CONVERSATIONS WITH LISA GANSKY
B Y M A E M A Ñ AC A P - J O H N S O N
According to LISA GANSKY, entrepreneur and author of The
Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing, we live in a society
fueled by a new kind of economy. “The Mesh or the sharing
economy is simply the idea that technology enables us to
easily tap into the power of our being truly connected,”
she explains. “Technology like the Web, social networks,
mobile devices and peer-to-peer apps easily allow us
to locate each other and things. This means that we
can often get what we want or need from another
person rather than from a traditional business.”
In this Conservations, Gansky offers insights on why
the future of business is “sharing” and how the spa industry can
be part of it.
PULSE: Why is the sharing economy the future of
business?
Lisa Gansky: In practice, this model represents a rather
massive shift from the idea that valuable goods, services and
talent sitting around unused is acceptable. Now, for many individuals and businesses, we are able to grant others access to our
things. This allows others to benefit from them (their use) and for
us to benefit (income and/or contributing to community development). One of the core tenets of the Mesh or sharing economy
is: unused value equals waste.
If I own a restaurant, office building or spa for example, the
space we are not using, either daily or when our business is
closed, create another opportunity. Parking lots convert to spaces
for local artisan and farmer markets and fairs. Commercial
Personal Side Notes
I live the spa lifestyle by: Being joyful, easily
amused and annoyingly curious about life
For inspiration, I turn to: Yoga, dirt and the sea
A staple in my luggage is: Tennis ball (for
foot rolling), ginger tea and a card that says,
“Leap and the Net will appear.”
My go-to app is: Twitter
My idea of a must-read is: The Sense of
Wonder by Rachel Carson
26 PULSE
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September 2015
kitchens can be used for “pop-up supper clubs” or benefits for
local charities. Once we begin to see the “waste” around us from
excess capacity, we can begin to imagine opportunities for new
types of customers or community members once that value is
unleashed.
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