There is no way I am wrong about this! I am wrong about a lot of things, after all I am in the business of creating things. Failure is normal. I first heard of the “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL) in business school. I am not an economist and I am no “business guru”, but I know what feels right and I know why I can sleep at night. The triple bottom line is my guiding light.
In that order.
In recent years I heard a lot of bad things about capitalism. Capitalism is bad. Profits are bad. Consumerism is bad. Resource management is bad. Product obsolescence is bad. Everything is bad! Few people want to go live in a secluded hut made from clay and grass, I would, but my wife would never agree.
In business school “Maximize profit for the shareholders” was the mantra. It made me feel gross. Many of my fellow students would smile and nod in approval. Like Scrooge McDuck thinking about his next dive into his vault. There had to be a better model.
I have seen this arranged every which way, but this is the way for me. If you do what is right for the planet and for the people, profit is a natural consequence.
I fell down the pro-organic anti-GMO rabbit hole over 10 years ago. I was a student at community college in my hometown at the time. My teachers there were so matter of fact about the spraying of chemicals for food and landscape. The school wanted me to get my Ohio pesticide license and I dropped out.
The sustainability of our food system and my way of living became an obsession. I looked at everything in a new way. When my belongings deteriorated I tried to replace them with natural products.
Now, my focus is to produce plant based items for everyday use. I concentrate on bast fiber plants. These plants are very drought tolerant. Bast fibers create strong and durable products. Too bad the strongest of them all is impossible to advertise on google or Facebook. Because of this I stick to the term “Bast Fiber” hoping it strikes up conversations.
Happy employees are loyal employees. Stressed employees make mistakes. When I started my company it was about people. I tell people that my job is to create jobs. That is a pretty big statement and I wish that statement was the mantra in business school. As founder of your company your job is to create jobs!
Since you are in the business of creating jobs you have to have profit. Back in my Occupy Wall Street days I believed that profits were a bad thing! No! Greed is a bad thing! Corporatism is a bad thing! Profits help you change lives as long as you are not a hoarder. Profits fuel progress. Profits fuel ideas. Profits are energy and consumers vote with their money.
Have you heard about the 3 P's? What has your experience with the idea? Want to learn more how to implement it in your business? Feel free to contact me and comment below! Next time I want to talk about how my employees earn money. No salary, no hourly wage. Piece work.
