“Do well by your community, and the community will do well by you.”
Since listening to Noah Alper, founder of Noah’s Bagel and one of PCV’s most appreciated Business Advisors speak these words, I can’t help but catch myself repeating them in casual conversation. Like the old phrase we were taught as children, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you,” Noah harnessed the power of that idea and built one of the most successful food franchises and greatest social enterprises around it, setting the stage for generations to follow.
Noah shared his business insights and wisdom at the Holiday Speaker Salon on Thursday, December 12, where he and Deb Doyle were honored with awards of recognition for their outstanding work as Advisors to PCV’s entrepreneurs in 2013. In addition to the wine, appetizers and networking fun, attendees to the event also received Noah Alper’s book, The Business Mensch: Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Entrepreneurs.
Noah Alper recieving an award for his stellar work with PCV’s Business Advising program!
He began with his story of selling salad bowls in the 70’s with his wife, later buying a community “combo store” as he called it, famous on the East Coast as Bread & Circus. He was at the forefront of social enterprise and building community through food before there was even a name to categorize it. “People didn’t really get what we were trying to do,” Noah said and went on to explain how the first year he was in business, it revolved around trying to make people understand what he was doing and what it all meant. Social Enterprise may be a happily accepted business model and buzz word today, but when Noah was just beginning it was still a foreign concept.
The idea was classic, “Doing good is simply good for business,” and through that Noah built a brand around Noah’s Bagels that kept people coming back; customers, employees and communities at large. The way he treated his customers, gave back to the community, cared for the details of his product and worked hard allowed Noah’s Bagels to begin popping up on every corner. He explained, “We grew fast, but my approach to the community made us a big deal, and my employee turn over rate was 50% lower than others because people were happy working for me.”
By engaging employees in community service, Noah not only found a way to give back to communities, further strengthening the Noah’s Bagel brand, but found a way to break down barriers and allow employees to bond. “We went to Venice Beach one year and painted a woman’s house. The look of appreciation on her face brought everyone together. The crew bonded and were happy at their job, and that positive feeling translated to customers.”
Simple, laudable, and encouraging; Noah’s approach to management, human relations and brand building are all of those things. His notion of “doing good is simply good for business,” should be a business model more often emulated and PCV couldn’t be more fortunate to have him advising our current and future generation of entrepreneurs.
More photos of the event:
PCV Business Advising’s Jillian Galbete introducing Noah Alper
The PCV team with another outstanding Business Advisor, Deb Doyle