I recently learned a new word, and I really like it! I think it describes Mike’s Club perfectly.

We've all heard words like "vegetarian", "humanitarian", and "authoritarian". My new word is:

"Communitarian"

a communitarian business is one that prioritizes the well-being of the community over profit, balancing business goals with social responsibilities. Such a business focuses on benefiting local residents, supporting social causes, and fostering a sense of community among its members.

This is just about the best description of Mike’s Club I've ever heard.

Mike’s Club is not a non-profit. We are a regular business that aims to solve social problems (like poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity, using entrepreneurial principles while maintaining financial sustainability. In other words, our business goal is not to become rich. It is to use the power of market-based strategies to deliver solutions to serious social problems.

We seek financial independence through revenue generation rather than relying solely on donations or grants.

In simple terms, we use our thrift store sales as the engine which powers our social assistance programs. We're still not as strong as we need to be, and financial donations still help a lot. But our goal is to be entirely sustainable through sales. I am confident we will be there soon!

I just wanted to share this new word I learned. You can never have too many words!

Mike’s Club is a communitarian business!