ABOUT US
Our Vision
At Oso Strategics, we believe every living creature’s most basic desire is to be happy, content, and free of suffering. People share the world with animals, plants, and trees that all have the same basic desire and play vital roles in their environment and ecosystems. We all deserve to not just survive, but to live and thrive.
We believe the fate of all living creatures is inextricably tied to the health of the ecosystems we live in. We all live on a planet with limited amounts of clean air and water, arable land, habitable space, and other natural resources. The Earth exists in a delicate physical, chemical, and biological balance, and every living creature depends on that balance for survival. Humanity’s mindless, unsustainable consumption hurts not just our own lives, but also the other living creatures we share the Earth with. Climate change, ocean acidification, worsening wildfires and hurricanes, overflowing landfills, the loss of biodiversity. We are driving ourselves off a cliff, to the suffering and ruin of all.
We believe people must learn to live in balance with our environment, and not use the Earth’s resources faster than they can be replenished. We have to shift to a circular, sustainable economy. We have to appreciate the resources we have, and make conscious, deliberate choices on how to use them. We have to see the value other living creatures provide, both in terms of their contributions to our ecosystems and their own intrinsic value.
We believe one of the best ways to encourage people to appreciate their ecosystems and the living creatures we share them with is to tie our own immediate economic outcomes to the health of our local ecosystems. Communities that depend on our local ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources for businesses and jobs are communities that fight to protect our local environments. We believe sustainable tourism, focused on cultural appreciation, wildlife, and outdoor recreation, is a powerful tool for rural communities to attract visitors and tourists, spur community and economic development, and inspire further environmental appreciation and conservation.
We believe that entrepreneurship and small business ownership is one of the best avenues people have to create the lives we want. With a sustainable tourism business, we can pursue our passions, make a living on our talents, control our schedules, and achieve financial success.
We know, however, that entrepreneurship and business ownership is hard. Starting and running a successful business takes hard work, perseverance, careful analysis, good decision-making, good timing, and some amount of luck. Entrepreneurs invest significant amounts of money, time, and energy into their businesses, and rely on our business to provide for ourselves, our families, and our employees. The stakes are high Business success requires strategy, and “hope is not a strategy.” Entrepreneurs must make conscious, deliberate decisions that align with our goals and priorities.
At Oso Strategics, we envision a world where entrepreneurs are supported in launching and operating locally-owned sustainable tourism businesses in rural communities. They have access to the same business planning, analysis, and strategy tools commonly seen in other industries and big cities. They collaborate with community leaders and government officials to ensure their businesses respect their communities’ unique histories and cultures, and provide amazing, high-value experiences for their visitors and customers. They are supported in integrating their personal and professional lives, and growing and evolving as business leaders. They create high-quality jobs and help highly skilled conservation, tourism, and hospitality professionals advance in their own careers. They create a spillover effect in their communities, increasing the need for other businesses and community organizations. Their communities continue to value their local ecosystems and wildlife they share it with. Everyone makes strategic decisions on how to use their time and resources, and in doing so lives more sustainably.
At Oso Strategics, we Conserve through Strategy.
Our Mission
At Oso Strategics, our mission is “conservation through strategy.” We aim to support, encourage, and inspire people to live more strategically and sustainably by…
… helping entrepreneurs launch sustainable tourism businesses in rural communities;
… helping entrepreneurs support their employees and improve their operations;
… helping entrepreneurs integrate their personal and professional lives, develop as business leaders, and keep their businesses aligned with their goals;
… helping communities develop as places people are eager to live;
… helping inspirational environmental artists get their art to market and thrive as artists;
… being an employer our team members brag about working with;
… and investing our profits back into our mission through artist sponsorships, grants for communities, small businesses, non-profits, and individuals in need of our services, increased compensation for our team, and charitable donations.