Passionate Management

Systems

Stuck in the Operations

I have just come back from a mentoring session. One business presents itself, outlining a major issue they have. 12 mentors ask questions of fact, then give their viewpoint. It is so amazing to see how blind some entrepreneurs can become from being stuck in the day to day operations. Every suggestion from the mentors was answered by the entrepreneur with an explanation of why that was not possible or that they are doing that already. That brings me back to my frustration with inventors. They do not seem to listen. And I guess we probably all have a…

Sustainability

From $714 million to $5.18 billion

2001: $714 million 2002: $899 million 2003: $1.7 billion 2004: $1.8 billion 2005: $2.5 billion 2006: $3.6 billion 2007: $5.18 billion No, this is not how much money Bill Gates has made. It is the investment in Green-tech over the last few years (in North America and Europe). Sounds promising at first glance. But one detail Cnet News Green-tech Blog added struck me: “Energy generation was the most active sector with 172 deals, totaling $2.75 billion.” It struck me, because of another post in there: “Do environmentalists contribute to global warming?” It is about how clean nuclear energy is.…

Entrepreneur

“Trust Me, I Know It Works”

I spoke to an entrepreneur today. He is currently seeking funding to bring a new product to market. The product sounds fantastic in what it does and how it does it. I do not want to share any details, but it is a cosmetic product. We spoke about the gaps in his business plan. I had pointed them out while preparing an information memorandum for him. One gap was: proof. What is proof? Had they done any clinical studies? No. OK, the costs are several $100,000 Had they done any studies with friends and acquaintances? No. He did not…

Marketing

My Frustration with Inventors

Or should I title this : “Inventors frustration with the world”? I am currently working on some information memorandums to raise money for 3 companies. Reading their business plans, looking at their inventions, I cannot stop to think what a waste is going on in business development. They have all developed their ideas to an advanced stage, spend many hours and Dollars, are ready to produce. Testing the Market But no one has tested the market. Apart from one, they do not really have a marketing strategy. It would be so fantastic if there was an easy way to…

Sustainability

Visiting the Sustainable Living Festival

I just booked my tickets to visit the Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne next month. It is very exciting to get back to the roots of where my passion came from. Flying Green While I booked the plane ticket, they gave me the option to offset my carbon emissions. Pretty exciting on one hand that it has come into such a mainstream process. On the other hand, I wonder how much difference that really makes. If it becomes so easy to pay (It was only $2.87 or something), there is no need to venture further and find the real…

Sustainability

EcoBiz from the Queensland Government

One of the organisations on my list is ecoBiz, a government run consultancy service that helps businesses implement sustainability in 3 areas: Energy, Waste and Water. They facilitate a 6 step process: Company applies to join ecoBiz Company develops baseline to compare eco-efficiency improvement against Site survey to identify opportunities for positive ecological impact Development of action plan of how to implement these solutions Implementation (There is also the potential of a rebate of up to 30% of the investment) Reassessment (after one year) to assess the savings. No overall financial analysis available I asked Michelle Olivier whether they…

Entrepreneur

How to Engineer a Sustainable Breakthrough

As I sit here today, reviewing what I have written yesterday, there is one big question in my mind: How do I move forward now? Paul Lemberg has an answer. Well, he has a few questions in his post: How to engineer a breakthrough (on demand.) that lead to an answer. (Paul has written the book: Be Unreasonable the unconventional way to extraordinary business results.) Here are his questions: What am I trying to accomplish? I want sustainability to spread through the Australian business world. What are some of the ways that can happen? Media work that educates entrepreneurs…

Entrepreneur

Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World

This is one of the latest books written by an ethical entrepreneur. It is released in the US tomorrow. Joel Makeower has spoken to Gary Hirshberg and read an advanced copy. He is full of praise, calling this book much more than the usual “success stories of socially-minded entrepreneurs that tend to border on vanity publishing.” This one is “an easy, enjoyable read, inspiring and informative, integrating his [Hirshberg’s] personal journey with insights and takeaways for others”. You can order it at Amazon.

Sustainability

Sustainability – a Business Case

I have shown before why I think that business is the solution to making sustainability widely available. I have also shown that sustainable solutions need to be good for people and planet as well as rendering a profit. Now I want to find out what the status quo is. Are there existing solutions that achieve that? Are there businesses who have implemented the solutions and see a positive impact on their bottom line? Does being green to profit work? I want to start researching the business case from three angles: Businesses that are providing sustainable solutions Businesses that have…

Sustainability

Business as Sustainability Advocate

Why would business be a good sustainability advocate? Because they can act more logically than an individual. They can also take into account a more long-term view and their actions have a bigger impact. Making Logical Decisions Humans make buying decisions on emotion. They might use logic to explain to themselves why they should buy something, but the essential decision is made emotionally. In business this is different. A business is for profit. Therefore any purchasing decision is made based on its financial merit. If it does not increase the revenue or reduce the costs (thus leading to greater…