the Works was a true team effort.

I’m so proud to be a part of the small-but-mighty crew of artists, producers, and writers at Help Scout. We had a blast building The Community Issue from scratch, and we continue to believe even more deeply in the stories we’re telling about founders leading with purpose.

The best part? What you’ll find in this issue is just a small sampling of what’s to come. So stay tuned!

Thanks for joining us and thanks for being a part of this community. We hope you like it here.

Until next month,

— Hillary Noble, Editorial Lead

P.S. Want to learn a little more about why we launched In the Works? Check out this video.