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Weirdly, I would say business (which I don't like at all), because my definition of success is different, and having an example of that in the world would be good.
Yes, okay, it would have to be profitable and not run at a loss, fine, but the profit margin doesn't need to be so terribly high so long as it is producing high-value things in the world (I'm putting value on non-tangible stuff, here),
But! it would also have to based on a very-low-waste model.
All of the processes and things in it would be designed with that in mind.
As in office furniture of wood instead of plastic (because wood biodegrades and is easier to fix and you can carve it beautifully, and it won't end up in a landfill, you can just burn it or chop it up and use it as mulch in the garden if it breaks), the water for employees would be an actual plumbing line to a dedicated drink-faucet, with a rack of personalized ceramic mugs instead of those big plastic bottles and disposable cups, the flooring would be stone or tile with woven hemp mats over it instead of industrial carpeting....
etc. etc. etc.
So a business run on those principles that was very successful?
I would LOVE to have a model of that out there, to encourage other businesses to start producing responsibly!
We have nearly everything we need out there, that we could be using.
But for whatever reason, we're not.
And I also have some pretty strong opinions about how you should treat employees -and speaking of, let's make sure there's daycare available, no? That way you attract employees who are responsible parents (which I find good because people who have kids tend to be a little more aware of long-term consequences, since somewhere in the back of their minds there's that "what kind of world am I leaving my kids?" question, at least among the responsible ones, I am WELL aware there are shitty parents out there too), you'll build amazing loyalty, they'll be far more focused, but mostly it's that long-term loyalty thing, because the whole POINT for me is long-term. Long-term thinking, long-term goals, long-term projects, and a business that you'd expect to see still around if you used a time machine to jump 500 years into the future.
A business that creates things people actually NEED, not superfluous crap that will puzzle archaeologists later. But which pays attention to not just filling a need, but doing it with something that brings active joy.
(a flavorless nutrition bar will fill the needs of hunger, but a delicious meal is satisfying in an active way, if an example will make sense of that weird phrasing)
It needs to be designed for LONG-TERM success. Short-term profits is not business success, in my mind, it's just a self-deluding con game.
And the best part is that businesses are CONSTANTLY copying each other's methods when a new method is proven successful. So if I could create something super successful like that? You can bet that many others will follow suit.
Which would be fantastic.
But since I don't actually LIKE business (it makes you deal with a whole culture FULL of people who value very different things than I do), if there's only a 10 percent chance of being so successful?
Absolutely not!
I'm not spending my time doing something I don't like when there's not even much chance of a pay-off for it.
But if I KNEW it would be among the best and most successful in the world? Well, then it's worth spending my time doing something I don't like. Because it would be making a difference long after I'm not around to spend any time at all.
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