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Liz Butler
Small business owner, Under the Branches - the solar light project
Professional Background
Liz Butler is a passionate advocate for social and environmental responsibility, best known for founding Under the Branches in 2012. With a vision to make a difference in the world, Liz was inspired by the impressive work of the Australian social enterprise company, Barefoot Power, after she purchased one of their award-winning solar lights in 2010. These lights, which earned the People's Choice Award on ABC’s New Inventors program, became a catalyst for her mission to provide safe and accessible energy solutions to underserved communities.
Under the Branches – the Light Project was born out of Liz's desire to enhance the accessibility of solar-charged lighting products in Australia, particularly those produced by Barefoot Power. Understanding the profound impact that these lights could have in the developing world, she committed herself to not only promoting these products in the Australian market but also to supporting Barefoot Power in achieving their target of reaching 10 million impoverished households worldwide by 2015. Under Liz's leadership, Under the Branches has made significant progress in this mission, contributing to the distribution of one million Barefoot Power lights across the developing world.
Education and Achievements
Liz Butler's academic background is diverse, with a focus on visual arts, design, and photography. She pursued her passion for creativity by studying a Diploma of Illustrative Photography at the Photography Studies College in Melbourne. Additionally, she enhanced her artistic skills with a Diploma of Visual Arts (Art in Public Space) at RMIT University. Liz also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Swinburne University of Technology, showcasing her strong foundation in visual communication.
Before dedicating her full attention to Under the Branches, Liz gained valuable industry experience in various roles that complemented her creative talents. She served as a Graphic Designer in the Creative Services Team at CSIRO and worked as a Visual Resources Coordinator at the same organization. Moreover, Liz held the position of Senior Graphic Designer at Monash University's Multimedia Production Company, where she leveraged her design acumen to produce high-quality multimedia content. Through these experiences, Liz developed a keen understanding of how design can effectively communicate messages and drive social change.
Social Giving Initiatives
Under the Branches is not solely focused on providing solar lights; it also emphasizes giving back to local communities in Australia. The company has set up several Solar Light Projects in partnership with Australian welfare charities and nonprofit organizations. These initiatives aim to assist the homeless and disadvantaged members of society.
For every ten Firefly lights sold, Under the Branches donates one light to these community programs. This initiative is a testament to Liz's commitment to social responsibility and her belief in the power of giving. A significant milestone was set in mid-2013 when Under the Branches aimed to have 60-70 lights prepared for donation to the Sacred Heart Mission in Melbourne, ensuring support for the homeless and vulnerable individuals in society. Through these projects, Liz and her team at Under the Branches are making a tangible impact on people's lives, providing them not only with light but also with hope and empowerment.
Achievements
- Founder of Under the Branches, advancing the reach of Barefoot Power solar lights in Australia.
- Promoted and facilitated the distribution of one million solar lights to impoverished communities worldwide.
- Established social giving initiatives such as the Solar Light Projects for welfare charities and nonprofits in Australia, supporting the homeless and disadvantaged.
- Achieved significant community impact through the donation of solar lights, helping to illuminate the lives of those in need.
- Fostered partnerships with organizations like the Sacred Heart Mission in Melbourne to further assist vulnerable populations.
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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