I have been accused of being a do-gooder. I fully agree. I believe that we can make a profit and make a difference. Yet, Panera Bread's (aka St. Louis Bread Company) new nonprofit restaurant may be too much good even for me.

I wrote in a previous post that I love the atmosphere at Panera Bread. I generally go when I need a change of work scenery with my laptop in tow. The food is delicious. They also donate unsold food to local charities and food banks. I like that, too. But I'm not sure I agree with their new nonprofit restaurant experiment. 

Patrons are allowed to donate what they want for meals. The suggested prices are listed, but you are not required to pay it. How can an organization budget to ensure it has operating cash flow using this model? I guess that Panera Bread doesn't have to worry too much about that because profits are up 48 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 over first quarter last year. Other restaurants might not be able to take the risk, especially in this economy.

What's the point really? Ron Shaich, the company's former CEO and current chairman of the board indicated that it is not really charity, but a test in human responsibility. I suppose if the concept elevates individual character and true community, it will be well worth it.

I will probably frequent my favorite Panera Bread even more because I like the spirit of the organization. However, this do-gooder believes that Panera Bread could do more good teaching nonprofits how to create sustainable and profitable social ventures that employ people in their respective communities than to become one themselves. What do you think? Click here to read more.

Google and the Small Business Administration have partnered to educate local businesses about how to succeed online. I am currently watching videos that describe how small business owners can successfully use the internet to grow their businesses.

The videos can be found here. I have been searching their site to see what else this new team has in store for entrepreneurs, but I have not discovered anything yet. In the meantime, sign up to receive our free guide,  "Nine Tools for Startups" which can be found along the left sidebar. I am in the process of updating it to "Fifteen Tools For Startups". I will continue to bring it up to date as I find tools that I love to use in my own business.

This new relationship must be give and take. I can understand why SBA entered into the partnership, but what about Google?  What's in it for them?

We have begun a new one on one coaching program for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and church and ministry planters. This service will help these dynamic individuals focus on their own personal vision, mission, values, goals, and strategies. It will also help them make decisions from a centered mind and heart. Finally, it will help them articulate their personal brand to the world. It is my contention that the heart of an organization mirrors the heart of its leader.

Check it out now!

Years ago, while working in a corporate setting, I hoped that telecommuting would finally be allowed in my department. In my last corporate job, telecommuting was commonplace. I enjoyed the flexibility of being able to work from home about 30% of the time. I always believed that I could get more work done in my home office.

Now that most of my work hours are the spent in my home office, I am looking into a new trend emerging called coworking. As I understand it, coworking is shared office space for work-at-home professionals or solopreneurs. Currently, when I need a change of scenery, my favorite place to work is Panera Bread. While I love the atmosphere there, it is still a bit of an isolating experience. After all, while I try to produce like a machine, I am not one. I am relational and need to share creative energies and human interaction from time to time.

A little over a year ago, Alex Hillman wrote an informative post about this emerging trend.  The two places that I am going to check out in Dallas are CoHabitat and Company Dallas.

I'll let you know what I think after I visit. For now, back to work...