Anti-Oppressive Business Practices

This week in Create Opportunity, I've been asking members the same question I ask myself over and over: what are some anti-oppressive business practices? Beyond clinical services, how can our business practices address oppression?

One thing I've learned in asking this question is that it's impossible to address every oppressive issue with your business, try as you might. Instead, it works a bit better to choose the issues that are most important to you and the people you serve, and focus on those.

Omkari Williams, author of MicroActivism speaks on this as well. She says, "I have what I call the Noah’s Ark rule: Pick one or, at most, two causes to focus on at a time. Honestly, none of us can effectively do more than that. Just like Noah’s Ark, only two, only two. . .Other people will focus on other things, together we’ll cover it all."

Here are a couple areas to focus on:

A. Accessibility: this applies to both physical and financial accessibility.
B. Inclusivity in Marketing: images, words, web design, social media.
C. Fair Compensation: this includes your own compensation!
D. Diversity in Hiring: tax preparers, website designers, photographers, etc.
E. Collaboration with Community Organizations/Partners: donate time, resources, workshops.
F. Open Dialogue: encourage conversations about oppression with all members.
G. Social Justice Advocacy: choose a cause to contribute to or stand for.

Next week I'll share a couples places with anti-oppressive practices that I find inspiring.

I'd love to hear your ideas for anti-oppressive business practices. Feel free to hit reply and let me know.

Want to develop a business that makes a difference? The waitlist is open now for our upcoming August and October Create Opportunity cohorts. I would love to work with you.