In todays society we have many issues to deal with. Our day to day lives can feel overwhelming enough. Sometimes it is good to connect to the global issues that are also real and happening every day.
This may be one of the quickest ways to realize that our own issues, though may seem big at the time, are actually minuscule in comparison. We are reminded of this by the outspoken and pro-active company: Falling Whistles.
Falling Whistles is a campaign for peace in the Congo. They sell the whistle as a symbol of protest and ask you to join.
Sitting with: and Dav – CEO in the backyard of their headquarters in LA, California; you get the feeling that a modern movement is taking place. 7 Days Theory recently interviewed these two gentlemen to get a better understanding of where Falling Whistles was originated from and what is up with all of the people around the country wearing their whistles.
How would you describe what started falling whistles?
Falling Whistles, to me, was born from spirit a (of) adventure. We say “this story begins with simple wanderlust.” This is a hugely adventurous generation, craving ideas that align with our values and options to push the status quo. I think FW started from there, and then it grew.
What does it mean to be a whistleblower?
For us, it starts with a simple notion: all change begins local, and all local change begins with a whistleblower. For anything to happen, someone needs to stand up and be willing to say what others will not. At FW, we speak about Congo because we don’t see many others doing it, and it is really, really important.
Where are the whistles made?
We manufacture the whistles in the UK with Acme. It’s a small business and they’ve been doing it quite a while, there are some cool stories up in that shop.
How do the whistles help the congo directly?
First, we are building a coalition of whistleblowers (to educate the public). People need to know about what is happening in Congo so they can participate if they choose.
Second, we advocate for human rights, fight for justice in the region, and push policy reform on a daily basis through our advocacy department. We’ve helped push forward the appointment of a special envoy and promoted sanctions on the leadership of rebel groups. We’ve brought stakeholders in manufacturing to the table around (to discuss) supply chain and what we’ve been through.
And we invest in Congolese entrepreneurs that are working to rebuild and elevate their communities in the war zone. So far, that program has resulted in nine incredible partnerships that range from a radio station in eastern Congo with 30 journalists actively reporting – to a sustainable business that creates low cost malaria treatments which have been distributed to 330k+ people.
To sum it up, we want people to know what’s happening, we use democratic process to change circumstance, and we look for talented people living in a war zone that have ideas to create a better reality.
You define Falling Whistles under a coalition, not a community…
What is the difference between a community and a coalition?
A community is a convergence of people and ideas around some sort of shared commonality that they rally around and build upon.
A coalition is a community that’s geared towards a single idea. They are looking to make action on a vertical.
Coalitions are the ones that are actively prototyping solutions and trying to make it happen. Communities believe in a lot of ideas and share a bunch of things.
What are your future goals?
Build a coalition of those willing to speak about what others will not. Create products, services, events, tools and materials for them to share in their communities. Create peaceful pathways to economic growth for the stakeholders in eastern Congo.
Is there anyone you would like to work with?
Absolutely. We want to work with the most talented, exciting, enthusiastic, wild, fun, eccentric, brilliant, visionary people in the world. I’d like to think we’ve surrounded ourselves with those people in the US, Europe and Congo, but we have yet to make waves through Asia or South America, and that’s a really big goal for me personally.
Who is someone that inspired you to create Falling Whistles?
Sean and Dav really started it, I helped them start the New York coalition and have been with them full time for a year after 5 years of friendship. They really inspire me to keep growing it, they’re the the most resilient men I’ve ever known.
What were some bumps you hit to get to where your at now?
Like any regular business you have bumps, right?
You’ve got administrative or production bumps, you’ve got events or sales hurdles, there’s all of the regular components you’d anticipate but I think the most unique to us is creating more opportunities than we could handle.
When you build something that people love, they want to participate. And when you are limited in your time, finances, human and various resources, it’s really hard to activate on each one. That’s been the major challenge, creating the net to catch all of the opportunities and give them the respect and attention they deserve.
