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Aputsiaq is one of the participants in Ørexund. Here you can read more about his business idea and his thoughts on how the program has affected the work.
What is your idea and purpose? My idea is to make it easier for the consumer to act according to their own principles, for example avoiding manufacturers who use tax havens. The name is not in place yet, but so far it is called ’Køb Rigtigt’ (Buy Right). It should help the consumer when, for example, you are in the supermarket and have to choose between buying one product over the other. I do not want to be the judge of what people buy, but it’s meant as a help, so that one will be able to shop and buy according to one’s ethics and values at the same time. My product should help come up with the information you need and hopefully come up with suggestions for an alternative product you can buy where you are not sending money into tax havens.
It is targeted at consumers who have or want to take a stand and consumers who have ideals, values and preferences as citizens. It is about democratic values, where you as a citizen and consumer want the money you spend to end up in the pockets of the right people – and not in tax havens. It can be a bit of a jungle to shop and take a stand at the same time, where you as a consumer would have to check each and every product and manufacturer. Then it becomes too much of a hassel to fill the shopping bag.
What inspired you to start? I’ve heard about the big tax haven cases with the Panama Papers, etc. It really caught my eye that there were and still is a lot of money flowing out of the our national treasury. The money ends up outside democratic control when it goes through tax havens. The EU is having a hard time closing these tax-gaps, and many of the larger multinational corporations want to make as much financial gain as possible. So my goal is to support and strengthen the role of civil society and the consumer. I have a bit of a catchphrase, which is; your purchase is your ballot. As a consumer, you can help to vote with your feet and thereby make a difference.
What do you hope to learn from the ØreXund Excubator course? I have had this idea for some years now. During the corona lockdown, things came to a standstill, but it also gave me time to think and think about what I wanted from this. So when I saw an ad for the ØreXund programme on Facebook, I thought it was a signal and that now was time to revisit my idea. I hope I get to network with the other participants and people who might share the same visions and would want to collaborate on Buy Right.
Have you received inspiration from the other participants in ØreXund Excubator? In a positive way I am challenged by both my advisor and by the other participants, where I am forced to look at my idea from other angles. At the same time, I get valued inputs from the other participants and advisors, where they have some other perspectives and ideas. I hope it can make me have a more bulletproof project that can turn into a great product. I think it’s good to be in a network with other entrepreneurs where we can help and inspire each other.
What changes in the world would you like to create with your idea? At my home me, my girlfriend and our daughter each have our own preferred brand of toothpaste. I really hope I do not send money into tax havens with my preferred brand of toothpaste. So the change I would like to see, is for people in their own free will to become more aware of the products they buy and thereby the companies they thereby support. That more and more people in the long run are helping to fight tax havens. Because these taxes are needed both to ensure the sustainability of society, to combat climate change and to support those who are less privileged.
If you want to hear more about Aputsiak’s idea, you can contact him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aputsiak
Do you go with an entrepreneurial dream or do you want to start a cooperative? Then you can apply to become part of ØreXund Excubator: https://orexund.coop/
Aputsiaq er en af deltagerne i Ørexund. Her kan du læse mere om hans forretningsidé og hans tanker om, hvordan programmet har påvirket arbejdet.
Hvad er din ide og dit formål? Min ide er, at gøre det lettere for forbrugeren at handle efter egne principper, eksempelvis undgå producenter som anvender skattely. Navnet er ikke på plads endnu, men indtil videre hedder det ’Køb rigtigt’. Det skal hjælpe forbrugeren, når man fx står i supermarkedet og skal vælge mellem, om man skal købe det ene produkt frem for det andet. Det er ikke meningen, at jeg vil gøre mig til dommer over, hvad folk køber, men det er for at støtte op, at det skal være lettere at købe ind og tænke ens etik og værdier ind samtidigt. Mit produkt skal hjælpe med at komme med de informationer, man har brug for og forhåbentlig komme med forslag til et alternativt produkt, man kan købe, hvor man ikke derved sender penge i skattely.
Det er forbrugere, der først og fremmest tager afsæt i, at de har nogle idealer, værdier og præferencer som borgere. Det handler om demokratiske værdier, hvor man som borger og forbruger ønsker, at de penge, man bruger også havner i lommen på de rigtige – og ikke i skattely. Det kan være lidt som en jungle at handle ind, hvis man ønsker at tage stilling, man skal tjekke hver et produkt og producent. Så bliver det for besværligt at fylde indkøbsposen.
Hvad har inspireret dig til at starte? Jeg har hørt om de store skattely sager med Panama Papers osv. Det har virkelig fået mine øjne op for, at der er mange penge, som fosser ud af statskassen. Pengene havner uden for demokratisk kontrol når de går gennem skattely. EU har svært ved at lukke disse huller, og mange af de store multinationale selskaber ønsker at tjene mest muligt. Så her vil jeg gerne støtte op om civilsamfundets og forbrugerens rolle. Jeg har lidt en ’catchphrase’, som er; dit køb er din stemmeseddel. Som forbruger kan du på den måde være med til at stemme med fødderne og derved gøre en forskel.
Hvad håber du at lære af ØreXund Excubator forløbet? Jeg har gået med denne ide i nogle år. Under corona-krisen gik tingene i stå, men jeg fik også tid til at tænke og mærke at jeg ville det her. Så da jeg så en annonce for ØreXund-projektet på facebook, tænkte jeg, at det var et signal om, at nu skulle det være. Jeg håber, at jeg får knyttet nogle forbindelser til andre interessenter, som arbejder med samme visioner og vil samarbejde omkring Køb Rigtigt.
Har du fået inspiration fra de andre deltagere i ØreXund Excubator? Jeg bliver udfordret af både min rådgiver og af de andre deltagere, hvor jeg bliver tvunget til at se på min ide fra flere vinkler. Jeg får samtidigt nogle gode input fra de andre deltagere og mentorer, hvor de har nogle andre overvejelser og ser på min ide fra andre vinkler. Jeg håber, at det kan gøre, at jeg får et mere skudsikkert projekt, som kan blive til et godt produkt. Jeg synes, det er godt at være i et netværk med andre iværksættere, hvor vi kan hjælpe hinanden videre.
Hvilke forandringer i verden vil du gerne skabe med dit ide? Hjemme hos os har min kæreste, min datter og jeg hver sin type tandpasta. Jeg håber virkelig, at jeg ikke sender penge i skattely med min tandpasta. Den forandring, jeg gerne vil have, er at folk af deres egen fri vilje begynder at bliver mere bevidste om de produktet, der findes på markedet og som de køber. At flere og flere på sigt er med til at bekæmpe skattely. For disse skatter er der brug for både til at sikre bæredygtigheden i samfundet, bekæmpe klimaforandringerne og støtte op om udsatte borgere.
Ønsker du at høre mere om Aputsiaks ide, så kan du kontakte ham via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aputsiak
Går du med en iværksætter drøm eller ønsker I at starte et kooperativ? Så kan du ansøge om at blive del af ØreXund Excubator: https://orexund.coop/
