Hello

June in Japan is a rainy season.

For the entire month, the sky is covered with grey clouds and we do not have much sunshine for a very long time. Regardless of the blessing of rain we had, I never looked forward to the month of June when I was living there. I did not know why we did not feel good when we did not see the sun for a long time.

Like the rainy season in Japan, many countries have particular seasons when the sunlight is scarce. In such seasons, people tend to experience more mood swings.

Living in Singapore now, we luckily receive abundant sunlight most of time. The climate here is generally stable and consistent. But it happened to be a grey day today. So, it is a good day to appreciate the sunlight and look at what brings more joy into our life. And as it turns out, I've just seen a really interesting video that you might find really interesting too. The video takes a surprising 'twist' when it looks at the role of giving. (So, it is a great day to remember the blessing of the sun.)

Here's some interesting background. When we're exposed to sunlight, our body makes lots of Vitamin D3, and because of that we make more of a substance called Serotonin (pronounced Ser-ah-TONE-in). Serotonin is a chemical found in the brain and it's very important to your mood. We know that if you don't have enough of it then you can become depressed. Scientists think that some people aren't so good at making their own Serotonin, and need more sunlight than others.

So in this issue, there is a mini-article about Serotonin. It turns out it has an impact on giving and so it's very relevant to what we're all about at B1G1. I hope you'll enjoy this issue (and that your Serotonin levels rise!)

Thank you again to all those who wrote to us in response to our last newsletter. We're always excited to hear your insights and your comments. So, this month again, you can just hit your reply button now and say, "I am happy to share more smiles" (please keep doing it!). And we will be able to stay positive and energized even during rainy season, winter month or in an air-conditioned building.

Masami Sato
Founder, Buy1Give1-B1G1



The Buy1Give1 Core

People sometimes misunderstand the core concept of Buy1Give1.

We've been asked several times questions like this: "If 'Buy 1 and Get 1 Free' is the current marketing and discount strategy, is Buy1Give1 about giving the very same product or service away for free?" In other words, if we're selling a computer, do we HAVE TO give a computer? If we're selling a packet of cookies, we HAVE TO give another packet to someone… do we HAVE TO give the same value away? Is that it?

No it's not. Very definitely not.

At Buy1Give1, it is all about 'stories'. The packet of cookies sold may feed ONE child for ONE day. The computer you are selling may give an access to a computer to ONE underprivileged child for ONE year or even just for ONE day. But it is absolutely NOT essential to give the same product or service you're selling. Depending on the amount you can give practically and continuously from a SINGLE transaction, you can choose a story to support.

So it could be the artist selling paintings and developing a Buy1Give1 'give back' that supports Art Teachers in developing countries. Let us know about your business by emailing us at info@b1g1.com and we can give you more ideas. Each B1G1 business decides the amount per transaction they want to give (it can be small fractions of a dollar or thousands of dollars being given back per transaction).

Right at the core of Buy1Give1 is this philosophy: instead of trying to do a massive thing just once, we can do ONE small (or large) thing EVERY TIME we sell something - as our 'thank you' to the world - as our way of sharing the joy.

And it is very inspiring when some businesses make the very original Buy1Give1 principal happen in a very bold way, too.

Read on to find out about two of the most remarkable Buy1Give1 giving stories.


Socks for Happy People
(by Paul Dunn)

OK, I know that sounds like a weird title. But read on!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE ideas and products that make me laugh. And when those ideas also have a great 'give back', it's even better. To illustrate that, take a look at the material a new B1G1 Business Member sent us. It scores on the laughing index and it scores hugely on the give back index as well. And to top it all off, the business, run by Tom Minter in the UK has a seriously great name. It's called Socks for Happy People.

And Tom delivers on the promise of his brand big time. Right now, there are 3 types of 'happy' socks; the stripes, the affirmation pairs and the 'what lies beneath' pairs. The affirmation pairs are great. They're available in 7 different and bold colours and they carry the simple message - 'today I will make someone's day'.

And the stripes? Well, they're anything but normal stripes. The sizes of each individual stripe on these socks are statistically proportional in size to each other, so the whole sock illustrates a lovely bit of statistical research done by Defra (Department of Environment, Farming and Agriculture).

You've just got to check it out. And the 'What Lies Beneath' range has a strategically placed giraffe positioned so that when you wear the socks, you can just see the giraffe's head peeking out of the top of your shoe.

