Planet Simple is bad for business 🪦

Why sustainability is key to long-term business success

Most businesses still act as if they’re on “Planet Simple,” a place where profits come first and everything else is secondary. But this simplistic mindset no longer works: not for your customers, your team, or your long-term growth.

In his book Leaving Planet Simple, Alex Gold argues it’s time to ditch outdated thinking and start running businesses that thrive through genuine resilience and sustainability, beyond environmental buzzwords.

Drawing from decades in resilience science and corporate strategy, Gold urges leaders to think of their organisations as living ecosystems: interconnected, adaptable, and ever-changing.

Alex Gold’s advice? Build flexibility into decision-making, give frontline teams the freedom to respond quickly, and embed transparency and purpose at every level. Brands like Patagonia and IKEA succeed because they’ve aligned profit with meaningful impact, ethical practices, and long-term vision.

Here are 10 practical, actionable steps from Leaving Planet Simple to transform your business, build real resilience, and stay ahead. 👇🏻

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Life after Planet Simple: 10 strategies to future-proof your business

Planet Simple is a world where businesses operate in isolation from the environment and the communities they inhabit. Illustration: Google ImageFX/MM

The sooner you ditch the outdated mindset of treating sustainability as compliance, the faster you’ll build a resilient business ready to thrive, not just survive.

1️⃣ Identify your weak points first

Conduct a simple “stress-test” of your business model. For example, run a “what if” scenario — what if your key supplier stopped tomorrow? Document the exact actions you’d take, creating a practical playbook to handle future shocks.

2️⃣ Embed sustainability directly in your product

Don’t treat sustainability as a side project. Make your product or service already sustainable (e.g., Patagonia’s recycled clothing) and clearly communicate that unique benefit. Customers are attracted to authentic actions, not token gestures.

3️⃣ Set real long-term goals (beyond the next quarter)

Use Gold’s “Future-Back” planning: visualise your ideal company 5 years ahead, then break down specific quarterly steps to achieve that vision, such as reducing carbon emissions by 10% annually or switching entirely to recyclable packaging.

4️⃣ Stop superficial ESG compliance; deliver actual impact

Buzzword alert! Don’t chase irrelevant ESG (environmental, social, and governance) badges. Use customer surveys to find out what genuinely matters (ethical sourcing, fair wages). Focus resources on measurable improvements, then publicly communicate your wins clearly and regularly.

5️⃣ Open up your decision-making process

Use radical transparency, especially in difficult moments. For instance, Buffer openly shares salaries, profits, and failures. Start small: send a monthly email to your team or customers explaining your decisions and the rationale behind them.

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6️⃣ Give your team power to act

Remove a common bottleneck this week by allowing frontline staff to resolve issues without constant oversight, such as handling refunds up to a certain amount or approving smaller client contracts without manager sign-off.

7️⃣ Build a real sustainability roadmap

Instead of vague ESG promises, pick one measurable sustainability target relevant to your audience, like eliminating single-use plastics within a year. Publicly share your progress quarterly to stay accountable.

8️⃣ Adopt a “pre-silient” mindset

Run proactive scenario planning each quarter, like Shell does, imagining plausible future disruptions (economic, regulatory, or environmental). Prepare clear action plans for each scenario so you’re ready, not reactive.

9️⃣ Commit to educating your team

Schedule short monthly learning sessions on sustainability issues impacting your industry. Use real-world cases to demonstrate both successes and pitfalls, so your team knows how to respond practically.

🔟 Collaboration and partnerships

Partner strategically with organisations or startups already tackling complex sustainability challenges. Look for collaborations that solve practical problems, like waste reduction or circular economy initiatives, and integrate them visibly into your brand.

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Build to last, not just to look good

The businesses that thrive in the coming years won’t be the ones chasing short-term wins or slapping sustainability labels on the same old practices.

They’ll be the ones that embrace resilience: adapting to change, embedding sustainability into strategy, and making decisions with the long game in mind.

Leaving Planet Simple is a wake-up call: complexity isn’t a threat, it’s reality. Companies that acknowledge this and build for it will attract loyal customers, stronger teams, and long-term success.

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The future belongs to those who stop treating sustainability as a buzzword and start using it as a competitive edge.

Just listen to this Millennial Masters episode with Alice Casiraghi, an expert in sustainable food systems and climate tech, and a master lecturer on how to rethink business for a greener future.

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