Entrepreneurship

Sustainability - Long term impact

Ensuring that something is sustainable means that founders and CEO’s need to think long term, rather than practicing a ‘sustainable’ business model. Personally, I believe that a company is only sustainable once it reaches a certain age. Sustainability comes with longevity.

Creating a sustainable impact can be the basis for a strong and thriving business. Showcasing that your business is able to have positive impact in the world is vital. For example, the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation is a non-profit organisation. It has a strong impact on developing communities by reducing poverty through grassroots intervention. The basis of the organisation is cure blindness which will then, in turn, significantly reduce poverty.

Sustainable eye care

Partnering with ophthalmologist, Dr Sanduk Ruit, was the best way to ensure that the foundation achieved everything it set out to do. Prior to this, I had founded the Tej Kohli Cornea Institute. Building the institute upon sustainability meant collecting donated corneas into our own eye bank. These donated corneas allowed for the institute to rely on its own resources to cure those in need. This allowed the organisation to be complete self-sufficient and sustainable.

Dr Ruit also created a way for his organisations in Nepal to be completely sustainable. When the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation came to fruition, Dr Ruit had already created a factory in Nepal to produce synthetic lenses for cataract surgery. The cost of a synthetic lens would normally cost hundreds of dollars, however, manufacturing the lenses in Nepal, close to where the surgeries were taking place, allowed him to bring the cost down to a mere $50 per lens. This made the procedure much more accessible for the present and the future.

Having this sorts of methods and business foundations set in place allows for companies and organisations to prosper for a longer period of time and also supports communities and the planet at the same time. Allowing for this to take place naturally in the key for creating a truly sustainable business. It is important to note that sustainability does not just happen, it is a process that is always going to be worth it in the end.

For more information on Tej Kohli as a philanthropist visit tejkohliruit.com and to read more of his views go to his Medium.

To read about Tej Kohli as an investor visit Kohli Ventures.

Find out more about Tej Kohli: Tej Kohli the technologist investing in human triumph, Tej Kohli the philanthropist trying to cure the developing world of cataracts and Tej Kohli the London tycoon with a generous streak.