The Mission Driven Business Podcast Episode 93: Harnessing The Power Of Small To Create Global Impact With Masami Sato

Brian chats with Masami Sato, founder and CEO of B1G1 (Buy1GIVE1), a Certified B Corporation that empowers businesses to make giving an inherent part of every business transaction. As an experienced social entrepreneur and speaker, Masami champions the "Power of Small" -- the belief that even the smallest acts of giving, when done consistently and collectively, can create meaningful change. In this episode, Masami shares how her entrepreneurial spirit drove her to create B1G1 and how staying rooted in her mission helped her build a business that supports more than 450 high-impact projects across 50 countries.

Episode Highlights

Mission-driven businesses keep showing up for their purpose.

Masami believes that every founder can start a business with an idea to solve a particular challenge or address an opportunity. However, mission-driven businesses stay committed to their original purpose over time.

“Mission-driven businesses continue to show up and make decisions based on that original mission, rather than getting sidetracked by all other things,” Masami said.

A strong mission can’t be replaced.

Today’s entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to lead with their mission, according to Masami, since it’s one part of the business that can’t be replicated or automated by AI. The mission is also what attracts aligned customers, team members, and partners to the company.

“Mission is the part that cannot be replaced by other things,” Masami said. “That’s where the greatest opportunity lies.”

Start small and build a consistent impact.

Masami’s mission for B1G1 actually started as a question: What if every time business is done, something great happens to create a better world collectively? As the owner of a food company at the time, Masami’s answer was to donate one meal for every meal she sold. That small act grew into a much larger business idea and led Masami to create a platform of impact-driven business entrepreneurs who integrate impact and kindness into their everyday business actions.

“We realized that there is opportunity for other businesses like us,” Masami said. “Over the last nearly 18 years, businesses working with us have created more than 365 million impacts in the world.”

Letting go is different than giving up.

Masami shared her powerful story of resilience, including starting a business while raising a newborn, navigating financial hardship, and even giving birth to her second child in her commercial kitchen sink. Her turning point came when she chose to let go of her growing food business in order to fully commit to B1G1.

“Letting go and giving up are different things,” she said. “I decided to sell our business and put everything into this idea to start the B1G1 enterprise.”

Resources + Links

• Ashlee Sang: Website, LinkedIn, X

• B1G1:  Website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, YouTube

• Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast

• Follow Brian Thompson Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Forbes

About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast 

Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.