Made Open Archives - What is beautiful?

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Going where the energy is

Being a private company in the social sector isn't easy. For a start, we're not eligible for most grants or donations; meaning we depend on revenues. To the uninitiated, there can also be an assumption that a private company has money "swishing about" (if only). That said, I’ve acknowledged over the years that constraints and perceptions like these are a blessing in disguise. They motivate us to keep pushing - carefully, responsibly and within our means - to build something of real value. In 2026, we're preparing to push harder than ever. What we’re building…

October 14, 2025

Between work and home, there’s community.

By Robert Woolf

Made Open

As someone who believes in the importance of communities, I don’t engage with my community that much. I know I will; I’m just too busy at the moment. Still, I love the small things about my community: walking to the bakery, saying hello to increasingly familiar faces and noticing little changes in village dynamics. I dip into our local Facebook…

October 4, 2025

I’ll be back

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Small is beautiful

As a movie lover, I should have opened with this line when I stepped down as CEO in April. Because, well, I’m back! Before I say more, I'd like to say a big public thank you to Phil. I’ve never met anyone more willing to find answers and stick with things until the job is done. He's incredibly smart, is…

August 29, 2025

Change is inevitable

By Robert Woolf

Made Open No fate

Change is the algorithm of life, keeping things moving forward. Without change, we get stuck. With it, we experience many emotions. Anxiety, excitement, jeopardy. As we get older and start to settle down, with families, mortgages and careers, change becomes more complex. One decision affects ten others. Then, when we get older again, with grown up children and more time…

May 9, 2025

The man who planted trees

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Man who planted trees

Many years ago, 2015 to be exact, I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the BOFA Film Festival in Tasmania. For some reason - maybe because I've a face for radio or because I'm the consumate invisible man - I rarely, if ever, get asked to speak at events. In fact, aside from turning down a TEDx talk,…

February 28, 2025

The 5Ps

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Man who planted trees

In 2009, Kathryn and I were tasked by the Design Council to be the voice of a troubled community that wasn’t being heard. Our task was to explore whether a new community centre could bring about meaningful change. We took this brief on at face value. We were warned this community was "hard to reach". They weren't. People showed up…

September 20, 2024

The opportunity with timebanking

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Time4Good

Imagine depositing a large sum of money into a bank - would it grow into a fortune? Probably not, but it would earn some interest. Now, consider timebanking. The core idea of timebanking is to give an hour of service, earn a time credit, and receive an hour of service in return. Because time credits have no monetary value, earning…

April 19, 2024

What did Covid teach us about ourselves?

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Squeezy balls Time4Good

In moments of crisis, we often instinctively turn to those closest to us: friends, family, a trusted mentor perhaps. It’s a natural response, seeking comfort and guidance from those who know us best. In 2015, for example, I hit rock bottom. Made Open was struggling and my knee pain was so bad I could barely walk the boys to school.…

February 5, 2024

Actions express priorities

By Robert Woolf

Made Open

There’s a story in Better Call Saul (sequel to Breaking Bad) where Kim Wexler, a top attorney disillusioned with corporate life, turns to providing free 5-star legal support to those who cannot afford it. The catch? Her philanthropy is financed through corruption (as if!). This got me thinking about what it truly means to be authentic in business. Can companies…