3 Founders and Companies Who Are Creating Positive Change in their Industry

In a world teeming with challenges, there are entrepreneurs and businesses that refuse to be spectators. Instead, they are creating positive change, leveraging their ideas and creativity to make a meaningful impact on society. We met with three founders across different industries who are empowering people in their communities with their work. Join us in delving into each of their unique stories. 

1. Transforming Athletes into Global Brands 

“Prevent the same, own the name, disrupt the game.” Built by athletes for athletes, Xample was built to help athletes build their brand, business and life in an authentic manner. Founded by Nick Drbal, business management company Xample maximizes an athlete’s value with attention to detail, creative thinking, and a tireless work ethic. They aim to change the narrative by letting Athletes become their own CEO and brand. 

Xample has already started working with athletes such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuna Jr. In their collaboration with Fernando, they cemented his status as a baseball fashion icon by customizing the design of his cleats to honor his favorite people, places and things. Spectators quickly took notice of these designs, made together by Fernando and Nick, creating buzz with sports fans.  

When asked about his future plans for Xample, Nick said that “the future will ultimately take care of itself as long as we continue to keep our core values and mission close.” Xample is confident in their formula and hopes to repeat and perfect the experience for more athletes.  

If you’re hoping to create positive change in your industry, Nick advises that you find a problem, create the solution, and keep going until the job is done. He added that “Visionaries see change before everyone else and sometimes you have to give them time to see it for themselves.” 

2. Patient Communication Made Effective 

At Aesthetix CRM, AI and medicine come together to form a seamless experience for both patient and clinic. Sara Dunn, Co-Founder and Director of Customer Success, was inspired to found Aesthetix CRM after observing how inefficient the current systems were in the rapidly growing medical aesthetics industry. Sara noted that “A new lead is 7x more likely to book an appointment if followed up within the first hour, and 35-50% of sales go to the person or practice that responds first,” but med spas and plastic surgeons were unable to follow-up at such a pace with the market growing increasingly competitive.  

What sets Aesthetix CRM apart from other platforms is that it’s easy to use, customized specifically for medical aesthetics, and full of integrations. Aesthetix CRM recently launched an AI Chat Assistant engineered to streamline communications for med spas and plastic surgeons, ensuring patient satisfaction and loyalty while saving time and cost that can be redirected toward enhancing patient care.  

Sara reports that Aesthetix CRM has already proven successful in their launch, with clients claiming to have doubled their conversion rate and number of leads within just 90 days of using the platform. Not only does Aesthetix CRM increase conversion rates, but it also helps you track and grow Patient Lifetime Value. 

Aesthetix CRM hopes to continuously improve the lead and patient communication experience by “investing in educational content nurtures that provide enriching experiences for leads on their aesthetic journey.” Sara is also aiming to help more clients improve their marketing and operational efficiency with improved reporting and insights dashboards.  

Sara advises fellow founders and aspiring entrepreneurs to always keep the customer in mind when building your company. For Aesthetix CRM, she embraces empathy and constantly strives to prioritize the end-user experience. Learn more about Aesthetix CRM and their growth journey by checking out their website or scheduling a free demo.  

3. Emotional Comfort in a Cuddly Form 

Stuff’N’Tuddles provides support for emotional pain in the form of animal plushies, which are loved by kids, teens, and adults alike. Nancy Goodman, founder of Stuff’N’Tuddles and writer of corresponding children’s book, A Most Unusual Wish, was inspired to start her company after she found herself looking for comfort but not knowing where to seek it. That’s when she had the idea of purchasing a stuffed animal from the drugstore and writing a letter to her future self with a wish and a plan of how she will achieve it. The cuddles and vision helped her not only get a good night’s sleep but also motivated her to write her first novel and embark on a journey of providing comfort to people in all walks of life.  

These plushies are not limited to any age or industry. Nancy explains that “Stuff’N’Tuddles hopes to provide an action for those painful moments that keeps us from running to unhealthy fixes or falling into a hole,” and they’ve been doing just that. Parents have already reported that Stuff’N’Tuddles has helped their struggling children deal with anxiety and homesickness. 

She recommends other early founders to be the face of their company and get personal with their customers. Nancy gained the trust of her community by being vulnerable and forming deep connections.  

With Stuff’N’Tuddles, Nancy hopes to inspire people to write again, as she believes in the power of pen to paper in healing our emotions. Looking ahead, she’s planning on partnering with companies that want to help kids and teens who struggle emotionally and physically. Learn more about Nancy’s company and book on her website or Instagram.  

The Key Takeaway  

From comfort plushies to athlete brands, these three visionary entrepreneurs and their innovative businesses stand as beacons of positive change. Nick Drbal's Xample empowers athletes to take control of their careers and brands, Sara Dunn's Aesthetix CRM uses AI to revolutionize patient communication in healthcare, and Nancy Goodman's Stuff’N’Tuddles offers emotional comfort through cuddly plushies. Their stories emphasize the importance of empathy, deep connections, and staying true to one's values as they lead the way in making a meaningful impact on society. These entrepreneurs remind us that positive change is not only possible but also our collective responsibility in a world filled with challenges.