AIESEC Life Business Community: Feature of the Month - Sandy Stewart
The AIESEC Life Business Community (ABC) is a new community supporting AIESEC alums and their businesses. This initiative is all about fostering connections among our alumni and providing valuable resources and networking opportunities.
For this month’s alumnus interview, we’ll hear from Sandy Stewart, who hails from AIESEC Arizona State and is the founder of the Think Big Program which solely focuses on sustainability with an online training platform. The Think Big Program was designed to help anyone become a sustainability champion for business. Sandy is also a trainer, coach, public speaker and author.
A bit about Sandy Stewart, by Sandy Stewart:
It’s more crucial than ever for companies to develop a strong brand around sustainability. Whether their starting point is People, Planet or Profit (triple bottom line), I help small and mid-sized businesses to institute sustainability in their businesses. Think Big Sustainable Business Accelerator is an online training course to help anyone become a sustainability champion for business. It’s great for business owners, but also it’s perfect for managers and employees who want to bring sustainability into their workplace. Since the program is online, my clients are nationwide. Even those who want to add credentials to their resume are using the Accelerator to beef up their skill sets to make them more attractive hires.
Aside from the Sustainable Business Accelerator, I also help companies to track their carbon footprint. Whether a company is just getting started or if they need a boost with all the busy work of data collection and data entry, I act as an outsourced Sustainability Department for companies of any size. Even solo-preneurs are getting in the sustainability game, because it helps to build their brand reputation around caring for the planet and caring for the world at large.
I’m also a trainer, a coach and public speaker, and am now officially a published author, as of April 2023.https://tinyurl.com/2nbvfc3x. I founded and now am the Chapter President of the Austin chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners https://www.nawboatx.org/). Currently, I’m leading the charge for the starting the NextGen Program for NAWBO Austin and directly working with NAWBO National bringing NextGen to the national conference in Austin in October. The NextGen Program directly supports young entrepreneurs who have (or want to) start a business. Even if it’s just at the idea stage, NextGen has a very supportive program.
(AL) How did you get started with your own business?
(SS) My first stab at business was co-founding a wealth advisory firm, an RIA, in 1998. It was a steep learning curve, and I loved it. So, when I decided financial planning was not my passion, I found my way to business coaching. From an out-of-the-blue referral from my own coach to an Australian business coaching company, I was selected to help them get established in the US. After 3+ years which included a shift from Texas to California to set up the home office in San Francisco, I left to form my own business in Sacramento. It was an act of necessity, but also I had clients there and so starting a company to serve them was what officially began Swiss Avenue Partners. About a year into Swiss Avenue Partners, I created Think Big which started as a course offering. After some massive challenges and changes in 2020, I now operate a new company called Think Big Program which solely focuses on sustainability with an online training platform at the helm.
(AL) What were the biggest challenges you faced along the way? What have you learned? What is your ultimate goal?
(SS) There have been plenty of challenges, and all of those led to some big lessons too. One lesson is “start any business partnership very slowly”. Getting into a partnership (even if just a handshake) can waste a lot of time and aggravation if the start goes too quickly. And that goes for hiring employees too…”hire slowly, fire quickly”.
Also, it’s crucial to understand your market and what’s trending. Sustainability is a trendy buzzword, but in reality, in the US anyway, privately held businesses, SMBs, and mom-and-pop shops aren’t racing toward sustainability because there isn’t much in the way of regulation yet. Most sustainability and carbon footprinting is happening within larger companies because those are getting pressure to do it. I’ve always worked with small businesses, so it’s what I know. And I know I can help them carve their own pathway and integrate it into their business without it costing a lot of money or time.
My big hairy audacious goal is to help 1 million small businesses to become thriving sustainable brands. That just scratches the surface of the 32+ million small businesses in the US today, but it’s a start.
(AL) Anything else you’d like to share with our alumni about your business?
(SS) Think Big just launched a FREE Business Sustainability Ambassador Program that comes with a certification and a badge to share. It’s great for any business with an online presence, whether they’re a product or a service-based business. It tells the marketplace that they care and are on the path toward sustainability.
The link to get the free Business Sustainability Ambassador certification and badge is here: https://www.thinkbigprogram.com/courses/sustainable-business-ambassador-program
Use aiesec25 at checkout for any of the online courses/programs for a 25% discount.
If you would like to know more about the Think Big Program, please contact Sandy at [email protected]
We're constantly expanding our ABC program, and you can look forward to alumni profiles on our website, newsletter features, and virtual talks and discussions. Keep an eye out for updates, and get ready to engage with a vibrant community of AIESEC alumni in the business world!