Building a Business That Creates Jobs in Overlooked Communities
Every year, businesses spend billions on recruitment, training, and turnover costs while millions of capable workers remain excluded from
Every year, businesses spend billions on recruitment, training, and turnover costs while millions of capable workers remain excluded from the economy. This disconnect isn’t just a social issue. It’s an unsustainable business practice that weakens communities and limits economic growth.
A growing movement of impact-driven businesses is proving there’s a better way. By intentionally creating jobs in overlooked communities, these companies are building more sustainable business models while generating profound social impact that ripples through entire regions.
Redefining Sustainable Business
True sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns to encompass social and economic resilience. When businesses systematically exclude large portions of the workforce, whether people with criminal records, disabilities, or those in rural areas, they create unsustainable cycles of poverty, high turnover, and community decline.
“Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not,” notes Beth Mily, CEO of Geekwise Academy, a division of BitWise Industries. This observation points to a fundamental market inefficiency that forward-thinking businesses are turning into competitive advantage.
The Impact Multiplier Effect
When businesses hire from overlooked communities, they create what economists call a multiplier effect. Research from JPMorgan Chase found that “a modest increase in the number of employees hired by existing small businesses (one to three employees per business) could create enough employment opportunities for all currently unemployed inner-city residents.”
This isn’t just about individual jobs. Each position created:
- Reduces dependence on social services
- Increases local spending power
- Creates role models within communities
- Breaks generational cycles of poverty
- Strengthens the local tax base
- Reduces crime and incarceration costs
Three Models Demonstrating Sustainable Impact
The Open Hiring Revolution
Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, has pioneered a radical “open hiring” model that eliminates all barriers to employment. No resumes, interviews, or background checks. Just a list where anyone can sign up for the next available job.
This isn’t charity; it’s a sustainable business producing 12 million pounds of brownies annually for clients including Ben & Jerry’s. The model has proven so successful that Greyston has set an ambitious goal: catalysing 40,000 jobs through open hiring by 2030.
The sustainability comes from reduced recruitment costs, lower turnover, and a deeply loyal workforce. “We’d rather invest in a person’s future than judge their past,” the company states, turning traditional hiring economics on its head.
Fair Chance as Competitive Advantage
Hot Chicken Takeover demonstrates how “fair chance” hiring creates sustainable competitive advantage. With 70% of their workforce having criminal backgrounds, they’ve achieved retention rates far exceeding industry standards.
The impact extends beyond employment statistics. These workers, given few other opportunities, demonstrate exceptional loyalty and work ethic. The business saves thousands in reduced turnover costs while strengthening communities often devastated by mass incarceration.
Technology Training for Systemic Change
BitWise Industries takes a different approach, training overlooked populations for high-wage tech careers. Having trained over 1,000 software developers and attracted $27 million in impact investment, they’re proving that sustainable businesses can be built on workforce development.
“Sourcing talent from traditionally overlooked and undervalued pools is one of the most effective strategies for companies to remain competitive,” notes investor Richelieu Dennis, highlighting how social impact aligns with business sustainability.
Measuring True Impact
Traditional businesses measure success through profit alone. Impact-driven businesses track a triple bottom line:
Economic Sustainability
- Reduced recruitment and training costs
- Lower turnover expenses
- Higher productivity from motivated workers
- Access to impact investment capital
Social Returns
- Jobs created in target communities
- Reduction in local unemployment
- Decreased recidivism rates
- Improved family stability
Community Resilience
- Stronger local economies
- Increased tax revenues
- Reduced social service costs
- Breaking poverty cycles
The Investment Case
Impact investors are increasingly recognising that businesses creating jobs in overlooked communities offer attractive returns alongside social benefits. The Quality Jobs Fund, a $100 million initiative, specifically targets businesses creating quality employment in overlooked communities.
These investments make sense because:
- Lower turnover creates more predictable cash flows
- Loyal workforces drive customer satisfaction
- Impact credentials attract conscious consumers
- Government incentives support inclusive hiring
Building Systemic Change
Individual businesses hiring from overlooked communities create important local impact. But the real transformation comes when these models inspire systemic change. Companies like Google, PepsiCo, and American Airlines have pledged to support fair chance hiring, signaling a shift in corporate thinking.
The Body Shop’s recent adoption of open hiring policies shows how these practices can scale across industries. Each business that succeeds makes it easier for others to follow, creating a virtuous cycle of inclusion and opportunity.
Creating Sustainable Communities
The most profound impact occurs at the community level. When businesses commit to hiring locally from overlooked populations, they:
Stabilise neighbourhoods by providing steady employment Reduce crime through economic opportunity Strengthen families with reliable income Build hope where it’s been systematically destroyed Create wealth in communities historically excluded from prosperity
This isn’t temporary charity. It’s building sustainable economic ecosystems where all residents can participate and thrive.
The Path Forward
Creating sustainable impact through inclusive employment isn’t just possible. It’s increasingly necessary. As traditional talent pools tighten and social consciousness grows, businesses that master inclusive hiring will have significant advantages.
The movement needs:
- More businesses willing to pioneer inclusive models
- Investment capital focused on social returns
- Policy support for fair chance hiring
- Research documenting impact and best practices
- Networks sharing knowledge across industries
A New Definition of Success
The businesses profiled here are redefining what sustainable success looks like. It’s not just about profit margins but about creating enterprises that strengthen rather than extract from communities. It’s about building business models resilient enough to thrive while lifting others.
As one impact investor noted, “Businesses that create opportunities in overlooked communities aren’t just doing good. They’re building the sustainable economy of the future.”
The question isn’t whether your business can afford to hire from overlooked communities. In an era demanding both sustainability and social responsibility, the question is whether you can afford not to.
The talent is there. The business case is proven. The impact is transformative. The only missing piece is more businesses willing to see opportunity where others see only obstacles.
