Alexander Kohl, Author at Passionate Management

Sustainability

Who Furthers Sustainability?

Not for Profit Organisations First of all there are the countless volunteers and activists in not for profit organisations. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the work you put in. As far as I have experienced that field the main focus in on educating people. Education is usually focused on creating a more integrated understanding of sustainability. And on creating values that are more long-term focused. Even though highly important, the issue I see with it is that humans are inherently lazy and short-sighted. Unless something is glaringly obvious or has an immediate impact on us, it is…

Sustainability

What is Sustainability?

“Sustainability is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely.” according to Wikipedia. The process I am interested in is that of humans living on planet Earth. There are 3 major components: People, the planet and profits. Profits I need to start with the end. Profits are the driving motor for our global community. It is also what drives each individual in each interaction. What I mean is that whatever we do, we try to benefit from it. In each interaction we put in time and effort and maybe money…

Sustainability

Supporting Sustainable Businesses

2004 – I finish off my Master in Business Administration. I also spend a year working with an inventor who has developed a safety device for the trucking industry. 2005 – Next I set up my own company (Passionate Management) to coach natural health practitioners on how to market their practices. And most importantly, our daughters (Marlalena and Amelie) join our family. This is a big focus of my life and I am thankful I can take the time to spend with them, seeing them develop into their own personalities. We move into a house, put in solar hotwater,…

Entrepreneur

Ten Tips for Socially Responsible Startups

This website is an excellent resource for any sustainable entrepreneur. One of the interviews is about ethical investing. The crux is that ethical investors are not happy with reduced rates of return. On the contrary, they want to invest just as safely and with the same rates of return as a “normal” investor, except social and environmental guidelines also need to be met. That is such a great piece of advice. It takes away all airy fairy wishful thinking that just because we do something good, should we come under any less scrutiny. And it confirms my belief: being…

Marketing

Web Marketing

Posted on 15 November 200724 August 2010
Comment on Web Marketing

Marketing on the internet is becoming more and more common and useful We recommend working with experienced professionals that understand not only how to design a website, but also how to make it work for you and generate new clients. This page is an overview of the useful steps in developing a website that does more than just looking good. Domain Name The domain name should ideally give an idea of what it is that you are providing or be interesting in some way to your target audience. It is better to have a short name, so that your…

Marketing

Seducing the Market

Posted on 13 September 200724 August 2010
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You can seduce the market by being like a lover, full of care and interested in every move your loved one makes. You feel the little mood swings, know how to dance the dance of seduction, when to come close and when to move back. It is not about pressuring anyone into anything! On the contrary, it is helping people to make the best decision for them. Below you find the most important concepts, elements and tools to enhance your marketing communication. Clarify Your Ideal Market The first step is to identify a suitable target market that fits your…

Entrepreneur

Business Basics

Posted on 24 August 200724 August 2010
Comment on Business Basics

Note that this is written for Australia, but applies in principle in other countries as well. Check with the appropriate organisations in your country. These business basics are what you need to think about and put into practice. They include a lot of references to other resources or the organisations that actually administer these things. As every practitioner is different, you need to check your personal circumstances with them. All these links and resources are provided so you can do things yourself. If you would like our support, we are more than happy to help you decide what to…

Sustainability

February 2004 – Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne, Australia

The Sustainable Living Festival turns into an annual event for the first time. It attracts over 50 volunteers in responsible positions during preparation. 160 exhibitors show their sustainable solutions to 120,000 visitors. Our core team of 8 full-timers, who all took the risk of potentially not being paid all get their due. The last 12 months have been an amazing ride through joy and frustration. Some of the sponsoring companies were absolutely amazing at supporting this huge volunteer effort, others had to be dragged to the party. I realise that it is a lot more comfortable to have a…

Sustainability

February 2003 – Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne, Australia

I returned to Germany from South Africa, got married, migrated to Australia and ended up in Melbourne where my wife studied for a Master in Physiotherapy. My past was event production, my future was going to be sustainability, so I started looking around Melbourne what there was for me to do. I think it was on the second day after I had the Internet set up at our home that I stumbled upon the Sustainable Living Festival. It was about 3 weeks away and sounded just like everything I had wanted. The perfect combination of my past skills and…

Sustainability

August 2002 – World Summit on Sustainable Development

This is the culmination of my career as an event producer. It is also its end…. In the past 10 years I have produced more than 160 events, ranging from small conferences where I only had to manage a laptop for the presenter, up to huge corporate events (once I shipped 12,500 from all over Europe to Cologne for a one-day event). Adidas, Citibank and Proctor & Gamble. Donatella Versace, Franz Beckenbauer and Brian Ferry. I was part of the Winterolympics in Japan, the soccer Worldcup in France and an event at Universal Studios in the US. I had…