S3 E03: What is CSR and what's in it for you - a beginners guide to running a responsible business

After starting his working life as a teacher and a tour manager in the music business, Mark accidentally entered the charity sector as a short-term hire for a friend and has stayed there ever since. He and his wife Jo lived in Tanzania for 10 years, began raising a family and both served for the African dental charity Bridge2Aid, with Mark eventually becoming CEO. Mark now acts as an independent consultant to businesses of all sizes who want to develop their CSR (corporate social responsibility) strategy - which begs three questions: What exactly is CSR - is it just fund raising or is there more to it than that? How is that relevant to a small owner-managed business like a dental practice - isn't CSR just for big business? And why bother - what's in it for the owners and team of a dental practice to get involved? In this month's podcast we welcome an old and trusted friend to share with us his story and his answers to the questions we pose above. Mark has already helped some of the top practices in the UK to become more responsible, and reap the internal and external benefits that CSR brings. In this podcast you will learn: the three pillars of a responsible business - it's fundamentally more than fund-raising; how being responsible is relevant to all businesses, no matter what sector or size; how you can get started and what's in it for you - why a well managed CSR strategy can help with staff retention, productivity, reputation and increase profitability