Statement of Accountability & Impact

I believe business can and should be a force for good in the world. I believe we are more powerful when we stand up for what we believe is good, and back up our beliefs with concrete action.

The following are the principles and actions I am committed to pertaining to social justice, privilege, the environment and mental health.

Territorial acknowledgement

I currently live, work and play on Vancouver Island, BC, on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Indigenous, Lkwungen (Lekwungen), SENĆOŦEN and hul’q’umi’num speaking people.

I am grateful to live in such a beautiful, magical place and I acknowledge the ongoing harms done by colonialism.

DecolonizACTION
As a white settler, I show my gratitude and commitment to being a good ally to Indigenous people in my community by:

1. Allocating a portion of my revenue generated each month to Raven Trust, Indigenous legal defense funds as well as other local Indigenous-led fundraisers.

2. In addition, through my agency Remarkable Communications, we actively sponsor Spilling Labrador Tea Under Cedar Trees; an Indigenous Youth Owned Podcast.

3. At Remarkable we have an active, Indigenous only board of advisors

4. Our hiring policy prioritizes hiring people from historically marginalized communities: BIPOC, LGTBQ+, Youth, Women and those with Disabilities.

Intersectional Feminism

My decolonial work is done through the lens of the Feminist Therapy Model, which means I understand that women face systemic obstacles to both success at work and their well-being; obstacles that are greater for visible minorities such as women of colour, Indigenous women, and women with disabilities.

I acknowledge my privilege as a white woman and strive to be an ally to women of colour by allocating resources and time to dismantling my white privilege, decolonizing myself, educating/holding other white people accountable and financially supporting grassroots initiatives that support women, specifically women of colour.

In the past I have also donated to the American Civil Liberties Union to uphold a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to give birth.

I am committed to earning my position as an ally, by continuing to invest time, money and other resources into continuous improvement and taking imperfect action to uphold the following principles:

I know I still have a lot of work to do.

Mental Health:

I believe help for business and mental health should not be behind a paywall, which is why I provide business training and other resources, forever free on my Gifts page and YouTube channel.

In the past, I spent significant resources bootstrapping (self-funding) the first technology solution completely devoted to supporting the wellbeing of female entrepreneurs.

The Environment:

In addition to these social justice commitments, I strive to minimize consumption and environmental impact by implementing the following policies:

  • A paperless accounting protocol; including invoicing, accounts receivable and payable

  • An 80% paperless office

  • Working remotely - minimizing commuting time

  • Monthly donations to the Rainforest Action Network

Supporting Local:

I also think it’s important to support local initiatives, so I am a paid member of the Island Women In Science and Technology and Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. I also donate significant time as a volunteer business mentor with the Women’s Enterprise Centre

There is always more to do, and as I earn more, I re-allocate more.

I hope you’ll do the same.

Thank you for reading.

I know I don’t know everything, and I am committed to imperfect action.

As such, I welcome feedback. Please, subscribe to my newsletter to stay in touch.

Laurel Anne Starkabout