"Don’t be afraid to try new things: That is the key to adapting to new situations."
Chris Kaiser Tweet
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Chris Kaiser, the inspiring and visionary CEO of Click A Tree.
Chris has led Click A Tree to become a global force for sustainability, planting trees and providing a holistic approach to improving the lives of local communities.
With a track record of 148,200 trees planted in 13 countries and 4,632 working days created, Click A Tree is not only making a significant impact on the environment but also on the people it supports.
In this interview, we delve into Chris’s journey, the innovative strategies that have made Click A Tree successful, and the company’s ambitious goals for the future. Join us as we explore the world of Click A Tree and the man behind it all, Chris Kaiser.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Chris Kaiser: Thank you for this opportunity to connect with your readers! My name is Chris Kaiser. I am the CEO of Click A Tree, a business that plants trees for individuals and companies of all sizes as part of reforestation projects on a global basis.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Chris Kaiser: Click A Tree works on the premise that sustainability can become a part of everyday business for any company in a simple way that benefits our planet and its people significantly, and leads to an increase in revenues for that company as well.
This is important because sustainability is easier to maintain in the long run if everybody profits from it. That is the basis for our projects: Each is designed holistically, from the ground up, to ensure that it has the maximum beneficial impact, locally and globally, and for our partners.
Our tree planting projects ensure food security for communities, sponsor education and training, create habitat for wildlife and provide jobs with a fair wage for local people. At the heart of each project lies the creation of a self-sufficient forest that combats climate change. To date, Click A Tree has planted 148,200 trees in 13 countries and created 4632 working days.
So how do our partners benefit? Our projects fulfill all 17 of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which were designed by the UN to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for our planet and its people”. This means that contributing to one of our tree planting projects can form a valuable part of your company’s ESG strategy.
Case studies of Click A Tree partners have shown that consumers respond very positively to initiatives that demonstrate a company’s commitment to sustainability. They are more likely to purchase products and services that are not only great in themselves, but also do something good for the environment. Planting a tree for a product sold or service provided leads to increased sales and greater customer loyalty.
It also gives a company achievements it can be proud of. Each tree planted and each working hour created is logged via our Universal Impact Platform. Companies receive regular visual updates on what their contribution has helped to achieve. They can use these as part of eye-catching social media posts and marketing campaigns.
By partnering with Click A Tree, companies can achieve sustainability that is simple and effective. Our vision is to make planting trees a part of daily life, whenever services and products are purchased, so that everyone can do something good for our planet, just by doing the things that they do on an everyday basis.
What advice do you wish you received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Chris Kaiser: I spent many years working in different jobs, trying to find a niche that I could fit into and work that was really fulfilling rather than just a way of putting money in the bank. Working abroad brought me extensive experience in marketing and tourism and learning to connect with people from all walks of life.
But it wasn’t until I met someone truly inspiring that I realised a very important thing: It is not always about trying to fit in. It pays to be different. Don’t follow the herd – test your limits, try new things and learn from experience.
That inspiring someone was actually a baby elephant I met during my work in Thailand. There I was lucky to have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time around elephants. Seeing those gentle giants struggle for survival in a rapidly disappearing habitat at first hand, prompted me to start our first tree planting project.
Click A Tree now plants trees in Thailand, Ghana and the Philippines, places where deforestation has had major detrimental effects on the environment. In those locations, our reforestation projects are making a major difference.
In Ghana, to date, we have planted over 40,000 trees as part of our “Trees for Entrepreneurs” project (as well as planting trees, the project also supports two schools for young entrepreneurs). By the end of a year we are looking to take this to a total of 100,000 trees.
So this means that, in the next quarter, we will be looking to plant at least 15,000 trees! We will also be creating at least 5 new full-time positions on site, thereby expanding our team there to 15 – 20 employees in the next months.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Chris Kaiser: Click A Tree is taking full advantage of the fact that so many things these days are literally just a click away. Our first venture, Bed‘n’Tree, saw us partnering up with some of the biggest travel booking portals in the world (such as Expedia, Booking.com and Skyscanner) to create a simple opportunity for travellers to plant trees – all with just an extra click and at no cost to themselves.
Each time, a traveller uses bedandtree.com as the starting point for their booking with one of our partners, a tree is planted. This idea of doing something good for the planet at no extra cost and with little extra effort involved soon became so popular, people started asking us whether they could plant trees, even if they were not planning to travel.
And that’s how Click A Tree was born. We look for simple solutions that allow people to plant trees just by using everyday services and purchasing products. Several companies are already planting trees with their online stores and receiving a very positive response from their customers.
All our partners, including those with brick & mortar branches, love our online Universal Impact Platform, which allows them to track the achievements of their tree planting campaigns: Statistics on trees planted, area reforested, CO2 absorbed, working hours created, plastic waste removed and education opportunities supported are all at their fingertips. These can then be used in updates for their customers via email, on their website or on social media.
Over the next year, we will introduce new initiatives our partners can support with their campaigns. These will include things that will empower local communities to become self-sufficient in a sustainable way, such as the building of wells and solar systems. Imagine, with just an extra click, you can help to improve the lives of an entire community!
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Chris Kaiser: Our greatest challenge is one of time: Our concept of sustainability that is simple and effective is gaining in popularity, as more companies come to realise that they don’t have to choose between sustainability or revenue. We have shown that both are possible.
In the last 3 years, we have planted over 148,000 trees but, with an estimated 15 billion trees disappearing each year, that is just a drop in the ocean. More engagement is needed before it is too late and irreparable damage is done.
The more companies get involved and plant trees with their products and services, the bigger a difference we can make. So, you could say that our current challenge is to get more companies to realise that engaging in sustainability can be profitable.
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Chris Kaiser: Don’t be afraid to try new things: That is the key to adapting to new situations.
Sustainability is becoming more and more important in just about every sector of business. Surveys have shown that investors are more likely to invest in companies who are considerate of environmental and social problems, such as climate change and social injustice.
And while not many people may have the means to invest in a multi-million dollar ESG strategy, it is possible to make a significant difference and fulfill sustainable development goals in alternative ways. That is what we are aiming to show with Click A Tree.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Chris Kaiser: For 2023, our intentions are quite ambitious, but in a good way! We are intending to more than double the number of trees we have so far in Ghana, to total over 100,000 by the end of 2023.
As part of our “Trees for Entrepreneurs project”, we now support two schools for young entrepreneurs in Ghana. One was established in 2019, the other, which is based in Tamale, was completed last year. Our goal is to have at least 20 more students training at our new school this year.
Furthermore, over the coming months we will be introducing new elements to our projects, which will be aimed at increasing the self-sufficiency of local communities in a sustainable manner. Our success will be measured in terms of what we can achieve that helps to make our planet a better place.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Chris Kaiser for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Chris Kaiser or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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