Meet serial entrepreneur Dale Partridge, CEO and partner in the start-up company Sevenly. Launching out of a living room on June 13, 2011, it was barely one week later that the Sevenly team had grown to four, five, six, and now seven full-time staff. Partridge, at just 26 years old, is a rising star in the world of business.
Spurred by a passion for suffering people and a dissatisfaction with not-for-profits’ ability to raise funds, harness social media, or raise awareness, Partridge and his partner, 19-year-old Aaron Chavez set out to change the world. With a knack for making money, a huge social media platform and a new found passion, they launched Sevenly with the dream to turn profit into social good.
“We want to inspire generosity and help people to remember what it feels like to give, get involved, and be a part of a movement for social good,” comments Partridge. “Some say that giving in business is a trend right now. I would disagree, I think giving has always been a strong component to any business model, companies are just finally learning how to market and/or position their giving in a way that makes sense to the consumer and the receiver.”
Barely out of the start gate, Sevenly has worked with Mercy Ships, World Relief, International Justice Mission, and Malaria No More, and the list is growing as charitable organizations lineup out the door and down the hall to partner with Sevenly.
Each week Sevenly designs a t-shirt for a charitable organization, and for seven days only, sells the t-shirt online. After seven days the t-shirt and the design are gone forever; no re-prints. With seven dollars kicking back to that week’s charity from each t-shirt sold, Sevenly is making a mark in the world of social enterprising that some are likening to TOMS shoes.
But for Sevenly, success isn’t only about raising money, though that is a big part of it. “It’s about moving people beyond awareness and into action that really counts for something,” he says. This is the kind of metric that is hard to put a pricetag on.
His faith also plays a part in his business. ” I am a big fan of faith integration in the workplace. We make it very clear over here that this business is God’s business,” says Partridge.
In the end, Sevenly is about one thing: helping charities help people. There is no shortage of people willing to help the poor or feed the hungry, “The problem,” Partridge says, “is that these passion driven charities are built to fulfill these needs, but they’re going out of business.” And that is what Sevenly is about — honouring God and ensuring that charities succeed, stay in business, and change the world.
Image courtesy of Sevenly. See the printed article in the Sept-Oct issue!
