When I set out to build a wellness company, it was both important and urgent that it be architected for good. To me, this meant two things: (1) that it exists for good (rooted in purpose and able to deliver social impact), and (2) that it lasts for good (built to last for a very long time).

The idea for Maavee was quick to come and quick to evolve. We set out to solve a meaty problem – to connect the world to wellness. That is, to make it easy to discover one’s personal wellness journey and to support that unique journey with the best of wellness along the way.

The challenge is that the global wellness economy is almost $4.4T (yes, that’s trillion with a “T”) according to the Global Wellness Institute. It’s BIG and hairy for consumers. When things are complicated, we humans tend to engage only when we have a passion or a problem. To make wellness more accessible for all, we sought to remove some of the complexity. So, we created the ability to shop well to be well through a highly-curated wellness marketplace. This led us to think deeply about the value of curation. This notion of selecting “the best of wellness” is quite subjective. After meeting with countless brands and creators and hearing the stories behind their products and services, we had an “ah ha” moment. We realized that our own individual well-being was intrinsically connected to that of the world in which we live. And in this point, we found our true purpose: Maavee exists to positively impact the world through the pursuit of well-being. 

Sounds nice, but what does that mean?

By the very nature of helping people to find their wellness journey, we impact one life at a time. However, we built Maavee to accelerate and amplify impact, so we took this a step further. We fundamentally believe that we are better together. We decided that our unique approach to “curation” not only meant that we select great wellness offerings (that’s table stakes), but that the brands themselves must have a visible commitment to the planet and to society as well. Essentially they, like us, must exist for good.

We built a methodology to evaluate prospective brand partners. We assess them, seek clarification and details, and advise when appropriate to ensure that their commitments and actions to make the world a better place are clear. A family of like-minded, ethos-aligned brand partners emerged, which we call The Maavee Brand Collective.

We found incredible examples of brands doing good in the world. Esker makes a zero-waste plantable candle that can be turned into an herb garden; Shakti Warrior makes a yoga mat that is converted into sandals for the homeless in India when you are finished with it; KAIBAE is a certified B Corp that offers skin and gut health products and, in the process, is the number one source of income for communities in Ghana from harvesting the fruit of the Boabab tree; and The Black Girl Doctor offers coaching and therapy for and by black women. We have found hundreds of these stories and made them discoverable here at MaaveeGoods. We invite you to explore these stories.

There is incredible power in a community that is laser-focused on solving wellness problems and our world’s problems. So, we decided that Maavee would be a platform (not just technology, but a business platform) to grow our businesses faster and to have more impact in the world together. Instantly (well almost), it became much easier to do more.

How, you might ask?

• We enable our brands to connect and collaborate with each other.
• Brand founders connect monthly in the Maavee Founder’s Circle meet-up to workshop business, environmental, and social challenges.
• We’ve created a network of vetted “impact partners” to help to address some of these challenges.  For example, Toast Media Group is available to help brands find their voice and be heard in a crowded consumer market, Manifest Commerce offers carbon-neutral third-party logistics services, Founder Shield helps brands with risk and insurance solutions, Julie Brandt Social Impact Consulting helps brands to devise impact strategies and actionable plans.
• …and more exciting ways to come as we grow and evolve.

To sum it up, each member of The Maavee Brand Collective, including Maavee ourselves, is inspired and incentivized to help each other get better, grow faster, and do more good in the world. Indeed, we are architected for good.