#51 – Leveraging Marketing Dollars for Social Good

with Doug Lessing, Founder of Phin

Bonus Material: Download the Companion for this Episode

Doug Lessing is the founder of Phin, which is a social good platform that great companies can use to build meaningful relationships with people and causes through sponsored donations. Doug founded it in early 2019 after having spent 30 years with the incredible team building Firebrand Technologies, a software services company for book publishers. 

Doug is a resident of Blue Point, New York. He is married to his wife, Grace; they have three Gen Z daughters and two young female Springer spaniels. He refers to himself as being outnumbered and influenced by strong women, which was a major inspiration for founding Phin in the first place.

In this episode, we discuss Doug’s transition to a social impact company after having grown up in FireBrand Technologies; Doug’s personal approach as an entrepreneur; how he attempts to create a space for creative thinking and deep focus; the work that is going to really move Phin forward; and how Phin was created to be a social impact organization from the get-go.

Want more episodes on innovative platforms making a global difference? Listen to:

• #43 – The Evolution of the Entrepreneurial Spirit with Frederick Hutson, Founder & CEO of Pigeonly

• #37 – Exploring, Connecting, and Giving Back through Running with Dave Spandorfer, CEO of Janji

• #23 – Mobilizing “Sweaty Change Makers” With AtlasGO Co-Founder & CEO Thomas Querton

 In 2019, Phin helped raise over $12,800 for causes like Saha Globale that build clean water systems in Ghana

Topics Discussed: 

• Using the power of business to create true social impact
• Taking the leap to build a social impact company
• How he approaches entrepreneurship
• Phin’s founding as a public benefit corporation

Links from the Episode:

• Phin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Doug on LinkedIn and his landing page on Phin
• Firebrand Technologies
• B-Corp