Very, very cool. And well-worth checking out at www.socksforhappypeople.com

Oh I got so excited about the socks, I forgot to tell you about Tom's 'give back'. This is almost as good as the socks if not more so.

It turns out Tom's grandmother founded a charity years ago working with Mongolian street kids. Those kids have to sometimes endure temperatures of -50C. And without warm socks, they got frostbite and lose their toes. So now Tom's happy socks are saving toes - literally. And on top of that, Tom's looking at getting the socks made in Mongolia to give employment to the street kids too.

The whole idea just resonates doesn't it? Again, www.socksforhappypeople.com is where you find it.


Buy1Build1™-IMPOSSIBLE to POSSIBLE

In the last few months alone, several companies decided to come on board with Buy1Build1 giving. Every time someone buys a house from these companies, the customer gets to build a home for one person! WOW! And of course, this is not a small contribution. It is a MASSIVE contribution from each transaction. And this is happening NOW.

So, let's look at one example in this issue with some more to follow soon. Let's share the story of a wonderful company in UK who took on the concept very quickly and put things in action.

Marcus Edwards from Sunsplash Homes in the UK was the first to implement Buy1Build1. His company's slogan is now this: Buy a home, give a home.

And you can buy great international property from this company no matter where you are! Marcus demonstrates one very important and remarkable human quality. We believe this is one of the most critical parts of his company's success.

It is Generosity.

	Marcus Edward From Sunsplash Homes

And today that legacy of giving lives on, just like it will for people like Marcus. The Ford Foundation continues today to donate over half a billion dollars each year to reduce poverty.

SEROTONIN RISING
(By David Anttony)

On a late-night web research exploration last week, I came across a most fascinating video film trailer called "SEROTONIN RISING". The clip is a preview to an upcoming movie about creating happiness. It stars some big names like Deepak Chopra, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, David Lynch and Donovan (remember him from the 60's singing all about 'Mellow Yellow'?).

The video shares the scientific discovery that when we receive a gift from someone, the Serotonin levels in our brain increase.

Serotonin is the 'happiness drug' that our bodies naturally create. As levels of this amazing substance increase, we feel happier. But just 1 minute and 46 seconds from the beginning of the movie clip, there's a surprise. The science actually reveals that Serotonin levels also increase when we GIVE something to someone else. Isn't that something; the science proves that which we know intuitively. Get this though - the Serotonin levels rise to a higher level when we give than when we receive!

Watch for yourself and enJOY a natural high. Click the image above to watch the video.


Giving Simply - From Heart or Head?

I was talking with one of our Buy1Give1 Business Members recently. He was having a little challenge in choosing the cause he wanted to support.

There were many options for his company's giving. But he somehow couldn't move ahead with the decision-making process. He was thinking and analysing very hard, trying to make sense of the investment and return.

But during our conversation, something happened.

This email explains that 'something':

"Hi Masami. Thank you for connecting with me on Monday." "It was exciting to hear about your recent exploits - the synchronicities that have happened on your trip to Australia and how individuals running large organisations are connecting with the B1G1 philosophy. However the greatest gift for me was that you were able to give me a glimpse of the joy of giving and move it from a concept in my head to a feeling in my heart. Yes it was only a small part of our conversation but it was the most powerful for me. Reflecting on this I asked myself the question - 'So what propagates this joy of giving? And what is the mechanism that enables it to flow - even without direct experience?' And I came to the conclusion that it is the stories! You gave me this gift not through pictures, not by taking me over to the charity to show me, but simply by telling me a story - creating a picture in my mind which manifested a feeling in my heart. Sure your direct experience made it easier for the story to be told - but this experience is not a prerequisite to be able to pass on the gift and joy of giving. Some people are lucky (interesting word this one) - they come across this joy by circumstance through their parents, friends and associates. I came across it in an intellectual sense through the recent experiences with some like-minded business people. However, I did not feel it personally until last Monday. You had an ability to tell a story that was real for me. Maybe it was because it was one on one? Or maybe it was because it was coming from your heart. So what I would like to do most is to be a conduit for this joy of giving to pass on to my family and the children in our business. And I believe the first step in achieving this is to find out some stories. Nothing fancy - just real. Thank you."

Welcome to the world of Buy1Give1 - B1G1