Every enterprise usually starts with an observation
And, I was no different.
In 2010, while still pursuing my undergraduate studies in Economics, I did a field visit to Mumbai city’s largest landfill as part of a project. There, I saw young children from low-income communities, playing in huge heaps of garbage, oddly smiling. I thought to myself,
“Why are these children smiling? Are they really happy? Could they not be studying and making a brighter future for themselves someday? Did they even know they could?”
Cut to..
After completing my master’s degree, I engaged in assignments where I learnt about how mid-large sized private enterprises could support communities through their sustainability initiatives.
But, the turning point came when..
In 2018, I got the opportunity to work closely with youth in Botswana (Africa) to help them start their own ventures. This is where I realised, the concept of sustainability must start as the foundation, and right at the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey. In the wilderness of African lands, I began thinking about how empowering small businesses at first, to embed sustainability is crucial and something needs to be done about it.
Thus, in August 2020, Next Mile Co. was born.
Essentially, the big question that we are working towards is, ‘What is the best and most optimal way in which an enterprise can support people, planet and performance?’