Okay, so you’ve given both money and items in kind.
You’ve volunteered your time and helped packed goods.
Chances are though (especially if you’ve seen the gut-wrenching footage), you’re still asking:
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
Perhaps one thing is to do what this blog advocates.
Be an entrepreneur.
Being an entrepreneur is all about problem solving. It’s all about finding new, better ways of doing things in the harshest of conditions.
Yolanda has brought about all sorts of grand problems in the most unimaginable of conditions. Rebuilding – both immediate and in the longer term – will REQUIRE entrepreneurial thinking.
Amidst all the carnage, I see a lot of very inspiring, creative, entrepreneurial problem-solving that is happening.
Like using crowdsourcing here:
Or getting programmers to rapidly develop useful disaster-management apps…
Or even big companies doing something fairly unique by relying on their own strengths…
I also see a lot of very inspiring “entrepreneurial” activities on social media: from individuals leading and organizing their own fund drives, to people trying to solve very specific problems (a friend of mine posted an emergency need for a plane/helicopter – she got it 🙂
We need more of these!
Let’s help in all the usual ways – of course. But let’s also dig deep and channel our entrepreneurial sensibilities towards this Grand Canyon of a problem set:
What problem areas aren’t being focused on? What are Blue Ocean solutions?
How can we maximize our limited resources to achieve the biggest impact?
Which set of people can I help out? Which can I target?
How can I best help out, calling to mind my own strengths and passions?
How can technology augment current solutions which are being utilized?
What are the long term ramifications? What strategy can I pursue or advocate which best serves the would-be status quo? How can long term solutions be sustainable?
How can jobs be built for the people in the affected areas?
(Be a blessing and share if you think this can be helpful to someone!)
JUAN GREAT LEAP 