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In facing the complex challenges of today’s world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of using the same old approaches, relying on tried-and-tested solutions that seem familiar but may no longer be effective. But what happens when we step back and look at a problem through a different lens? Sometimes, the most innovative solutions come from questioning the norms, considering the broader context, and imagining alternatives that haven’t yet been explored.
Whether it’s rethinking how we approach social issues, business problems or everyday situations, the ability to challenge wisdom and think differently can lead to truly transformative results. Sometimes, the solution is not what we first expected, but it ends up being better than what we could have imagined.
Enter Cemal Ezel, the founder of social enterprise Change Please. While on holiday in Vietnam, Ezel visited a “Silent Tea-House”, a social enterprise tearoom where all servers are speech and hearing impaired, so all communication happens through writing and gestures. On the same trip Ezel completed the “rocking-chair test”, which challenges participants to flash forward into the future to their 90-year-old self and reflect on what they’ve achieved, leaving him with a nagging sense that he could do more.
These two experiences turned over in Ezel’s head and ultimately became the catalyst for starting Change Please, an award-winning social enterprise helping train people experiencing homelessness to become speciality-level baristas and find a living wage job, alongside support with other challenges like housing, therapy, obtaining a bank account, etc. He saw an opportunity to help those who found themselves unhoused but wanted to get back into work do just that – find meaningful employment and get back on their feet.
What started in London with one coffee cart in Covent Garden has spread to eight countries, with Change Please coffee fuelling the workforce of organisations like Google, JP Morgan Chase, WeWork, HSBC, and Goldman Sachs among others. Change Please has coffee bars in London and Manchester in the UK and Charlotte and Denver in the US, as well as an online shop for coffee and related paraphernalia, with 100% of the profits from all sales going to programs that directly support the unhoused.
In England alone between 2023-2024 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reports that more than 320,000 households were facing homelessness.
The statistics on homelessness are astounding. In England alone between 2023-2024 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reports that more than 320,000 households were facing homelessness, up 12.3% from the previous year and higher than any time since recording started 25 years ago. According to Ezel, of those who are unhoused, 44% want to work and can, 17% want to work but are not yet ready, and the balance aren’t ready to work and do not want to.
Change Please focuses on the 44% who want to work and can by giving them the skills and support they need to get back into the workforce. And while housing is a component, it is not the solution. Giving a person facing homelessness who has underlying trauma a place to live without other simply shifts the problem rather than solving it.
Ezel is clear though that while skills and employment are crucial to supporting those who want to get back into the workforce, the most important part of the service that Change Please offers is therapy. “By giving that person an ability to tackle the trauma they’re facing…and that trauma can be anything from – they’ve been in the military, they’ve been a victim of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, they’ve gone through a bereavement, a divorce – [it could be] one trigger or a range of triggers that leads to that person becoming homeless and therefore being able to support that person out of homelessness through that training piece and into jobs is vital.”
And just one small change in the supply chain, in this case by changing the coffee provider to Change Please, has a direct impact on the local community. The profits from the coffee sold at Google in Paris support women who are facing homelessness in the 9th Arrondissement, who could literally be on the doorstep of the Google Paris office. Profits from sales in New York City are largely supporting women facing homelessness there, and when asked why support leaned towards women, Ezel was clear, stating “for every one woman you support, you support four other people on average”. Women who are rough sleeping often have dependents and/or a network who rely on them, and they are also more vulnerable, many of whom have faced abuse, human trafficking, etc.
The employment route Change Please offers gives baristas a sense a purpose, a community and pride in their work according to Ezel. They get positive reinforcement from customers who come back again and again to purchase their coffee. The nature of being a barista also presents a safe space for women who might otherwise feel vulnerable. The physical separation of the coffee counter, with the barista on one side and the customer on the other, gives clear boundaries that can help the baristas rebuild their trust in society, building social connections as they see fit and at their pace.
Ezel is a passionate believer in the work Change Please is doing. “When you start speaking to an individual and hearing their story and understanding the values that they have to leave homelessness, you start to realise what potential each of these amazing people has,” he points out. And organisations offering Change Please coffee also have a great story to tell their employees about the impact they are having in the local community as well as the environment – the coffee is carbon neutral and in plastic-free packaging.
Change Please celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2025, and Ezel isn’t limiting their impact to profits from coffee sales. He’s looking into diversifying the offer to goods like toilet paper and cleaning supplies to further their mission and do more good. The effect is clearly something the world desperately needs – more positive change, please.
Imagine how change could be accelerated if more organisations approached their business challenges and workplace projects asking “What can we do?” instead of “What must we do?” What if they asked “How can we go beyond compliance?” rather than “Are we compliant?” At Aéto, our clients work with us because they want us to challenge them with these types of questions. The easy way isn’t necessarily the right way, and our clients want us to help them find the best way.