Lessons from sustainability founders on ethical growth and long-term impact
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Being a founder means always being switched on, not just from 9am-5pm, so it’s not for everyone. It spills into your personal life; it can define your identity and self-worth. Yet the sense of purpose, the independence and dare I say pride in your creation is enriching in a priceless way. It’s living with a fullness, not existing. The people you meet, and the rollercoaster journey you go through is a thrilling and expressive way to spend the finite time you have in this life.
I have spoken to over a hundred founders and just published the third series of my podcast ‘Sustainable Founders’ and I have understood something fundamental about this special creature.
What Why How
Each founder will be inspired and motivated for a different reason, but all need to give thought to what they are doing, why they are doing it and how they are doing it. These are the fundamental pillars that their business will be built on, and clarity here makes all forward decisions easier. For some founders, sustainability is built into their core values of their what, why, and how; unifying the internal decision making, not being their actual business but their guiding values.
Enjoy the journey
Be curious, enjoy the journey, asking questions and loving what you do gets you through the toughest time, in a way in which the money can’t get you through. To successfully navigate from the plan to reality is going to present a unique challenge for everyone. It could be one of personal growth and awareness, or it could be a skills gap or mindset hurdle. Learn to outsource what you can’t and don’t want to do and decide what you will focus on. The best founders are adaptable generalists or are co-founding with someone who is, because it’s likely that at some point you will be every department from creative, sourcing, branding, sales, supply chain and social media. Remember, as amazing as you are, don’t try and duplicate yourself, find a co-founder or hire people who have complimentary skills to you.
Should I incorporate sustainability into my business?
As a founder you are part of the future being built. There are many types of futures that await us as a species, so give some thought to what you want that future to look like. If it’s a world full of natural wonder, creativity and connection, then add some sustainable initiatives into your business. This can be as small and simple as supporting 1% for the Planet, an organisation accelerating environmental giving, funnelled into your chosen local charities whilst positively influencing purchasing decisions by consumers.
Many founders ask themselves what the next generation is inheriting. Currently it’s a climate crisis, loss of biodiversity and species, food scarcity from unreliable farming, plastic pollution, exploited workers and extreme weather conditions. Yet it doesn’t need to be this way. It’s unfathomable that a business does not include any sustainable initiatives given what we now know. You don’t have to know it all, just do one small thing. So be bold, creative and be a change maker. Strive for something over nothing, sustainable progress over perfection. You can be exactly what our future needs.
Top 15 Learnings by founders:
SF Podcast S1 E1. Up-Circle Beauty co-founder Anna Brightman
Words matter. In beauty, nobody wants to put waste products on their face, so Anna and the team choose their words carefully, being thoughtful and selective in how they talk about their repurposed ingredients. So give some thought to the words you use, what they say about your brand, ie is it playful, cheeky, serious, scientific….
SF Podcast S1 E2. Elvis & Kresse co-founder Kresse Wesling
Know your worth and commercials. Have a fair and profitable pricing plan, yet some customers may try to get a lower price but ask them who in your team should not be paid fully for their work, for them to receive a lower price. This humanising discussion gives perspective and allows you to ensure your financial viability.
SF Podcast S1 E9. Bee & Sons founder Deborah Bee
Keep it local. Deborah saw first hand the shocking conditions of a sweatshop in Nicaragua and decided she wanted to make everything in the UK where possible, for her small batch knitwear brand. She often pops in and has lunch her UK garment makers.
SF Podcast S3 E1. Oddbox co-founder Deepak Ravindran
Your identity is more than your business. You are not just a founder, you are also a son, daughter, father, mother, sibling, a friend. This perspective is important because when the business hits a bump in the road, it doesn’t take you with it.
SF Podcast S2 E8. Ocean Bottle co-founder Nick Doman
With Purpose comes Profit. Having a clear ‘Why’ connects and engages your community. Ocean Bottle realise that our oceans are connected regardless of where in the world you live, so cleaning up our oceans is a global effort. This purpose runs through every part of their business and they engage ocean lovers too.
SF Podcast S1 E11. Compost Club founder Michael Kennard
Don’t hide in your comfort zone. It easy to avoid the things that scare you. Michael was crippled with anxiety and a fear of public speaking, he couldn’t even order a pizza over the phone. He has now given talks at Kew Gardens and The Crown Estate and obviously joined me on a podcast episode. His secret is loving his work so much, that he forgot about his anxiety. Loving what you do leads to personal growth if you let it
SF Podcast S2 E7. Vivo Barefoot co-founder Asher Clarke
Failure is inevitable, so test, break, learn, and repeat fast. Nothing easy is worth doing, and nothing worth doing is easy. Don’t stick to something because you have put time into it, sometimes quitting the wrong thing is the strategy to growth.
SF Podcast S3 E9 Oceana (& Ex SAS) co-founder Hugo Tagolm
Find ways to manage your nerves, and techniques to focus the mind when navigating conversations and negotiations; from having a workout, going for a run or meditation. Hugo speaks and influences from grass roots to a global level, from royalty, governments to presidents and surfers, so navigating nerves and sensitive conversations with diplomacy is critical, especially when things get heated.
SF Podcast S3 E6. Toast Brewing co-founder Louisa Ziane
Can you make it simple and fun. Louisa wanted to allow customers to do something for nature and the climate crises by simply enjoying a cold beer. Business is not always serious, and often we connect better by being social.
SF Podcast S2 E6. Beyond Retro co-founder Steven Bethel
The people you work with matter. Taking in 4 million garments a week is not an easy thing to do, but without his co-founder Steven would not be where he is today. Find the right co-founder, who you can speak to with openness and honesty, who will keep up morale when it is needed, and who you can trust and turn to.
SF Podcast S2 E10. Asan founder Ira Guha
User experience will give perspective and an advantage over your competitors. Ira designed a product for women and gained unique insight from her ability to be her own user. Explore being your customer, your own user, be curious and see what you learn.
Podcast S1 E7. Sheep Inc founders Michael and Edzard
Stay open minded. Sometimes the data can show you something that is counter intuitive. It is more sustainable for Michael & Edzard to use merino wool from New Zealand vs the UK, due to their business models and regenerative practices they can implement.
SF Podcast S3 E12. Childs Farm founder Joanna Jensen
Its never too late. Leaving her role in banking and starting up a sensitive skincare brand at the age of 40, exiting for £36.8m 12 years later and now author of the book ‘Making Business Childs Play’ Joanna is a brilliant example of how to be bold and go after what you want regardless of age.
SF Podcast S3 E2. Wellicious founder Heike Petersen
Don’t be afraid to re-train, it will place you around people and ideas that inspire you. Heike felt things were not working so she took a class at Cambridge to study sustainable supply chain, and from there she met her mentor and gained clarity and inspiration about what she needed to do next, ultimately creating a cradle-to-cradle certified yoga wear brand.
SF Podcast S2 E11. Bio-Fluff co-founder Roni Gamzon
Personal legacy is about creating something that outlives you. Roni comes from a family of entrepreneurs and sees the impact her father and grandfather had in making the lives of other people better. She wanted to follow on with this legacy even though she knew she could make more money, or have more glamour working for someone else. She choose to pursue legacy, impact and profit, creating a natural fur and plush alternative; her fabrics were showcased in London Fashion Week by Stella McCartney.