The greatest lesson she says she has learned about impact investments is that money is energy. What type of world we want to see is where we need to be invested. She stressed that all investing is impact investing, whether it’s negative or positive.
“We live on a planet with finite resources and there is profit if we invest in these type of business models. Impact investors need to take a risk. Derisking other investment philosophies by social and global awareness will make these solutions worth the investment,” she said.
Hull offered an example of easing into impact investing in your community by banking at your local bank, rather than turning to the big banks. She invites us to ask, where is our money going? Are our neighborhoods getting this type of impact funding?
The hardest part of changing the status quo is getting people to change their spending habits, she said. “Thinking as sustainable customers means shifting where your money is going and [seeing] the value in your own community as a way to invest. [It means nurturing] start-ups and [putting] your ideas through a social and justice lens,” she said.
“Creating start-ups [is] a great way to make an impact and people will invest in something that makes a difference,” she said.