Many unique and extremely successful businesses have started right on college campuses. Businesses like Facebook, Microsoft, and Reddit were all founded by college students. DoorDash was also one of these businesses.

Founded by four Stanford students, DoorDash got its start by trying to build “technology for small business owners and getting feedback on an app we’d built,” according to the website. They started working with a macaroon shop owner who expressed her frustrations with a surplus of orders coming in and a lack of drivers to deliver them.

Their new website was called PauloAltoDelivery.com. The team says that they didn’t put much thought into the initial design or look of the site, because they were just testing the idea.

The idea was obviously well received, with DoorDash being valued at nearly $74 million by its second year.

Something that I love so much about DoorDash is that they are encouraging an entrepreneurial mentality amongst their drivers. Similar to Uber, DoorDash drivers have flexible hours and are able to make extra money on the side or as a job. The company explains, “The impact we’ve had on local communities has been humbling: we’ve helped small businesses grow, offered underemployed people flexible work, and delivered delight to customers.”

DoorDash is a great example of a company that helps many different people at once — not only their customers, but also their employees and the small businesses that they make more accessible to others. It is important for a company to keep in mind their purposes for businesses and who exactly benefits from their activities.

Jessica Alba is best known for her acting career. However, after experiencing her own personal dilemmas with finding beauty products that had good ingredients for her skin, she turned into a business woman.

“I created The Honest Company because you shouldn’t have to choose between what works and what’s good for you,” Jessica said, quoted in the “Our Story” section of the company’s website.

Jessica founded The Honest Company in 2011, which provides beauty, skin care, bath and body, baby, and home products — all created with the customer’s well being in mind. The company emphasizes transparency and safety throughout their brand. They want to be a brand that genuinely cares about people and encourages their customers to care about themselves, too. 

Part of their transparency is detailing every single step of the process from assessing the materials for the product to production to packaging, etc. The Honest Company also shares their NO List, which is a list of over 2,500 chemicals/materials they will not use in their products. They are truly dedicated to the products they create and their customers can feel secure that it will not harm their skin.

The company focuses on using ingredients that are safe for your skin. They show their dedication to this mission by having their own in-house lab where they create their own formulas, so they know exactly what is going into your skincare routine.

The Honest Company is a great example of a company dedicated to transparency and the value brought to customers. As of recently, transparency is much more appreciated by customers. It is important to remember this when creating a company.