Which was the hardest bump to overcome? How did you over-come it?
Man, I think at the end of last year we really got in to some big stuff.
We’d planned all of our marketing and plans for the holiday season, to launch new product, go on tour, build this and that etc… and all of a sudden the M23 rebel group invaded Goma, a major city of a million people in eastern Congo. We have friends there. Partners. Families. Businesses.
It all became very real. We launched the #STOPM23 digital campaign. We rallied thousands of peoples, hit millions of eyeballs, partnered with 14 organizations, saw Congressional hearings go down, and all of this. We basically launched a successful protest, and at the same time spent every bit of everything we had from money to emotion to sleep and you name it.
That was rough and we basically went to the woods for two months after to reconsider everything we were doing and build a stronger business that could sustain those gale force winds.
When did you know this is what you all wanted to do?
I can’t speak for everyone else, but I committed my support the day I met Sean. It’s been an ongoing friendship that created an opportunity to do this with the great people in the organization full time. So that was day one I guess.
What is a way you got the Falling Whistles name out there?
Hard work and conviction. We started with nothing and we knew we could not stay silent. So, people heard us.
The whistle is a symbol that you wear, so a lot of this carried word of mouth in public places. It also happened to be these wonderful, articulate, beautiful, intelligent and creative connected people who were spreading the word so it moved quick. Now we have a coalition of 70,000 whistleblowers out there who are sharing it in their communities.
What has been the best part of your ride?
For me, it was the same event that was also the most difficult. Last winter when we almost shattered ourselves, we were protesting for sanctions on the leaders behind the M23 rebel group.
Seeing the metrics and analytics of what was happening, standing shoulder to shoulder with my team and seeing what can happen when people use their voice in a democracy to demand change. It worked. And that was epic.
Did anyone ever doubt you guys and your mission?
Of course.
There has been plenty of doubt, and most of it has been welcomed. I mean, you’ve got to understand that we fundamentally want to challenge the status quo, so for us to think we’re impermeable is backwards by nature. Most of our critics have created legitimate feedback which we’ve always responded to. Each time we’ve used that conversation to either share the data or iterate our business accordingly. That’s in a valid circumstance.
And then sometimes, there are just haters and that’s whatever.
How did you overcome that?
When it’s valid and needs debate, we listen with humility and respond accurately.
When it’s haters, we shake ‘em off and keep it moving. No time for that.
Were your families supportive?
Yes.
What is some advice you would give to others perusing the same type of thing? (Creating a coalition around a brand)
The most important thing to me is strong product and excellent service. (That’s the only thing) Those are the only two things you need to acquire customers.
And once you do, thou shalt covet thy customer. You need to love them more than your friends or neighbors, you need to love your customers the most. They’re the ones that actually believe in you, that actually support you and vote with their dollars. Do everything you can do to connect with them, they are funding your ideas and your growth.
Are there any other companies that you see that are doing great things in the world? If so who? And, what about them do you like?
Warby Parker is doing something amazing and I believe in them a lot.
Soma Water is going to be another phenomenal brand.
Summit is an exceptional organization.
I think VICE is fascinating in the media ecosystem.
Arcade 44 is a company I advise on building their pop culture network.
Boiler Room is really incredible opening portals as well.
is making something good.
Yesterday, we met the guys from Playing for Changeand their work is stellar.
Passport Project has huge potential for opening eyes to the world.
Ghostly International is one of my favorite record labels for what they’ve created.
I’m also inspired a lot by a few of my friends’ work in food and beverage like DFC, Simon Ford, Jesse Barber, Josh Wagner, John Lermayer to name a few.
There are a few others, but the most important thing are the commonalities that they all share. They make great products. These people have all made wonderful products and services that make us happy or make us better. That’s what we all want from a brand right?
What is the best way to support the Falling Whistles movement?
Join us.
Buy a whistle.
Elevate the conversation.
Be a whistleblower for peace.
Thanks again to everyone at Falling Whistles!
Comments
comments
