Have you ever thought about this question? When I was first asked, I was personally surprised that I already had a clear answer in my head. Yet here I am, instead of trying to make 1 million dollars, I am writing a FB post about it :) But the reason I am posting is because, well, I want you to know what kind of a person I am. So here it goes. First thing I learned from a course in Financial Literacy is that the best thing you can do with money is make more of it. Investment. So, I would absolutely pour half a million dollars into investment. But not any kind of investment. But investment in sustainable companies. From Beyond Meats to Renewable Energy, I would create a huge portfolio of various sustainable startups, just so I can later brag about how lucrative it is to invest in anything that makes the future greener.
And with this I would be financially stable for 10 lifetimes.
Now that leaves me with another half a million dollars. With this money I would hire the best people in the world to help me set up and maintain 10 social businesses that would make the world a better place. And to show you I am not bluffing, here’s the list:
Social and Environmental Impact Fund - a VC company focused on creating a pool of fundings for social and environmental impact activities, that include a Social Innovation Accelerator and Startup Academy for Youth. (So Funding, Educating, Accelerating)
An educational platform, much like EdX and Coursera, where people can get educated on several issues regarding the SDGs and social impact.
An online store and off-line pop-up stores (maybe mobile container-type stores), where I sell zero waste, zero package, bulk and eco-friendly, cruelty-free products.
Circular Design Hubs in every city of the world, where people and corporations can learn for free to create circular designs, in tune with the natural cycles.
A Directory of Green Businesses, products, and innovations, curated by city, country and industry, with Featured and Industry Standards, meant to be adopted by everyone in the world.
An international Marketing Campaign of Green Practices, Ethical Consumerism and Impactivism, coupled with a Directory of Social Media Influencers who are Eco-Activists.
Eco-villages all around the world. People working in my company will be able to move into self-sufficient eco-villages in every country and at the periphery of every major city in the world. They will also serve as mental health retreats for all those who are suffering.
A Construction company that builds the most eco-friendly buildings in the world.
A TV Channel that makes people happy, empowered, socially and environmentally conscious, financially literate, nutritionally well fed and mentally well-adjusted.
And finally, a world-renowned University that is specialized only on providing the latest educational experiences and builds communities of Soldiers of Love, Impactivist Leaders and Planetary Stewards.
Hey! Don’t believe I can do this with just 1 Million dollars? Try me! :) Give me the money and see me fail Live, ruin my life, reputation, career and loose everything I find dear in the world. Then see me suffer for the rest of my life. Worth the investment? :)
Now in all seriousness, what am I waiting for? Well, an opportunity to show people they can trust me. A platform to show people that my heart is in the right place, that I am smart and capable enough, but more importantly that I am ethical enough to make sure these companies will make NO compromise for the sake of profit and that the only thing I want in life is to be recognized as a Global Hero. A way to show the world that I don’t have to be a business guru to succeed. All I need is a fantastic vision and the best people around me.
Yeah, while others dream of boujee houses, fancy cars and huge walk-in closets, I dream of reaching the age of 100 and getting a medal for the Craziest, Most Innovative, World Changing human being that ever walked the Earth.
So if you don’t believe in my genuinely good intentions of making the world a better place, then believe in my selfish ego of wanting to go down in human history as the first Global Hero to have ever lived.
And maybe get the right to have my memories uploaded to the Cloud and my brain preserved for the Cyborg age :P That could be fun.
What would you do with 1 Million Dollars?