The trades business that gave away a million dollars: Kat Dekker of Give Industries

Ten years ago, an arts and community worker in Brisbane swiped right on an electrician. On their first date, they got talking about what we owe each other, and how to use privilege for good. Eight years after that conversation turned into a business, Give Industries has given more than a million dollars to charity. Kat Dekker is one of three co-founders of Give Industries, alongside her partner Calvin Baker and their friend Jeremy Chirpaz. Give operates as a commercial electrical contractor across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. It's triple ISO certified, a national NECA Gold Medal winner, and Master Electrician accredited. It's also structured as a registered charity, so every dollar of profit at year end is committed to giving. In this conversation, Kat walks through what a social enterprise actually is, how the profit-for-good model works in practice, how the team hit their first million dollars donated at the end of last year, and why the impact side of the business cannot come at the cost of the electrical side. She's honest about the pressure of running a business where the stakes are bigger than yourself. And she puts an invitation on the table for someone from another trade, the same kind of crazy as her co-founders, to help build the next branch of Give. In this episode: • How a first date about philosophy turned into an electrical contracting business • What a social enterprise actually is, and how the profit-for-good model works • Why Give had to be a serious electrical contractor first, and a charity second • Hitting the first million dollars donated, and the target of a million per year by 2030 • Using charity evaluators like GiveWell and The Life You Can Save to give strategically • The Against Malaria Foundation, and the case for direct cash transfers • The four-day work week, and why diverse teams are also profitable teams • How social procurement is opening doors: Kinetic, CDRE, and Social Traders • The mental health of running a small business where the stakes are bigger than yourself • The open invitation: Give Industries, not Give Electrical, and what that means for tradespeople in other disciplines Sponsors: ADI is one of Australia's largest distributors of security, audio visual, smart home and low voltage products. Its branch network, online ordering and technical support give integrators access to the brands and stock that keep jobs moving. Sonance’s Mariner MX Series delivers high-performance outdoor audio with durable, weather-resistant speakers designed to withstand the elements while delivering exceptional sound. This October, dealers can take advantage of a special Mariner MX offer from Sonance. For more information, contact Amber Technology at https://share-ap1.hsforms.com/1tIbjnGIWSWOBPFWg56wZ-w6r5s[Somfy](www.somfy.com.au) is a global manufacturer of motorisation and automation solutions for blinds, curtains, awnings, shutters and screens. With more than thirty years in Australia and New Zealand, Somfy supports integrators across residential and commercial projects with motors, controls and the TaHoma smart home hub. Kolosseum provides design and documentation services built specifically for integrators. From system design through to as-built documentation, the team works as an extension of your business so the paperwork stops being the thing that holds a job up. [Connected Magazine](www.connectedmag.com.au) is Australia's trade publication for the custom installation and smart home industry. It covers the products, projects and people shaping residential and commercial integration across the country.