making a difference

This week’s Man Of The Week is someone who has had a positive impact and changed the lives of people all around the world. Aran Seaman lives a life true to his values, and through his work he has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Kenya by providing them access to clean water. His dedication to hard work and taking risks has allowed him to run a successful and sustainable business at Eartheasy.com

1. Age: 30 
2. What do you do? (Work)
   eartheasy.com – Retailer & distributor of products for sustainable living.
3. Why do you do it?
   It allows me to align my values and skills to grow something that makes the world a better place.
4. How do you make a difference in the world? (Work, business, life, family, self)
   As a company, we are making a difference by giving back through a variety of ways. For example, we have a One for One model built into one of our product lines, which provides a year of clean drinking water for a school child in Africa for every product sold. Last year this resulted in clean drinking water for 157,000 kids in rural Kenya. We also plant a tree for every order on eartheasy.com, and sponsor a variety of US & Canada based conservation and outreach organizations.

   

    

5. What are 3 defining moments in your life?
   – Growing our company to the point where we were able to have our parents finally retire.
   – Demonstrating the LifeStraw products live on national TV in the US (and not screwing up!).
   – Seeing first hand the impact of our hard work, on the ground in Kenya, installing water purifiers in over 300 rural schools.
6. What is your life purpose?
   Make the world a better place, through informative articles, guides and innovative products which improve people’s lives and reduce their impact on the planet.
7. How did you tap into it?
   Using business as a means for good. Profit for a purpose. 
8. Who is your Role-Model or Mentor?
   My parents are my role models. They are creative, hard-working, and incredibly kind, caring people. I will have succeeded at life if I’m like them when I retire.
9. Do you have any daily habits? If so, what are they?
   I bike to work (this is a game changer) and exercise every day. I also drink 3-4 litres of water a day. I listen to audiobooks while biking to and from work – which allows me to keep up with reading.
10. When do you know your work/life balance is off?
    If I stop exercising every day or my diet goes off track I know my work/life balance is off.
11. Vulnerability is a challenge for most men – share a vulnerable moment from your life with us.
    There was a really hard time in our business where we lost half our revenue for 6 months. I sold everything I owned, including my rare (limited edition) sport bike, gear, & even clothes. We ate ramen noodles and did not pay ourselves until the business rebounded. It was a blow to the ego, but we got through it.
12. What did you learn from it?
    You don’t need toys & shiny things to be happy. You need purpose. The obstacle is the way: if you have a worthy challenge in front of you, it’s more fulfilling and exciting than a performance race bike in your garage.
13. If you are or were going to be a mentor for another man, what is one piece of advice you would give him?
    Step outside your comfort zone. Take risks. Work harder than the other guy. Cancel Netflix, stop drinking and bear down on something you are passionate about – relentlessly.
14. How do you be the best partner? (Boyfriend/Husband- past or present) Quality over quantity. If you can only spend a day a week with your parter, make sure that’s the best damn day ever. Put the effort in to make it awesome. It can be as simple as a picnic at a park, or as lavish as a weekend away at a resort – but make it special. Put the effort in. They see what you put in to your career, and they deserve the same level of energy in their relationship with you.
15. Do you support any Charities or Not-for-profits? (Which one(s) and why?)
    Annually we support over 30 non-profits in the US and Canada. If we can afford to give back, we will as much as possible.
16. If your life had a theme song, what would it be? Tough question.. “Outro” by M83 or “No Way” by the Naked & Famous.
17. Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
    I see our company 3X in size, and impact.
18. What legacy do you want to leave for future generations?
    I want people to be inspired, and make a positive impact in the world. I want to somehow enable that.
19. What One book would you recommend for any Man?
    “Tales of Endurance” by Fergus Fleming. If you have anything you think is a challenge in life, reading what others have overcome throughout history will make it pale in comparison. I know my limits are way higher than I originally thought after reading this book.

Please leave a comment, we would love to hear your thoughts!
If you know a Man that is making a positive impact on the world, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected]