FINDING FULFILLMENT
Some people are drawn to entrepreneurship as a way to make a positive contribution to their community. They want not only personal satisfaction, but also fulfillment by mak¬ing a difference in their employees’ lives and in their communities. Take, for example, Nick Sarillo. When Sarillo started his pizza business, his goal was to create a corporate culture unlike any he had seen. One part of his plan was to develop a strong relation¬ship with the communities where he had restaurants. He wanted to “feel the community’s pain, share its joy.” In recognition of the difficult times many in the community were fac¬ing, Sarillo offered half prices on Mondays for anyone dining in the restaurants and half price for takeouts on Tuesdays. On one evening, Sarillo charged nothing for the meals he served, at a cost of $20,000 to the business. The company also hosts fundraisers every week and contributes 15 percent of its gross profits to charitable causes. And it sponsors benefits one or two times a year for families who are experiencing large medical bills. Christopher Adams, Sarillo’s partner, believes that giving back to the community has an ancillary benefit for the business: “It reminds our team members how incredibly different we are from any other place they know.