Sustainability is a common term, often referring to some energy-efficient lifestyle choice or other “green” concept.  The goal being to create lifestyles, energies, and other things that are, yes, sustainable over the long term.  Using renewable resources that won’t wound the world more than it helps.  Sustainability is really the ability of any concept to continue onward running on its own production and energy.  In physics, the ultimate in sustainability would be a “perpetual motion machine“.  Although these don’t exist and even violate laws of thermodynamics, they would be the ultimate example of sustainable ideas.  They utilize energy they create to fuel themselves with 100% efficiency.
In the movement to affect world change, to progress society forward, to enhance the lives of those around us, from the poorest poor to the richest rich, sustainability can be a very valuable trait to any good strategy.  If it is temporary, like a loaf of bread to a starving person, it is good, but if it gives someone a lifetime of bread through seeding and farming, it is great and sustainable.

The greatest sustainable concept: Entrepreneurship

One of the reasons I am passionate about entrepreneurship is its uncanny ability to strive for sustainability.  One typically does not create a business for today allowing it to dismantle and be closed tomorrow.  The goal is a form of sustainability, whether under your ownership or someone you sell it to.  This does not mean every venture succeeds in this; most, in fact, do not.  If you have 100 entrepreneurs, they will continue to develop ideas and businesses until you have 100 successful businesses with 900 previous failures that yielded the information and experience necessary for the successful 100.  You know 900 ideas that weren’t adequate, poorly developed, what not to do.  Of those 100, you will continue to have consolidation and redevelopment as small businesses combine with larger ones or stronger businesses beat weaker ones by creating better, more improved ideas.  This creates “openings” for other businesses to be created.  The goal of each is to continue forward productively, sustained by its own performance.  Profits are continually reinvested, creating additional value for those involved and sustainably improving the lives of all.  Niches are found among all economic classes where handsome profits are made and lifestyles of each are improved.  As long as each is sustained by its own efforts, or closed due to its own failures, the creative entrepreneur will develop skills, resources, and opportunities to continue forward, whether in one venture or hundreds.  As entrepreneurship is allowed and encouraged in developing nations, lives immediately are benefited as wealth and exchange enter, opportunity shows itself and lifestyles are improved.  The key, sustained by their own efforts, by their own “profits”, however that is defined.

Recently, a man was acknowledged for his amazing ability to begin the trek out of poverty in an impoverished nation of Africa (here).  The man built himself and family a windmill to irrigate crops more efficiently as well as provide electricity to their home.  Individuals from around the area came gasping at the ingenuity of the man and he was shipped off to be introduced to and to inspire others all around the world.  What is he up to now?  I’m sure great things and one of which, I hope, is offering his expertise in his own village to develop his part of the world.  What if he charged to accomplish similar feats for neighbors and villagers? They might pay him in whatever is exchanged there, perhaps food, or other goods.  Now others could be more efficient and able to focus either on higher production or more diverse production.  This “profit” would help sustain his efforts to build windmills and provide electricity to others while hiring new workers from the village to grow his budding enterprise, giving jobs and trade experience to a people that has known little more than primitive agriculture.  All done without any substantial outside influence aside from encouragement.  The power and sustainability of entrepreneurship are amazing.

Sustainable when corrupt? Not for long…

Many view “profit seekers” as corrupted, abusive, and exploitative. Is that even possible? Not unless they have power that they shouldn’t, like a dictator, or a politically-connected and protected enterprises, etc.  In the world of freedom, this kind of power to control should not exist.  So what happens in a naturally managed economy when a “genius” entrepreneur gets greedy?  Can he/she suddenly begin price gouging and destroying the community?  Not for long… Take our example of the African man. Say he decides to price gouge and charge too much for their obtaining electricity and irrigation.  That just isn’t fair!  These people need the technology.  Well, they need the technology less than he needs resources to sustain his enterprise.  If he charges more than they can afford or makes sense for them to afford, they will simply choose not to buy and continue life as they have for decades.  He, however, will be out of business.  If he tries to cheat them and starts with a low price that increases as the work is completed, he may fool one neighbor but no other customers will come as word spreads.  His enterprise dies still.  If he wants it to truly work, he will look for a true win/win exchange that will elevate all.  Most, exploitation will not exist (for long) where people retain rights of choice.  If they lose those, however, that is different, and not a topic for today.

Conscientious Entrepreneurs

The most powerful ventures are those with founders who believe in what they do.  They are able to recognize an improvement in the lives of others due to their particular service or product.  Many of these entrepreneurs become quite wealthy but often not as a primary result.  The goal tends to be the creative process, the productive possibilities, the improved of society.  This is true wealth.  The profit only reaffirms, supports, and guides the venture forward.  A truly sustainable entrepreneur or entrepreneurial venture is one that is conscious of its place in the development of society, one that improves, simplifies, or enhances life.  This is not always earth-moving but still notable.  This, obviously rules out those ideas that degrade society, debilitate mankind, and suppress freedom and free-thinking.  Now, this is one area that must be carefully thought through.  It is one that fighting fire with fire is NOT recommended as everyone then gets burned.  Don’t suppress freedom with regulation in order to stop the ventures that suppress freedom. Don’t debilitate open opportunity by limiting businesses that debilitate mankind.  This doesn’t mean the support of these either. It simply means choose persuasion over force.  It is as the “truth” commercials for cigarettes, don’t outlaw smoking, simply educate and allow people to choose.

I Support Sustainability

Entrepreneurship is even the answer to other questions of sustainability. Efficient inventions, improved technologies, and other solutions will be developed by entrepreneurs to solve other common societal questions and personal beliefs regarding sustainability such as environmental concerns.

Within our economic and political culture, we have a perpetual motion machine called entrepreneurship (particularly conscientious) and that is a cause I will always support.