Greening Small Business
Greening Small Business
An aerial view of sustainability shows us a principle with the power to preserve our world intact for our grandchildren even as we consume resources today. When we apply this principle to business, we get "corporate sustainability," which strives to balance the financial, social, and environmental aspects of an organisation.
A company's corporate sustainability strategy depends on such variables as its size and industry. Applications of sustainability can range from retro-fitting facilities with energy-efficient features to integrating recycled and/or biodegradable materials into product design and packaging. Other applications exist and many more are still at the conceptual stage.
Large green companies experience remarkable consumer loyalty and earn a fortune in media attention. But to small business, it may seem like big businesses are the only ones getting the buzz for going green.
Does sustainability offer any real advantages for small business? If so, how does the small business owner apply such a lofty ideal to daily operations? There are many methods but only one formula: leadership, an inquiring mind, and creativity. For those pioneers eagerly embracing sustainability, the payoffs of going green are significant and the risks are minimal.
Leadership is the key to successful implementation ofsustainability initiatives. For small business, going green is largely a voluntary action dependent upon the vision and conviction of one or a few individuals. One advantage is that small business is free to experiment with sustainability without the pressures of meeting compliance regulations or pacifying activist groups. Enterprising companies with a flair for promotion can earn immediate recognition from their customers, employees, community and the media for their efforts.
Good P.R. isn't the only payoff to going green. Companies should consider the cost savings available through energy efficiency.
Companies that want to start small can capture some of the market by adding a green product or service. Identifying opportunities can be a fun and creative process. Retailers, for example, can introduce an organic line or offer customers recycled bags. And, let's not forget our most valuable resources -- the human ones. Training employees on sustainability leads to material savings and increases efficiency, productivity, and loyalty in the workplace.
The moral of the story is that sustainability, while not for the faint of heart, is a strategy that small business can apply with phenomenal speed and success as long as the commitment is there. Smart businesses will embrace the changes and recognise the process as evolutionary. Stagnant businesses may give green a nod, but without commitment and consistency, it will never stick.
The business landscape in the 21st century offers some rich rewards to sustainability pioneers who can muster the courage to reach for the brass ring. The best part is that, in this game, we all win.
Greening Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Sue 's Website.
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Green has gone mainstream and smart business owners are looking for ways to capitalise on this phenomenon.
An aerial view of sustainability shows us a principle with the power to preserve our world intact for our grandchildren even as we consume resources today. When we apply this principle to business, we get "corporate sustainability," which strives to balance the financial, social, and environmental aspects of an organisation.
A company's corporate sustainability strategy depends on such variables as its size and industry. Applications of sustainability can range from retro-fitting facilities with energy-efficient features to integrating recycled and/or biodegradable materials into product design and packaging. Other applications exist and many more are still at the conceptual stage.
Large green companies experience remarkable consumer loyalty and earn a fortune in media attention. But to small business, it may seem like big businesses are the only ones getting the buzz for going green.
Does sustainability offer any real advantages for small business? If so, how does the small business owner apply such a lofty ideal to daily operations? There are many methods but only one formula: leadership, an inquiring mind, and creativity. For those pioneers eagerly embracing sustainability, the payoffs of going green are significant and the risks are minimal.
Leadership is the key to successful implementation ofsustainability initiatives. For small business, going green is largely a voluntary action dependent upon the vision and conviction of one or a few individuals. One advantage is that small business is free to experiment with sustainability without the pressures of meeting compliance regulations or pacifying activist groups. Enterprising companies with a flair for promotion can earn immediate recognition from their customers, employees, community and the media for their efforts.
Good P.R. isn't the only payoff to going green. Companies should consider the cost savings available through energy efficiency.
Companies that want to start small can capture some of the market by adding a green product or service. Identifying opportunities can be a fun and creative process. Retailers, for example, can introduce an organic line or offer customers recycled bags. And, let's not forget our most valuable resources -- the human ones. Training employees on sustainability leads to material savings and increases efficiency, productivity, and loyalty in the workplace.
The moral of the story is that sustainability, while not for the faint of heart, is a strategy that small business can apply with phenomenal speed and success as long as the commitment is there. Smart businesses will embrace the changes and recognise the process as evolutionary. Stagnant businesses may give green a nod, but without commitment and consistency, it will never stick.
The business landscape in the 21st century offers some rich rewards to sustainability pioneers who can muster the courage to reach for the brass ring. The best part is that, in this game, we all win.
Greening Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Sue 's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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