Published on 25, Sep 2023

Kumar Vijayendra: Thought Leader in Sustainable Operations Management for Small Businesses

One of the key issues facing today’s small businesses globally is integrating sustainable operations management in their core strategy. Small businesses are significant contributors to the global economy and employ over 45% of the workforce, making their sustainability efforts essential for economic, social, and environmental progress. 

Sustainability helps to reduce the negative impact of business operations on the environment and promote ethical practices that benefit society. By adopting sustainable practices, small businesses can increase their operational efficiency, reduce operating costs, and enhance their brand reputation, leading to higher profits and a competitive advantage.

Kumar Vijayendra is a visionary in this field. With a professional career spanning over 17 years, Kumar has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in transforming business operations and management to meet the 4 Ps of Sustainability – People, Planet, Purpose, and Profitability.

Kumar shares that while the premise is simple to understand, it’s not always as easy to practice. “People” refers to the social aspect of sustainability, and it involves promoting ethical labor practices, providing a safe and healthy work environment, and supporting the local community. “Planet” is the environmental aspect of sustainability: reducing a business's impact on the environment, using renewable energy sources, minimizing waste, and promoting sustainable sourcing practices.

“Purpose” refers to a business’s commitment to its values and mission, including promoting social responsibility, supporting diversity and inclusion, and addressing social and environmental issues. Lastly, “Profitability” covers the financial aspect of sustainability: generating profits while also promoting sustainable practices.

“During my early career as a business owner in India, I noticed a significant gap in the market for small businesses that lacked resources for managing accounting, financial, and tax solutions,” Kumar reflects. “My team and I created an integrated solution that transformed the financial structure of small businesses, making them more efficient and productive. This experience inspired me to focus my career on transforming small businesses to achieve sustainable operations.”

Kumar believes that businesses need to align their operations with sustainability goals to create a positive impact on society and the environment. This alignment leads to an overall happier workforce, a better impact on the planet, purpose-driven organizations, and high profitability.

Kumar’s vision of aligning small businesses with sustainability goals is not just a theoretical concept but a practical approach that he has implemented in his work. While earning his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh, Kumar consulted for organizations to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.

After achieving his MBA, Kumar moved to California and started working with small businesses in the logistics and transportation industry. He chose this area based on his experience in transforming operations and management for small businesses.

During this entire time period, Kumar applied his expertise in operations and management transformation to the companies he worked with, leading to tangible improvements in all aspects of operations for small businesses: hiring, operational efficiency, and an increase in the bottom line.

Kumar serves on the boards of two organizations, the Community Food Bank of San Benito County and the Hollister Downtown Business Association. Kumar’s commitment to community service and his expertise in operations excellence has allowed him to contribute to the improvement of organizations that serve the community. After all, even nonprofits need to be run efficiently - and they can also participate in sustainability.

In India, Kumar was able to become part of the Civil Services - not an easy task. He aced his exam and secured the 52nd rank out of 500,000 applicants, and then utilized this coveted position to create a system for tracking and solving complaints to the Cabinet Minister of Rural Development of the State of Bihar. Kumar’s work there got him the attention of senior officials, and he was chosen to lead a startup development consultancy organization to bring about reforms in governance in the state. 

Kumar led the statewide execution of a program to improve the efficiency of delivering services from governments to citizens. Kumar also led another program from ideation to implementation for creating an IT-based solution to solve complaints that people had against the government. Kumar managed another consulting committee that drastically improved the working conditions of 400,000 contractors/employees of the government.

Kumar Vijayendra’s accomplishments demonstrate his exceptional skills as a leader, problem solver, and expert in sustainability and small business management. His vision of driving a culture of continuous operational excellence and aligning small businesses with sustainability goals has significant implications for the economy, society, and the environment. Kumar’s expertise has allowed him to contribute to the improvement of organizations that serve the community, making him an asset to any organization.

Learn more: https://iamkumarv.com/