I recently attended the Reset Connect event held at ExCeL London. It was a two-day seminar filled with sustainable brands, solutions, talks, workshops, and more.
The first day was so intense that I didn’t stop for a bite or a sip of water from 10 AM until 5:30 PM, running from one talk to another. Given my work, I mostly attended talks and workshops focused on events and small businesses. While many of these talks were interesting and informative, I found myself grappling with some of the approaches to sustainability. Here are a few thoughts I had after attending this seminar:
1. Sustainability isn’t the future—it’s today!
Many big companies love to throw around fancy acronyms and big numbers to capture your attention, often emphasizing that “sustainability is a journey, not a destination.” While I understand that change is difficult, especially for establishments that have been operating the same way for decades, some actions need to be taken immediately rather than just “collecting data” and analyzing it for the future. These big corporations must take action now, risking a tiny bit of their profits instead of risking our future.
2. Big isn’t sustainable:
more I listened to these big companies talk about sustainability, the more I heard numbers. They calculate their CO2 footprint but often say that sustainability is more than just CO2 emissions, without providing anything solid. They claim that the bigger the company gets, the bigger the challenge becomes to be sustainable. Of course, no business is willing to downsize for the planet because of profits. This reinforced my belief that the future lies with micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. People often fool themselves by thinking that bigger companies have a bigger impact, but I believe that the more small to medium-sized businesses there are, the bigger the collective impact will be.
3. Partnerships are essential:
While this might seem obvious, hearing big corporations emphasize the importance of collaborations highlights how crucial partnerships are in business. No one can do it alone. Around 60% of micro-business owners work independently, which can make them feel alone, unheard, and sometimes like failures. I’ve met many inspiring small business owners who fear failure so much that they don’t want to involve others in their venture, unsure if it will sink or float. Ironically, the more people involved in your business, the less likely you are to fail.
For these reasons and more, I am dedicated to creating an inspiring community shaped by micro and small sustainable businesses. I aim to be the matchmaker of this community, facilitating the best collaborations and designing events that allow each brand to shine individually and as a whole.
If you have a small sustainable business, join our community today—your perfect partner could already be here.
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