David Toohey On Social Enterprise & Helping People Help Each Other

David Toohey is the Founder and CEO of Mind For Me, a community support platform helping people help each other.

David has over 25 years experience owning and operating many businesses from an advertising agency to bars and restaurants. In 1996 he started his first online venture, Cars On The Net, a used car marketplace. His second online venture, a membership based platform for the accounting industry saw over 24,000 accountants join globally.

Mind For Me is David’s third online venture and his first with social purpose. It draws on dormant and under-utilised resources from within the community to provide support and assistance to people in need. It empowers people with the ability to manage their own needs and assist others in a variety of ways.

David discusses his social enterprise Mind For Me, as a force drawing communities together and building long-lasting relationships, whilst providing insights and tips for other entrepreneurs looking to create impact.

Highlights from the interview (listen to the podcast for full details)

[Tom Allen] - To kick things off David, could you please tell us about your background and what led to your passion in social enterprise.

[David Toohey] - It's a bit of a long background, as it's around the innovation aspect that led me to social enterprise. Looking back, I realise I'm older than I think I am, and I've had what feels like a few lives now that together have led me to where I am. I was studying accountancy at the University of Canberra back in '94 when I landed myself in business. My partner at the time couldn't find decent paid work as a graphic designer. So, we started our own firm, created the job for her and that eventually evolved into a full service advertising agency. I was surrounded by creators, but my skills have always been in the management side of things. At that time, I did have quite a personal struggle with it all. I don't think you can call it imposter syndrome, which a lot of people talk about, because I was confident in what I was doing. But I was young, and young in business, and that left me feeling that others would see me as some sort of imposter, and too young for what I was doing.

Those were some mad years though. It was in that time when I began Cars on the Net, and getting car yards to list their cars online for sale. Competitors then were a little bit different than now. The competitors were newspapers or the trading post. There wasn't really much or anything at all online. But people in Australia hadn't really started buying things online. They didn't even have have email.

You were before your time!

Yeah, unfortunately. But I did quite enjoy it. And websites just felt more like brochures, a lot less engaging. We've progressed a lot since then. I'm not sure what led me to that sort of innovation. I think a lot of it just came from problem solving, seeing issues and seeing how they can be addressed. And back then I think I had a little less fear.

Maybe it's not changed a great deal, but I feel a lot more responsibility now. Things move so fast and it's a lot more competitive, certainly more than in the 90’s and online. I found myself involved in some crazy projects too. In '98 or '99, myself and two others, Neil and Tony, had this idea around buying a ship. From memory, we were seeking $20 million to buy a ship for a floating exhibition centre and a marketplace for Australia. We had support and interest from government agencies and Education Tourism.

Social-entrepreneurship-Queensland-Office-Chief-Entrepreneur

The Council for The Centenary Federation were on board, but then it was pretty much knocked on the head when a state trade commissioner wasn't going to give it any support, because they were backing another project that was on the water. Certainly, can't imagine myself taking that on now, but now, I think because of technology my goals are much bigger than than back then.

I'm surprised to think of some of what I did and what I achieved as well, in that time. Back in 2005-6 I was living in Manchester and working with an accounting firm and I started creating my own tools as a management accountant for my work. I moved to Poland and began The Accountants Circle, and that was a subscription platform, licensing Excel tools and templates and providing accounting software to accountants rather than direct to clients. At the time, I wasn't looking so closely at the numbers and the people that were using it, which might sound kind of funny as an accountant, but I just enjoyed the work. And when I look back at the number of people that had subscribed into the Accountants Circle, [it was] over 24,000 accountants, literally around the world. I had some major international airports, accounting firms everywhere in the Caribbean, Zambia and other parts of Africa and across Asia.

It was right then when I was starting that, that I realised the need for a platform like Mind for Me. I was in a small town in West Poland. I'd moved there and it was about 20-25,000 people, who were so friendly and hospitable. It was great. You’d walk into a local bakery or a butcher and people all said ‘hi’ and ‘goodbye’. But the place had a really hard history and people didn't have a lot and led comparatively simple lives. And I was happy there and I felt comfortable. I've never really been driven a lot by material things or even financial goals. I just enjoy life and work I choose.

But there I saw struggle. Many couldn't afford real help and usually got by just with a bit of a hand from immediate families maybe some close friends. That's when it hit me that the resources were everywhere. People could help each other out. But when no one's asking, no one knew.

Everyone just went without and it just seemed an unnecessary struggle through life. And that just made no sense to me. I've volunteered with many groups. I'm a lifesaver now and have been for about 8 years. I've been on boards with several not-for-profits and charities. My first formal role on a board was 20 years ago as treasurer. I just feel it's important to give back and be creative or be active in creating the community that we want and the world that we want and put our skills and energy into those worthwhile causes.

