Recently, I’ve found myself going back and revisiting a popular Guy Kawasaki video on Google. Not just because he’s an engaging and credible speaker — although he is — but, more because of one of his key (aka inspirational) messages: to make meaning. Kawasaki believes that businesses founded on this fundamental principle will be the companies that succeed — and, by extension, make money.

Kawasaki, a venture capitalist, presents this idea in the context of an entrepreneurship presentation that is based on his book, The Art of the Start.

Before DMS, we corporately began as publishers; so, the idea of making meaning is at the core of our own heritage. “Each of us independently and courageously took that very first step the day we launched our careers of informing our communities with no expectation of fame or wealth”, remarked DMS CEO Lori Abittan, to our partner publishers at our Spring Publishers’ Networking event a few months ago.

To change people’s lives, to right a wrong, and to prevent the end of something good — the three elements of Kawasaki’s “make meaning” message — is also at the core of one more nugget I’ll leave here: Kiva.org. Kiva is a micro-lending web site that enables its visitors to loan money, via PayPal, directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. Intermediary/microfinance institutions post profiles of local, qualified entrepreneurs, allowing visitors to browse businesses and choose the entrepreneurs they want to help fund. As the entrepreneurs repay their loans back to Kiva, the lenders can either take back the amount they initially loaned or re-loan it to another local entrepreneur.

Although Kiva doesn’t guarantee loans will be repaid, theirs is a transparent system and a site that features rich content and information, including a “Journals” section with updates on how the local entrepreneurs are doing and their loan’s repayment status. Wikipedia states that “as of September 6, 2008, Kiva has $42,356,160 in loans from 333.737 lenders. A total of 58,467 loans have been funded. The average loan size is $465.79.”

To learn more about Kiva, click here.

To view Kawasaki’s “Art of the Start” video on Google, click here — it’s just under 40 minutes, but very inspirational.