Who would’ve guessed three years ago you could get a job and live anywhere you wanted. Forced to work at home due to the pandemic, technology rose to the occasion, advancing a generation in the process out of sheer necessity to meet the demands of the time.
Today many people still work from home, or from a place they’d like to live, or from the location they happen to find themselves while on vacation. Now I’m not suggesting this new capability is for everyone or every job. Rather, what I am suggesting is that the world is rapidly changing, so how we live and work today will no doubt evolve again in three to five years.
So with this ever constant change, as an entrepreneur, a question I ask myself every day is "Am I building a business on what is possible now, or building a business on what can be possible in the future?” Wayne Gretzky, arguably the GOAT of hockey, told people he didn’t skate to the puck, rather he skated to where the puck was going to be. Therein lies the goal here at Food Loops—where is the sustainability puck going to be next quarter and then the quarter after that?
For us, we start with our customers. What are their fears, unknowns, and aspirations as that relates to sustainability? What must be true this quarter for them to feel successful in their progress? Once we understand their fears, unknowns,and aspirations, we can sit down to plot a quarterly map leading them to greater and greater waste diversion rates.
Why do this quarterly? Well just like any sizeable undertaking, we’re far more likely to succeed if we think in terms of manageable increments. And I think most from a business perspective would agree, a three-month time span is entirely manageable. It also provides flexibility to alter the course if need be.
As we meet our customers’ quarterly needs, we can then connect them with other like-minded businesses to increase their capacity to divert more waste from the landfill, share best practices, and define what success looks like going forward. This isn’t done in a vacuum. We all create waste and while some may see it as nothing more than a noble ideal, or something to be embroidered on a throw pillow, working together we can—and will—create a better, more sustainable world.
If you’re concerned about the waste generated by your business or event—large or small—give me a call at 479-621-5642. If you have dreams and ideas that would add to a better future for sustainability, I welcome that call too. The demand of our day is to live more sustainably, no matter where we work, live, or play. Food Loops is committed to helping divert 90% of all waste from landfills. And we’re marching toward that goal one quarter at a time.