Tell us more about Mind for Me. It's great to have you as a participant on our Elevate+ Accelerator program. Tell us what you're seeking to achieve with this organisation. How does the platform actually work?

When I started thinking about it, I took a lot of time planning it. So, this is back in 2007, and I'd already been through my experience with Cars on the Net, and it was getting into the Accountants Circle and both of those were really hard work. I enjoyed it, but the market wasn't ready for those and it was a lot of uphill work with Mind for Me. I still had a lot to learn, a lot to understand, and a lot of planning. I didn't know what a social enterprise was then.

I don't recall thinking in terms like purpose or impact. My background is a business background, but one where I focus on value and benefit, not just revenue. And that's what drives me. And with Mind for Me, what I was looking at was simply the need and the benefit of people helping each other.

And when people look out for each other a little more, I was thinking what could be done to make it easy to ask for that little bit of help, whether it's babysitting, feeding, walking a pet, help with errands, things around the home, just any little thing people can help with. A part of that is where the idea of Kind Coins came from, which is a type of point system. So, people firstly don't have to spend money to get this help. The resources are right there, they were around us all. And the one problem is people asking for a favour, whether it's free or however that's perceived. The Kind Coins was a way that it's not volunteering, it's not charity. People aren't just taking. So that lets people be more comfortable to ask for the help and they could choose who to ask. And, help others to give back as well.

So, if I wanted lawn mowing for example, how would I go about getting that done through Mind for Me?

Basically, when you're on the platform, all you do is make a request. And when you're making a request, you say what you need. In that case, something around in the garden and you can click "lawn mowing" and you just say when you want it and how much time you usually spend on it. So, you might say a window of tomorrow and Saturday, about half an hour of lawn mowing. It calculates the Kind Coin, so there's no negotiation, everyone's fair and we're not even tied to it. Financially there is no money in that. It puts a request out and that request is to who you choose, whether it's friends or just a public request and people can, when it suits them, offer that help.

So really it's about being there and inclusive. It's purpose built for that, to interact more with your friends, your family and your neighbours whether you know them or you don't.

It sounds like a great community building tool as well David, because even now I don't feel like I know as many neighbours as I should. I spent close to 10 years living in Barcelona in apartments whereby there were four doorways on each level of an apartment block, and it wasn't common for people to really get to know each other.

Given the impact of our current COVID-19 world, (we're talking in April 2020 at the moment, right in the middle of it), how do you think our communities will change into the future and how might we best adapt to this new environment that we're all living in?

Well with this one, I don't really want to have rose coloured glasses. When I think about it, I'd like to think that people will realise [their] true values, and the materialism, the perfect lifestyles that people keep portraying on social media, hopefully is when we come out of it a little less important. I'd like to think that people show more respect to one another. But it is disappointing to see on the news racist behaviour around COVID-19.

What I hope is people will better connect with those core values, and what has a deeper meaning to them, not just that shallow on the surface type thing and how people see them. It's a real opportunity for social enterprise. And as for community, I think it's an opportunity to become stronger people, to look out for each other.

There's a lot of push around essential services, front-line services, health care, to give them help and support. That's an opportunity. We keep seeing it in crisis that people come together, whether it's floods or droughts or bush fires.

But very quickly after we go back to normal, and into our homes and with our own families, and maybe the extent of how hard it is is a chance that people really get to understand and feel the value of support, and being connected to our community.

It's been a challenge for a lot of businesses, a lot of social enterprises, many of which we see pivoting at the moment. As a relatively early stage social enterprise yourself, what have you found to date to be some of the biggest challenges, and how have you worked around them?

Well there's a couple that jump out. The first one, I think is a big one for many, is around funding. When I started, I had the funds, I planned what was needed. I knew the costs, I had that all mapped out and used a lot of my skills as an accountant. But the initial developers I had, [even though] I was comfortable with their ability, unfortunately were far more focused on money than delivering, kept wanting and asking for more, which I just didn't have.

Even though we'd agreed on how much it would be to get to that stage, I ended up either in a fight to get money refunded or get the work finished, but I couldn't get either of those done. Really it was another way of moving forward and that's been really slow, pushing a lot of the code myself, slowly getting bits of help and you're doing it hard, pushing up hill.

The second area is being a sole founder. I really do wear too many hats and I rarely ask for help myself, which is kind of funny with Mind for Me, about asking for help. But only recently have I asked, and had a few people starting to give a hand. My biggest weakness is probably communication, ability to get a single clear and concise message across.

And that's probably a combination of many years living in Poland and losing a lot of my confidence with speaking because I didn't use English to a great extent there. Also being close to so many aspects of Mind for Me, and the depth of it, knowing and thinking too much about it. So, now I’m getting some incredible insight from others, people that know and understand Mind for Me and what it can bring to everyone. But these are people that can present and communicate much better than I can. So now I'm just starting to draw on their strengths to move forward. In addressing both of those, one thing that I'm running right now is a crowd-funding campaign, and that's a big challenge because a big part of it is communication, but it helps tackle the funding side as well. And it's sort of still wearing too many hats, but having that bit of help gives me more confidence and I can see greater opportunity for success going forward.

