• Regenerative abundance in business is about unlocking the hidden potential and multiple uses of what already exists through innovation, collaboration, and a shift in perspective
• Embracing a regenerative mindset allows businesses to move beyond scarcity by finding opportunities in existing assets, fostering partnerships, and creating shared value

Continuing from the series on the regenerative mindset, this article focuses on the third of the four qualities of inclusivity, agility, abundance and joyfulness.

In the literal sense, it means to have more in quantity, such as an overflow, excess and the opposite of scarcity. What does it mean to be abundant in business?

The natural inclination is to think of success, immense wealth or power in business activity, a result of an increased or changed effort of other resources, manpower, skillset, differentiated strategy, and so on.

Yet, we at Good Life X perceive and seek abundance in the already-existing, the multiple uses of an asset that previously saw one function, the partnership of different actors to co-create abundance and the release of control and monopolisation, allowing resources to flow more freely and sustainably.

Abundance in business does not only have to be triggered by an intentional investment in more. The regenerative mindset does not exemplify finding opportunities by looking at increased extraction of raw materials, an increased workload on employees, or expanding physical infrastructure.

Businesses need to look at what they have and unlock the full potential of what is in their hands. Think repurposing and reusing, the spare capacity of underutilised assets, generating shared value through intentional collaboration, and even perhaps redesigning their dynamic with customers.

An initial reaction of business owners can be disbelief in the power of abundance in the regenerative sense, yet global examples continue to show that real opportunities emerge from what already exists, from meaningful partnerships, and from the willingness to let go of singular thinking.

Airbnb, the online marketplace operates on this philosophy. Its founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, identified a need among a group of conference attendees who were unable to find available hotel accommodations.

They decided to rent out air mattresses for the group and turn the entire stay into a travel experience, straight from the locals. This idea is innovative; it draws upon finding abundance and opportunity through a simple venture.

At present, Airbnb has found success worldwide, and part of its formula is that hosts can simply offer what they have in their homes to travellers, which is significantly less expensive than opting for a hotel.

Therefore, abundance in this case was the novel idea of income for hosts using what they already have and their existing knowledge of their localities to create an entirely new travel experience. By empowering everyday people to participate in the hospitality industry, Airbnb disrupted traditional models and revolutionised how we explore the world.

Another global example is the brand Too Good To Go, which formulated a sustainable method to direct the surplus of food from restaurants and stores to consumers. Their business model helps businesses to share their abundance of produce and food and engage in abundance through the additional revenue generated.

Their impact directly affects the amount of food waste, which is also an innovative strategy for their users to dispose of unsold items. The repurpose of what was once thought to be waste into co-created value, Too Good To Go demonstrates an innovative and impactful approach to sustainability in the food industry, as evidenced by their 100 million users.

Constructing abundance through partnership is another medium in finding opportunity in the existing. Businesses often seek to imitate rather than collaborate with other actors who are doing the work they wish to make use of.

Collaborating reduces the extent to which extraction of resources occurs, as every strategy which is executed has an outward impact on the amount of resources left in the world, and it is better to work together rather than multiply what exists.

The Net-Works initiative by Interface Inc., a flooring company, in partnership with the Zoological Society of London, turns discarded fishing nets from impoverished coastal communities into recycled yarn for carpet tiles.

This collaboration creates abundance, in other words a new life from something that is considered waste, and results in reducing ocean waste, cutting reliance on virgin materials, and generating income for local communities.

What was once waste is now a valuable resource, aligning with Interface’s regenerative goals and demonstrating how partnerships can unlock shared environmental and economic value.

Owita Organics is a Sri Lankan organisation specialising in organic produce and agriculture solutions, it unlocks abundance by creatively leveraging diverse existing assets and infrastructure to build a resilient, low-footprint supply chain.

They use methods such as supporting the transition to organic farming by working with existing farmer groups. Further, taking advantage of Sri Lanka’s public transport and train networks, Owita moves fresh produce efficiently to their outlets, avoiding costly logistics investments.

They also engage idle part-time youth for flexible home delivery services, offering employment and making the most of local labour availability. These practices not only minimise environmental impact but also enable cost-effective growth through regeneration and resourcefulness.

The world is changing at the fastest it has ever been. Trends, challenges, restrictions and competitors play a large role in determining what goes where, and how our limited resources are shared amongst the many stakeholders in the world.

An abundance mentality shifts us from competing over limited resources, splitting the pie, to collaborating and innovating to grow the pie. It invites us to believe that through shared creativity and collective effort, we can expand value for everyone, not just redistribute it.

It is time to shift our thinking, broaden our horizons to seek abundant opportunities within what we have, and share with others who do not. Are you ready to make that change? It all starts with your mind.

The THRIVE Canvas, a business tool co-created by Good Life X, an innovations and development catalyst, was built to create positive change in the activities of a normative business, to enable a shift in its considerations to not simply profit or material gain, but toward the environment and society as a whole.

At the heart of this shift is the regenerative mindset, which is an essential first step that fosters a fundamental change in thinking, setting the stage for a series of meaningful and responsive changes in how a business operates.

Good Life X offers masterclasses on this mindset, contact ‘connect@goodlifex.com’ to learn more about this impactful turnaround your business can make.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.)