33 Signs you are an Impact-Preneur

Introduction

Recently I was asked about what traits, habits and mind-sets do successful sustainability innovators have in common.

People who work in sustainability are passionate about doing something good in the world and work everyday to make the world a better place.

But as I thought about what makes a successful sustainability innovator I realised there is a subset of these sustainability people who are the real change-makers, disruptors, and innovators who move the dial and really make change happen. This group not only sees the world differently; they act differently. I call them Impact-preneurs.

Impact-preneurs draw on personality traits, habits and mind-sets to come up with ideas that straddle the line between crazy and genius. I have met these Impact-preneurs working inside businesses, leading Government programs, and of course as entrepreneurs trying to change the world.

“Impact-preneurs think outside the box to find a way to avoid consuming resources making the box in the first place.” James McGregor

33 Signs you are an Impact-preneur

If you ever wondered if you were an Impact-preneur, check out the following list. You may not have all these traits or skills, but if you have some, this is a pretty good sign that you have what it takes to change the world.

1. You hate the status quo and are always challenging why things are done certain ways.
2. You’re self-confident – you know that what you are doing is important and so you don’t give up trying to get your initiatives implemented.
3. You’re passionate about making the world a better place and you’re passionate about fixing a range of sustainability issues.
4. You have grit and determination and never give up.
5. You have the ability to bring people together around an idea.
6. You are constantly consuming information about different sustainability initiatives and innovations.
7. You are fascinated by innovative ideas and the success others achieve in sustainability. You also think about how you can learn from their successes to scale your own impact.
8. You know that there is more than one way to solve a problem.
9. You own a keep cup and drink fair trade coffee. You also feel guilty if you ever get a single use coffee cup.
10. You have a competitive nature but are willing to lose to achieve an outcome. You always know that you can do something better.
11. Your idea of a holiday is getting through a full work day without having to convince someone that energy efficiency is a good idea for the 100th time.
12. You work 50+ hours a week because you know how important your work is.
13. Money is not what drives you.
14. You like to be in charge and in control of the sustainability outcomes on your projects.
15. You see opportunities everywhere. For example, you see the amount of packaging that came with your grocery delivery and start thinking of ideas to get rid of the waste.
16. You are a logical thinker and are always working through problems trying to find a solution.
17. You know what the IPCC is.
18. You know what the UN SDG’s are.
19. You know how many goals make up the UN SDG’s.
20. You’re a self starter and come up with initiatives to solve environmental or social problems on your own.
21. No matter what you do on a daily basis, you always think of it in terms of delivering impact e.g. tonnes of CO2 saved.
22. You’re ambitious and not in the climbing the corporate ladder kind of way but in the “let’s solve the toughest and hardest sustainability challenges I can find” kind of way.
23. You think outside the box to find a way to avoid consuming resources making the box in the first place.
24. Rules don’t apply to you. We are not talking about breaking the law here but breaking the rules of how things are done e.g. breaking a linear production model and replacing it with a circular one.
25. You don’t take no for an answer – no just means you need to try something different to get your sustainability idea implemented.
26. You’re determined. You have to make the impossible possible.
27. You realise that sustainability is a team sport and you can’t do everything alone. You have an idea and can promote it but also know that you’re not skilled at everything required to make it happen.
28. You have the support of your friends and family. These are the people who get you. And they’ll be there to support you along the way.
29. You surround yourself with quality people.
30. You’re a bit out there. Having the ability to create something that changes the status quo needs a different way of thinking!
31. You believe that your time is worth more than money.
32. During your most recent rant about climate change, your spouse or boyfriend (or girlfriend) totally understood what you were saying.

The Challenges of being an Impact-preneur

Now one of the frustrations of being an Impact-preneur is that sustainability people are not trained on how to be effective Impact-preneurs so they waste a heap of time and energy trying to figure it out for themselves. They know everything about climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and circular economy principles but when it comes to product design, business models, marketing, and sales they get lost.

For the past 24 years I have worked with Impact-preneurs, change-makers, thought leaders and sustainability professionals to create solutions to some of the most challenging environmental and social issues.

Along the way I have also experienced the frustration that comes with working in sustainability – the barriers that get in the way of progress, the people who just don’t get it, and how long change seems to take.

But now, having worked with hundreds of people just like you, developing and launching everything from world recording breaking solar technologies to award winning reality TV shows about sustainable housing I have learned on of the most important skills every Impact-preneur needs – the ability to influence others.

To really make change happen we need to motivate and influence others to change, to support our initiatives, buy our sustainable products and so on.

To save you 24 years of frustration trying to figure this stuff out for yourself I have put all of this knowledge into an online course designed just for Impact-preneurs. It’s called “Influence and Persuasion for Sustainability Professionals”, and it will teach what you how to use behavioural science to influence others to take action on sustainability.

Finally, sign number thirty three that you are an Impact-preneur is …

33. You’re not afraid to sell your idea because you know that getting others to buy into your idea can change the world for the better 😉