What advice then would you give to other social entrepreneurs who are starting out?

I have three areas I think that I'd touch on that would hopefully help others. From my own experience, the first one, and the big one was timing. So timing it right both for technology, being able to achieve what you want to achieve, but also really what's right for the market. When I started Cars on the Net and The Accountants Circle, they were both really early, and most people didn't have email with Cars on the Net. They were only just getting into using the internet and many people didn't have it with The Accountants Circle. Accountants then weren't using online accounting software. Xero was only just getting started. There were a lot of issues of trust and things, so if you've got something that's truly innovative, the market can be a challenge getting those early adopters. So timing it right where their behaviour and what they're prepared to do, I think it will make adoption a lot easier.

The second area, which many say actually is funding, where I'll try to add a little bit too it, which is not to be too optimistic with revenue. Be careful with your expenses and a little bit tight, and from a financial background, really manage it. Have an idea of what's happening, your financial position, that runway and where money's going and how fast it's moving in or out and leverage off others. Collaborate. Find ways to give them value so you can reduce, cut your expenses, but still add value and move forward.

The last bit of advice I'll give is about advice. Everyone has an opinion and the thing is, you know more than most people about the problem, your vision and how you're looking to address it. Their opinions are important and they [can] give you a lot of ideas that can be really valuable. But so many people will take five minutes, not know everything that you're working on and everyone you're talking to and they'll be happy to throw their 2 cents in, and you just have to really weigh it up. Take a lot of it with a grain of salt, but decide for yourself what's actually helpful and what to pretty much discard or just to shelf for later.

I'm sure many can take some value from that. So what inspiring projects or initiatives have you come across recently which you believe are creating some great positive social change?

The first one which I connect a lot with around the values and the vision is the Human Connection Project. We both know Matt Boyce and just hearing his story, his passion, the whole purpose, is just so inspiring.

And many of his values, and the values reflected in the Human Connection Project, they're just aligned so closely with Mind for Me. To have a supportive and connected society where people ask for help, they speak out about their problems. They look after each other and they're all included and apart of it. One that in the last couple of months I came across is called RECAN. This one's a door to door recycling collection service currently only in Brisbane and a part of Ipswich and Logan. But hopefully they'll grow because what they do is that door to door collection for the eligible containers, the ten cent refunds.

And yesterday morning I had my first collection and it was easy to register online. Just put in your address and set a time that they'll come and collect it, and they give you the bags. So many people I think just still throw out recycling, and [even when] putting it in a recycling bin, I'm not sure how much of that's truly recycled. But these guys just make it simple and easy. You can crush your cans and everything. They take a $5 fee, but that's out of the refund. And then they pass on the rest of the refund. I think with that, when people see it, a lot of people will start to switch and actually be a bit more active in recycling those containers.

The last one, which a lot of people talk about, and they deserve to be talked about, I think. But I have known about them for a few years is Orange Sky Laundry. One thing about them, and it's the same like the Human Connection Project, but also Meals on Wheels where there's a service around it.

But it's really about the connection and that's where the value lies; the interaction and the engagement. One thing actually with Mind for Me [and] from my own experience around the homeless, it was a desire that they have for wanting to be a part of the community to be included, to be valued.

So I'm hoping that we'll play at least some part in bringing them into the community once we're a bit stronger.

To finish off David, what books and resources would you recommend?

The first one I think is a great read is Crucial Conversations. So often we're held back because of conversations we're not comfortable with and we avoid. And this one helps arm you with some tools and methods to tackle those conversations. So it considers the emotions or creates a safe environment, one of value and respect while focusing on the goals of having the conversation. The second read that I'd recommend is Who Owns The Future? Currently the big players online, they've got massive valuations and the wealth is centralised, it's held by very few people. But it's a number of people that use these platforms and social networks and that contribute and conduce the content that creates the real value. But most of those people are not the ones getting paid. And this book actually looks at an alternative model for technology in the future.

The last book, which I just enjoy the story, is the early days of McDonalds, Behind the Arches. So for the founder, the journey of Ray Crock, which more or less as the real founder of what became McDonald's today, they were near failure, they managed to sort of bluff their way to success. They had an account and they saw a profitable model. It wasn't even the main fast food business the public knew of. And it just shows the vision, the persistence, the determination, the way they pivoted, the verge of failure, and the way they actually cared about others in the value chain. The suppliers, the franchisees and even the customers and the community around them. It's held aside now, certainly a different time back then, but it's a great story of the early days. I think people would be able to relate to it and learn from it.