Stand back, Richmond -- Molly Quarles has a good idea and it has sprouted. As the founder of SproutLaunch (www.sproutlaunch.com), Quarles represents a new breed of local business leaders blending good deeds with good business.
No stranger to attracting the attention of big brands from her
experiences at her day job, Quarles quickly began fielding calls from
interested sponsors, like Coca-Cola.
"I originally started SproutLaunch because I was having trouble finding time to volunteer but still wanted to make a difference," explains Quarles, who also works fulltime at Madison+Main, a marketing and advertising agency in Richmond and Virginia Beach.
"SproutLaunch was originally created in an attempt to encourage and challenge myself to complete one random act of kindness each day. From there, it sparked the idea of including others in this mission by motivating people with random rewards." At that point, the idea behind SproutLaunch was born: become the online resource for good-deed inspiration while rewarding good-deed doers.
No stranger to attracting the attention of big brands from her experiences at her day job, Quarles quickly began fielding calls from interested sponsors, like Coca-Cola. Quarles says that the most rewarding part of SproutLaunch's instant rise to fame is found in the everyday stories happening all over the United States. "I love reading all of the good deeds posted at the end of each day. Knowing that there are so many people out their making a difference in the lives of others around them with simple acts of kindness is incredibly rewarding."
Fans of this popular do-gooder website report that the best part of the site is the ability to "pay it forward" if you are selected as a random reward winner, at which time users can either keep the reward or pass it along to others. "It's amazing to get emails or posts from people saying that they won a reward and donated it to their favorite charity or used it to pay it forward to someone else."
Along the way Quarles says that participating in random acts of kindness personally each day has made her a happier and healthier Richmonder too. "I have learned that focusing on good deeds for other people can really change your life. Just doing one good deed each day has allowed me to wake up each morning and focus on how to brighten someone else's day versus focusing on stress or negativity in the world. Even if you just try it for one week the happiness it creates for you internally is far above what you could expect."
Quarles says that her goal for SproutLaunch is to become the online resource for good deed inspiration. She encourages RVA fans and businesses alike to use her site as a hub for ideas and as a place to share inspirational stories and promote companies and nonprofits making a difference in River City (and beyond). "Plenty of companies are looking for ways to help their community, garner online advertising and gain new customers. SproutLaunch is a way that these companies and organizations can meet all of those goals and reach an audience focused on charitable actions."
