The New Paradigm pt.3- Business

When I fully understood my human design chart, I realized a big part of my soul’s journey in this lifetime is creating and bringing visions to life. I have known from a young age that I was born to help the environment in a big way. Some of my favorite memories from childhood are being on the beach and brainstorming ways to protect the ocean. I can’t imagine giving my life energy to anything else. A year ago I was living in Panama City, Panama working for an NGO. I thought it would be the job of my dreams, yet I was miserable.

I accepted the position in Panama because when I thought about the ways I could have a positive impact on the planet job wise, my mind went to research, policy, law or an NGO. I tried a few of these options and reached out to professionals working in these industries to ask more about their experiences. I didn't leave any of these conversations feeling excited or inspired. As my time in Panama working at the NGO continued, I became increasingly concerned. My concern wasn't only because I disliked my job, it was also because every graduate program I had thought about doing no longer interested me at all. I was having an identity crisis of sorts. I always thought I knew roughly what the path forward for me helping the environment would look like, but I was feeling confused. Where was I to direct my passion for helping the earth?

That career uncertainty led me to entrepreneurship and conscious business. I had a very limited perception of business at the time. I saw business as just a way for people to make money while exploiting others and the planet in the process. Turns out I was very wrong. I realized business has the potential to drive change in a way that other entities can not.

My newfound love for entrepreneurship happened around the same time I discovered human design. My design type, a generator, is meant to follow what lights them up and excites them. Their excitement will lead them wherever they are meant to go in life. The more I learned about entrepreneurship the happier I was. I craved listening to podcasts and absorbing as much information as I could about starting a business. Learning about the new paradigm allowed me to dream of a new way of doing everything - most importantly business! In a future where we honor all individuals, our global family, and our planet, business can mean creating a new form of capitalism that is just, humane and green. I knew it was time to switch paths.

COVID-19 has brought us an opportunity to pause and reinvent the future and I believe it is the start of a new business paradigm. This new paradigm will be all about businesses that are conscious, sustainable, transparent, and innovative.

Conscious business can be defined as a business that considers and prioritizes the welfare of people and the planet, without compromising profits. Even before the pandemic, conscious businesses were growing and expanding. With companies like Everlane and Reformation, and even big corporations such as Starbucks adopting greener practices, responsible business is catching on. Millenials want to invest in businesses they align with. They want to know that the companies they support are using ethical practices. This will be even more true after this collective reset. As we transition to the new paradigm, I believe any business that does not change their ways to become more conscious will suffer considerably.

When a business becomes more responsible, it must also become more transparent. Far too often, companies say they are environmentally responsible but after doing some research, there is little evidence to support their claims. Food companies use vague words on labels like “healthy” and “natural”, yet the ingredients list three different types of sweeteners and chemicals we can hardly pronounce. Being green is becoming a trend and businesses know this. "Greenwashing”, which is the process of conveying a false impression about how a company's products are more environmentally sound, is way too common. The new paradigm will not tolerate greenwashing. Consumers rightfully want the truth about the products they consume and the companies they support.

We are observing in real time how the environment can thrive when it receives a much needed break. From dolphins in the Venice Canal to stars in the Los Angeles sky, the evidence is clear - our current lifestyle and way of doing things is too taxing on the planet. We must start greening our economy and we can start now. We can reinvent capitalism and shift to producing things in a way that respects and honors the natural world. It won’t happen overnight, but nothing worthwhile ever does. In the new paradigm, sustainability will be the standard and will never go out of style.

Entrepreneurship is solving problems. For too long, outdated industries have been able to survive for purely monetary reasons. Government subsidies hold up industries even when they are long past their expiration date and policies favor large corporations over small businesses. I believe that practices like this suffocate the innovation and potential of business. If there is no incentive to change, why do it? There will be a shift in how we choose to invest our money individually and collectively in the new paradigm. With fairer polices encouraging innovation in every industry, we will see the emergence of revolutionary ideas we can hardly fathom right now. Imagine if this was also coupled with the pardoning of student loan debt so young people could start businesses instead of immediately feeling the pressure to get jobs to pay off their debt. Another post on that will follow.

I personally am most excited about the changes to come in the retail industry. My first job was at Urban Outfitters when I was in high school. I have always loved clothes, but the impact their production has on the planet left me feeling like I couldn’t buy without feeling guilty. In my first year at UCLA I decided I was not going to buy anything new. I went to thrift stores and exclusively shopped second hand. After a year, I attempted to buy only sustainably and ethically made clothing. It was honestly so hard to find what I wanted. This fashion quandary of mine inspired me to start my own beach clothing and lifestyle brand called Sabe A(mar). Saber is the Spanish verb "to know", Amar is the Spanish verb "to love", and "el mar" means ocean. Sabe A(mar) will be all about creating a sustainable, impactful business that simultaneously provides consumers with products they love and helps our oceans thrive.

Fashion will be a thoughtful, inclusive, and of course - sustainable industry in the new paradigm. I am thrilled to be a part of this paradigm shift and bring the vision of Sabe A(mar) to life.