Hello Walas,
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Nick Aster at San Francisco's Green Drinks. His company Triple Pundit and Greenwala were joint sponsors at an event that had nearly 400 passionate "Greenwalas" in attendance.
Nick and I got to talking and I felt that here is a guy that shares the same passion as I do so why not share that with you. Enjoy this Q&A with Nick.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm 35, live in San Francisco, originally from Milwaukee, like cycling, traveling, and the occasional dinner party.
Why did you start Triple Pundit? Was there a particular Ah-Ha moment for you?
Triple Pundit was founded as a result of a couple of 'ah-ha' moments. The first was technological. I realized that the internet and the ability to publish online had lowered the barriers to publishing to essentially nil - to me this was exciting because it meant I could become a publisher of anything for nothing, but also because it represented a democratic ideal - that anyone could now publish without barriers. Helping people learn to publish online was an early interest of mine and that open spirit is what has driven the many publishing endeavors I've been involved with - especially publishing that has a cause associated with it. The second ah-ha moment was when I realized that the environmental movement , the social movement, and the business community had no reason to be at odds - the fact that they were at odds was really due to bad communication, or a lack of communication. So, by publishing material that attempted to simultaneously communicate with all three and show that all three are in fact, very dependent on each other, became something I was very passionate about.
What is your vision for 3p? Where would you like to take it?
We hope to continue to grow 3p's audience, but also to make the 'triple bottom line' concept - a systemic approach to business which takes into account the environment and society, as well as traditional profit motives - a piece of every day conversations, especially in the business world where it is needed most.
It is a tough time out in the marketplace, are you still seeing companies moving toward a triple bottom line solution?
Certainly - one of the reasons we've found ourselves in an economic mess is that we've been neglecting triple bottom line thinking. The idea that it "costs more" to do the right thing is finally starting to be seen as un-true. Sometimes there are up-front costs, but more often than not, it pays off in the long run.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give any one that is looking to start a triple bottom line focused business?
Be open to collaboration and don't get greedy. Basic financial considerations need to be met, but remember why you really want to be in business. If happiness, good community and a healthy environment are part of your goals, don't forget that, you'll see ways to get there that might have not been visible otherwise.
You are a member of the Greenwala community. Are you open to connecting with others on the community?
Of course! I'm eager to see Greenwala grow and hope to connect with many of you.
Thanks Nick and thanks for being a Greenwala!
Chief Wala - Live Green and Prosper
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