There are no definitive paths to a career in social impact with Kory McLaughlin, Co-founder of Tenfed

Kory McLaughlin grew up in a small Canadian town and moved out to the big city 16 years ago. His deep desire to create a better world brought him to co-found a highly impactful social enterprise known today as Tenfed. What is better than creating a meaningful business and making a living doing something that helps others? Kory shares what brought him to where he is today and leaves us with some great advice to take away.

How did your previous experiences help you get to where you are today?

Honestly, I think my experience was a little bit backward which goes to show there are no definitive paths. I went to school for General Business but had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I worked at a few corporate jobs early in my career, never for more than a year at a time, and had absolutely ZERO passion for any of it. All of this had me questioning what I really wanted to do with my life, and more importantly, how to find my purpose and help others. TAKE AWAY from this…embrace the unknown, embrace the dark times, and embrace curiosity.

What’s Tenfed in a nutshell?

Tenfed is a social enterprise where for every item sold, TEN meals are provided to hungry children around the world, 1/3 of that remaining local while the other 2/3 goes to developing countries.

What inspired you to start Tenfed and what do you hope to achieve?

I had been thinking about ways to give back for years, even throughout my previous business. My business partner and I went to an Anthony Robbins seminar in Chicago and that pushed both of us over the edge to do something big. We want to create global awareness in that childhood hunger, and hunger, in general, can be irradiated. There are solutions to all problems and this is one we are trying to tackle through the sale of Tenfed products.

What are some of the skills and resources you rely on to run Tenfed?

I rely heavily on 4 P’s: patience, persistence, people, and perseverance.

The best piece of advice I ever received is…

hustle will always defeat skill at the end of the day.

My first job ever was…

floor mopper at a variety store

Most people don’t know that I…

have been studying psychology for many years.

The advice I have for others looking for a career in social impact…

really attach yourself to WHY you are needed. Think about the people or causes that you could help. Think about ONE individual human being or animal that could survive because of your work.

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