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One Question That Can Grow Your Business
One of the main themes I loved at the Sustainable Brands Conference 2008 is that Sustainability is a Journey. The paradigm shift from looking at sustainability as a destination to seeing it as more of a process that never ends has a allowed me to embrace more of my own journey as citizen of this planet and as an entrepreneur.
Sometimes our journey towards innovation and towards a more sustainable world can start with a simple question.
One question that launched a company: “Can a sandal protect your toes?”
The answer was the Keen Newport.
Fast forward less then 5 years, and you’ve got Keen Footwear with sales nearing $150mil per year.
Here are some questions that successful companies have asked:
For Dow Chemical it is, “How do you bring drinking water to every person on this planet?
For Seventh Generation, a socially-responsible company selling environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home, it is, “What does the world most need that we are uniquely qualified to provide?”
For Burgerville, a sustainable fast food chain in the Pacific Northwest, it was, “How can we provide affordable healthcare to every one of our employees?”
And for Green Business Innovators it is, “How can we help 10,000 small and medium sized businesses be more successful by being green?”
Innovation can spring from the desire to answer the question and can serve to unify and inspire your entire team.
What question do you have that can start the next important innovation in your company?
(Imagine photo taken in Prague at the John Lennon wall by Patrick Dominguez)
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