Doing business, earning money - and then doing something useful with the money you earn. For example, using it for more sustainability. This is definitely a way to promote an important goal such as more climate protection. If you go down this path, you will develop your business ideas from a money perspective, focusing on which new idea you can use to generate more money.
But I believe that this is not the most sensible way forward. Neither for an economy that can still be successful in the future. Nor for sustainable goals. It seems more productive to me if you develop business ideas based on this idea: Which idea can you use to do as much useful work as possible and then earn money with it?
What can you do to do good and earn money at the same time? Perhaps the latest sustainable business idea from allsafe will inspire you to come up with your own ...
What triggers you?
If you are thinking about the "good", you get emotionally involved in the development of a business idea - and not rationally, as if you are only thinking about 'more money'. I think that's very valuable. Because you are now focusing on things that affect you personally, that trigger you, that make you happy, that annoy you.
They bring a certain playful component into the idea generation process. Because you also incorporate chance. Whatever comes to you. Something that appeals to you. That often cannot be planned. You need a certain openness for this.
And what annoyed me and my colleagues were parcels. One day, one of them said: "The whole paper garbage can is full of parcels from online retailers!" Another one chimed in: "And what doesn't end up in the garbage can is piled up in the cellar. Maybe someone could use them for mailing ..." And yet another said: "A kind of parcel deposit system would be something." The first responded: "Like RECUP". The second: "But in a different way, so that the shipping stores also benefit, because someone recently said to me that they were struggling financially at the lower limit ..." And so we played around a bit between the door and the door, experimented a little with the idea - and got back to work.
But because this idea was emotionally anchored, it worked inside me. And not just in me.
Business idea: the allsafe ze:Box
Again and again we came back to the idea of a reusable box because it seemed so sensible to us.
We increasingly had the feeling that there was money in this sensible idea. Above all because the business idea fell on the fertile ground of our business model, which was increasingly proving itself: with all:change, for example, we had shown how well sustainability, reusability and digitalization come together to form a worthwhile business idea. Economy and ecology go well together. And the emotionality that drives consumption, especially online consumption in recent years, also goes very well together with a business idea for a reusable shipping box that adds the good feeling of sustainability to this emotionality.
And so our zero-waste box was born, the ze:Boxwhich brings more profit to the parcel store's bottom line. And for the online shipper, it means no additional logistical effort, but helps them save money. And which allows consumers to consume more sustainably. Something good that allsafe can also earn money with.
Let's see what comes of it. From our playful idea. From this idea that we think makes sense. Now it depends on how it is accepted by consumers. The next step will be to decide whether we can offer people a benefit with our idea, whether it will prove itself on the market. I am curious.
Jens Laufer
