Agency Visit- TOMS

Last week we had the chance to visit TOMS office in Playa Vista, to learn all about sustainable business development in the modern world. If I had to describe this visit in three words they would be: fun, creative, and purposeful.

Immediately after walking in my thoughts were "this place is so aesthetically pleasing." Walking around you might think you're on the set of some trendy photo shoot or the nightmare of a baby boomer. (pictures for reference)

The space is completely gorgeous, and looks like an amazing for creative productivity. This leads us to Insight #1- Fostering creativity is so important if you want your employees to be innovating. TOMS places a large focus on encouraging employees to disrupt current conventions, and find a way to make them One for One. In order to come up with ideas like this, employees will need to be in a space where they don't feel restricted. The TOMS office has perfected this idea, creating an office where you can work in whatever space you like. The indor-outdoor flow is beautiful and made me want to work there just from walking in.

After taking a tour around the office, we began our session led by Kate Faith, the Director of Global Brand Marketing at TOMS. She walked us through all of the different aspects of TOMS business, the inspiration behind One for One, and and impact that it's had. Which leads us to our second insight

Insight #2- Businesses can still be profitable and be charitable, in fact having purpose can make you more profitable. I think there's a common misconception in the business world that profit is "The Bottom Line" (meaning money is the main decider of business activities & a fun accounting pun!). While businesses obviously can't run without money, it's far from the only deciding factor in business decisions. It's so refreshing to see companies truly considering how they impact the world around them, and making changes for the better.

My last insight is similar to my second, but on a more personal level.

Insight #3- Never compromise your morality, dreams, and goals for something easier. TOMS has been able to make great quality products, provide services for so many people who wouldn't otherwise get them, and remain profitable. You can do it all, you just need to make it a priority in all that you do. Whether in the business world or in personal decisions, you just have to know what's most important to you. It's clear that giving is at the core of TOMS philosophy, and is honestly really inspirational to see.