1 cup of Interests + 1 cup of Innovation + 1 cup of Purpose

+ 4 cups of Community + 1000 cups of Courage and Hard Work

→ Idea  

Of course, the formula above is a very simplified form of how an idea was born and there will be zillions of other different formulas defined success, but at least we could have an idea of what it takes to generate an innovative idea, and genuine passion is always a necessary ingredient. Sometimes ideas come from big desires of changing the world or making big differences in people’s lives, but sometimes ideas can just simply come from purely personal interests, trying to fulfill their demands, which society has not been able to provide. 

The idea of RENS originally came from personal interests. The two young entrepreneurs, Son and Khanh, were not pleased enough or dissatisfied with the current sustainable sneakers designs. Fashionable sneakers are what lack or are short in supply to meet their personal demands. Not wanting from the market to provide their needs, they start to put their hands on and make their own dream shoes. 

Passion vs. Interests

Anyone has interests in something, or hobbies that would do in free time, but to turn an interest into a profitable business idea to venture into a start-up requires a different level. When would that simple interest become a serious passion? That is when one is courageous enough to take a leap to make it happen. Son and Khanh were not passively waiting for the market to announce or come out with their desirable shoes. Instead, they made their own. Here, they took action to fulfill their passion. An interest merely stops at the challenge, but for passion, once there is a concern or problem that could be improved for the better, they are willing to take that challenge and overcome it. Running a startup is a whole different story than just mere interests in shoes and one needs lots of commitments, risk-taking, and determination to stay with that dream and stick with that passion. Once one accepts the challenge and faces it, one overcomes the threshold of turning bare interests into a real passion.

Community Awareness 

A sense of community awareness and an understanding of the current problems of our society are motivations that allow RENS to grow. With modern education, the two young entrepreneurs are conscious and aware of the interests and concerns around sustainability and environmental-friendly products. They are listening to the market and adapting to society’s demands in more sustainable products and addressing issues around environmental concerns. Understanding what the consumers want or are interested in while recognizing the drawbacks that sustainable products are not widely echoed within the community, the RENS Founders decided to take the lead to bring sustainable products in the more attractive platform that could draw more attention from consumers. Therefore, being aware and present with the current issues in our society to generate ideas that can help to address worldwide concerns are one of the motivations for innovative ideas.

Now that RENS is not only wearing their dream shoes but also able to bring those shoes to our world. RENS does not only stop at their successful ideas in making sustainable shoes from coffee waste, but they start to go strong and determined in their philosophy and vision in supporting positive climate change. RENS promises to bring more innovative, creative products, not just shoes, but also other products from recycling wastes. And we, the world is all waiting…