Sustainability Conversations ... Sustainopreneurship

Sustainopreneurship (a portmanteau of sustainability and entrepreneurship) is the use of business organizing to solve problems related to social and environmental sustainability. It is a “business with a cause” - where world problems are turned into business opportunities by deployment of sustainability innovations. It is similar to social entrepreneurship.

The entrepreneurial discourse has opened up to move beyond a strictly economic phenomenon, rather than being perceived primarily as a social process at large. Social entrepreneurship have also been establishing not-for-profit venturing and charities to innovatively address and solve social problems, whereas ecopreneurship has been primarily focused on solving environmental problems. 

Sustainopreneurship:

- consciously sets out to find and/or create innovations to solve sustainability-related problems. South African born Elon Musk is a great example of one of the more successful sustainopreneurs.

- means to get solutions to the market through creative organizing. A core pillar of building peace is the strengthening of an African civil society movement built from below & beyond borders. @AfricansRising

- in process adds sustainability value with respect for life support . It is business with a cause: to turn business activity from a part of the problem to a part of the solution. The iStart2 movement joining hands with like minded charities, innovative product entrepreneurs and sustainopreneurs operate in this space.

Source: Wikipedia. Read more here

Entrepreneurship is a complex phenomena. South Africa does not perform particularly well in relation to the rest of the globe. If one looks at the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, it indicates that we have around 7% of the adult population involved in entrepreneurship at any one time. — Dr Jonathan Marks, Head of faculty of Entrepreneurship at GIBS.

 

 

  

 

Aspirant and existing entrepreneurs face huge challenges and frustrations in South Africa. We chat to our Sustainability Hero of the Week, Hennie Cloete from Tholo Management Services about the importance of entrepreneurship and solutions and challenges in starting your own business. Are you risk averse? Do you cling to security? Are you prepared to break the "rules" and step out of your comfort zone?

THE iStart2 SHOW

Keitu Gwangwa & Pierre du Toit host the iStart2 Show on Thursdays at 17h30. Radio Today broadcasts on 1485 MW (AM) in greater Johannesburg and countrywide on ‪#‎DStv‬ audio channel 869.

Radio Today also streams globally on www.1485.org.za.