Monday 21 December 2009 10:52:13 pm

A "good" entrepreneur must be a profitable one.

I have started many companies in the past 20 years to include construction, newspaper, real estate, restaurants, etc. I am an entreprenuer. I have always felt I was a good entrepreneur when I brought a new product or service to a community, or did one better then my competition. I felt I was a good entrepreneur when I employed people. I knew I was a good one when I made a profit and put money in my pocket and the pockets of others.

Now you want me to fix the planet.

I say great if it makes a profit.

I do know that green technology is the way of the future. It must be and those who invest in it will see great profits in the long run. The problem is that in the short term especially in this economic environment you need to make money.

As an entrepreneur making money is your first and foremost issue.

The question is where does social responsibility and being green rise to meet the priority of making money. As an entrepreneur it does not. It is important and is a key component of any business to be sure but if you are not making money then your not going to be in business long.

Example:

We have a real estate project in the development stages in the Philippines. A nice mixed use oceanfront community including shops, 38 houses, condos and hotel. When I looked at this I saw the beauty I could create. I then looked at the numbers and saw the profit. I then looked at things that were green that we could incorporate into our design like solar power street lamps. Idea-Finance-Green that make a profit.

My point of discussion is that if your have a green technology it has to make financial sense for the buyer and for you.

I do want to thank CNBC for all that it does and for "The Good Entreprenuer".

I hope they all do well, help fix the environment and make a few bucks in the process.

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