Activists are the new entrepreneurs

Even though I’ve been a prominent proselyte for entrepreneurship and investments as a way to rapidly reshape stale old industries, I wonder for how long entrepreneurs and investors will retain the glory they’ve been given by society.

In fact, norm-crushing and disruptive entrepreneurs, fueled by gold from the deep coffers of investors (who have filled their coffers with gold from our pension funds) have replaced dragon-slaying knights as the heroes of our times. They do things in new ways, reap monopolistic profits like the robber barons of previous centuries and are put on pedestals by the press.?

But everything needs to be put into context. Worshipping someone who has made a fortune from, say, pay-day loans and being obsessively impressed by exited entrepreneurs lavish lifestyles is silly. And it will be even more so going forward. Because do I need to remind you that excessive consumption will not only be impossible for planetary purposes, but most likely also frowned upon, taxed heavily or outright forbidden? Simply because we need to.

It is therefore about time that we look at what type of entrepreneurship we need going forward and that we should rightfully glorify.

Away goes unnecessary entrepreneurs of the sort that take something already existing, manufacture it cheaper at the cost of laborers in low-income countries with sustainability-related externalities hidden by shady dealings, selling it at any cost with the help of all the tricks in the book. There is a lot of that going on, not the least by celebrated large companies that minimize taxes while engaging in not-so-fun-to-see activities. The old saying of Otto von Bismarck “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”, can easily be extended to large swaths of business.

Now you might think that I’m a business-hating anti-capitalist that craves a revolution and state ownership and control of everything. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just want us to stop being so goddam gullible and to stop sucking up to all the PR lies that we are force-fed on a daily basis. And that we start to value the change that we so sorely need and the individuals bringing it.

Which brings me to the topic of this piece; who are the new entrepreneurs?

I think it has a very clear answer: activists.??

Unless you’re an activist in the future, my take is that you won’t be valued by society, the press and your peers. The status that traditionally has come with money – no questions asked – will simply go away. Unless you deploy your ill-gotten gains in truly world improving fashion and walk the talk. Say Bill Gates.

But probably that detour over regular business in order to become an activist later in life will be replaced by going straight for activism. If you want to use entrepreneurship in order to change the current order for something better, that’s absolutely a type of activism. But only if your goal and all your measurements of success don’t get corrupted en route. If you succeed with that you and your investors truly deserve all your financial rewards. And then, please repeat the cycle or deploy your funds in a responsible fashion.?

To me it is obvious that impact entrepreneurship is taking over from regular, pure ROI-focused business.?

But if we look around the corner the question is if impact entrepreneurship will be the main outlet for people’s dreams and ambitions. If feeling truly valuable and providing real change is where your passion lies, will business really be the tool?

I suspect that people increasingly more will device new models where business will be a component (in order to sustain themselves) but where impact will be the key goal. Business will not be in the drivers seat. Impact will be. This also leads to where talent and energy are heading.

I simply think that activism is something that highly talented young people will be increasingly attracted to and build their lifestyles around, much in the same way as they over the last few decades have built lifestyles around entrepreneurship. Activists will become the new rock-stars – in fact they already have – just look at Greta.?

After all, just look at the choices: Slaving away in your parents’ garage for a bunch of years in the hope of some obscure future exit when you can buy all the toys you deserve, but where you know that those toys probably won’t have any use for attaining status or personal fulfillment.

Or slaving away in the context of a movement truly changing this miserable world for something better, feeling good all the way, attaining a high social status and being invited to all the cool parties with all the other cool people.

I might be affected in my thinking by having three teenage daughters and engaging a lot with them and their friends. But I don’t think I’m alone.?

Transformative and disruptive activism is true entrepreneurship. Just selling something slightly better than Joe next door is not entrepreneurship, it is just… selling. Un-sexy. Boring. Old!

Johan Jorgensen

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