Does anybody really follow the advice on the bumper sticker to “practice random acts of kindness?” Joaquin Ortiz does. And it ignited a passion that has resulted in an entrepreneurial venture in fashion design, a non-profit with a global vision, and a popular YouTube channel with submissions from all over the world.
Ortiz had ambitious professional goals by the time he was 20 years old. He started out with culinary school, attending Johnson and Wales University, and got into the restaurant business. Over ten years, he helped open nine different restaurants, culminating in a venture of his own.
Then he survived a boating accident that could have easily killed or crippled him. After a long recovery, Ortiz eventually realized that his business had become his life, and that he needed a new direction that would give him equal time for personal growth and relationships. So Ortiz sold his share of the restaurant to his partners, gathered all of his savings, and started Provider. The company’s mission is to make the world a better place through clothing. Their vision statement expresses an idealistic spirit: “We believe that through our lifestyle brand we can inspire and empower individuals to lead with their heart leaving every situation better than they found it.” He has been nominated for a 2011 GQ Better Man, Better World Award.
Why the name “Provider”?
I wanted to bridge the gap between fashion and social change. I did some modeling as a teenager, and I wanted to give the industry a backbone and some positive social interaction. I want to provide consciousness.
I think everyone provides something. I want to ask people, “What do you provide?” The idea is to people more conscious of the moment, of what they have to offer the world.
I also want to inspire people to create conscious acts of kindness. I started out by passing out souvenirs to visitors on Miami Beach, and taking water to construction workers.
How are you connecting the sales side of entrepreneurship to social entrepreneurship?
It’s really simple. Wear a shirt with a message, something that communicates a positive idea, and something that carries positive energy. People are drawn to that. Anything can promote positive social interaction.
As far as the business, it works like any other business. You have your costs, your marketing. But I believe it can be more than fashion, it can be a way of thinking. I hope to open stores that revolutionize shopping and the way people spend time with each other.
It is about getting people to see themselves as providers and own it. Then we tell them about the non-profit, which creates events around the world, for everyone from people at risk to someone who is in a “normal” demographic. The idea is to give back and create positive energy, even in a small way. Everyone deserves to feel special. Anyone can wash someone’s car, pay someone’s parking meter.
I started with simple stuff, like passing out the souvenirs and water. Then we started staging events. I got together with a couple of friends who are stylists, and we went out to offer free on the spot makeovers to women walking on the beach—just to make them feel good about themselves. Things like that.
So we hope to inspire people to realize that they can do these things themselves, in their own cities. We have a YouTube channel where people can stage their own events and upload video. People are contacting us and asking “Can I do one? I want to do one.” Anyone can. There is one by a woman in Portland, Oregon who is teaching free massage lessons. There was one in Senegal where the organizers brought a bouncy house to children who had never seen one. We have them in Bali, Indonesia—all over the place.
Your website has a list of “People who Provide.” Who are they?
All of those folks are people who have helped us in some way. We want to build a reputable name, so that when people need a product or service, they know they can come to us and find a responsible company. We want like-minded individuals to band together and empower each other’s success. We always want to have a grassroots feel. We consider this a “key to consciousness.”
I dedicate my Monday Facebook posts to featuring providers. I’m doing what I can to empower the success of the friends around me.
Can you expand on the idea of “keys to consciousness”?
I believe there is a spectrum of consciousness. And you can’t look at someone as better than you are or worse than you are. They’re just somewhere else on the spectrum of consciousness. So we look for things that open the gates to consciousness.
What are you doing right now that you’re most excited about?
The next thing is a concert for deaf children. My sister sings, and she is partially deaf. I would like to get a celebrity singer involved. I want to take a transducer speaker, and connect it to a wall so that children could feel the vibrations and experience the music that way.
I want to do a mural project, and integrate the city of Miami with local artists, celebrities, the local government, and businesses. I want to host a competition between the schools, asking “what is a conscious act of kindness to you.” We would take a 30-foot wall and give each school a section. And everyone would come and help paint the wall with a mural that shows their interpretation. I wanted to do this by November, but the funding didn’t come through. It’s on the back burner.
What advice would you give to new graduates and young professionals about pursuing their passions and goals?
First, at the end of the day, can you say that you worked harder than anyone else today to accomplish your goals? How much of your passion did you give it? You have to live your life as though you were on a precipice, that you are fighting for what you want with everything you have. It has to be that level of commitment.
You should surround yourself with the most powerfully uplifting, positive friends and family that you have. I used to meet with a group of friends once a month, and we would just sit and brainstorm and encourage each other. That’s how I got connected with the folks who worked with me to start a restaurant. Make a goal to meet with your most exciting, interesting friends each week. Have them bring their friends. Inspire each other. Build a matrix of connections with like-minded people.
And, of course, ask yourself what you can do for the people around you. What do you provide?
For more information on Conscious Acts of Kindness—including how to stage your own CAoK event, visit http://www.youtube.com/ProviderDesigndotcom. To support the movement use the coupon code wisepreneur and get 10% off your entire purchase through December 18, 2011.
About the Author:
Carolyn D. Roark works as a freelance writer and editor. She has held positions in industry and in the Ivory Tower. Dr. Roark specializes in written communication, creativity, and entrepreneurship. She also keeps one foot in the academic world, running an academic journal titled Ecumenica.
