Sustainable Business Strategy Brings “Doing Good” to This Artist’s Life & Work

Miroslav Stiburek grew up in a small town near Prague, Czech Republic, with entrepreneurial parents who inspired him to follow his dreams.

"After the revolution, when the Czech Republic became a democracy, my parents gave up their government jobs and opened a bakery and ice cream shop," Stiburek says. "That shaped my life. With their encouragement, I became determined to earn money from my passion for drawing and making things with my hands."

Stiburek thought learning to speak English would be important. He convinced his parents to send him to an international school where everyone spoke it. He describes the experience as "chaotic at first," but he became proficient enough to attend the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom for a bachelor's degree in sports technology and master's degree in financial management.

"I was an amateur golfer, so I wanted to combine my love of sports with my interest in making things with mechanical engineering," Stiburek says. "I got my master's in business because I realized, to pursue any entrepreneurial field, I would need a business background."

As an undergraduate, he grew interested in design and marketing. He launched a business doing search engine optimization and web design for various clients. It was his first foray into entrepreneurship and helped him get through college and refine his English skills.

After university, he gave up his marketing business and moved back home to live with his parents in the Czech Republic. He supported the family ice cream and bakery business and helped launch their new venture: designing and building a shopping mall. Creating a large mural in the mall's entrance inspired him to return to his passions. He combined his love of golf with his creative talents and opened a shop in Prague specializing in golf fashion.

"The golf shop was a good source of income for a few years, but I missed my inner child, my love for drawing and painting," Stiburek says. "I got out my pencils and bought a book to help refine my drawing skills. I wanted to launch my own product but didn't want to be tied to a physical space. I wanted to be able to live anywhere."

Stiburek decided there was no better place to pursue a career as a designer and artist than in Barcelona, Spain. He gave up his shop and moved there with his girlfriend.

Around the same time, he entered an international design competition and won an award for a fashion watch he designed for teens. The experience sparked an interest in industrial design and reinforced his belief that he could put his art to work to create something that would sell.

He decided to split his time as a freelance graphic and industrial designer. At the same time, he resurrected his love of fine arts and began painting.

"With painting and drawing, I fell more in love with being an artist, but I needed another source of income," Stiburek says. "Since then, art has become my primary career, but I believe my design work helps my art."

Stiburek developed an interest in sustainability while working with a client in a water filtration business. He wanted to learn more about it, so he searched for a course. Most options he found were in the U.K., but he wanted to experience American education and was drawn to the Harvard brand and HBS Online's Sustainable Business Strategy course.

"I was worried it would be strange to do a class entirely online, but it turned out to be very interesting learning with people from around the world," he says. "The class was exceptional. The videos were well produced, and I loved the faculty, businesspeople, and interaction with classmates. I found it helpful to work at my own pace, but the interaction with other students brought out the competitive part of me and made me work harder."

He adds, "The biggest message I got from the course was: 'Do well by doing good.' Businesses need to think about the long term because when they're focused only on short-term profit and greed, they'll eventually fail."

While taking the course, Stiburek applied his learning to his art and created a painting that captured the process of gaining knowledge (featured above). The painting attracted the attention of many potential buyers, including one from the U.S. Yet, because it was personal to him, he gave it to his girlfriend as a gift.

"The course confirmed that formal education is important to being successful in business," he says. "Having a purpose and bringing sustainability to my work builds trust with my customers. It helped me solidify the strategy to pursue helping others. My vision became sustainability in business and life."

Continuing to juggle a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits, he invented an electronic coaster that heats up and cools down depending on your drink. He has a prototype and hopes to manufacture and sell it soon.

As his art business starts to take off, Stiburek is contemplating how and if to stay involved with his family's business.

"I'm happy in Barcelona and don't want to move back, but I could open an ice cream shop here to reconnect with my family's business and, perhaps, one day follow the passive income route through renting retail space," he says. "I'd also like to take more courses, especially about innovation. We must innovate, or we'll die and go extinct."

If you're interested in learning more about how you can do business while doing good, explore Sustainable Business Strategy—one of our business in society courses—and download our free e-book on how to be a purpose-driven, global business professional.