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The Right Move
Written by: Lynn CelmerArticle Overview: Eco-entrepreneur Spencer Brown is saving consumers a lot of time and money and changing the way they move with his company, Rent-a-Green Box.
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The Right Move
Spencer Brown is on a mission to green the world, one box at a time. As
a product designer, he created a durable, rentable, and reusable moving
box, called the Recopack (recycled ecological packing solution). He
plans to eliminate the cardboard box all together. His company,
Rent-a-Green Box is America’s first, comprehensive, zero-waste pack and
move solution made entirely from post-consumer recycled trash mined
from local landfills. The company currently services every city in
Orange County, Los Angeles County and select areas of Inland Empire and
San Diego County. They will be expanding nationwide over the next few
years.
Five years ago, the guy selling him the trash told him he
was either the biggest idiot he had ever met or a genius. Spencer
proves to us why he is the latter.
Was being an entrepreneur
something that’s always interested you?
I have never really thought of
myself as an entrepreneur. I’m more of a product designer and inventor.
The more I build this company, the more I’m realizing that I’m very
entrepreneurial in how I approach problems and turn them into
solutions. I tend to approach everything with a “can do” attitude and
listen to all of the amazing people around and our current, past and
initial customers. I also think of the long-term growth in everything I
do. How will this affect us in three, five, and 10 years? What I have
learned is that no matter what you call yourself or what others call
you—you have to have a brilliant idea that people can understand in
less than three seconds. It must fulfill a void or a need in the
marketplace—add a lot of hard work, daily effort, and inner belief in
what you are doing … if that’s being an entrepreneur—than I am one.
How
long did it take you to come up with the idea for Rent-a-Green Box?
I
had to dump my old cardboard boxes in a landfill and saw a bunch of
hard-to-recycle plastic bleach bottles and picked one up and
thought—why don’t we just take this trash and make a better box. It was
that simple. Simplest ideas are the best. I went to lunch and was
eating some pho noodles and thought—why are we cutting down a tree to
make a cardboard box that’s used once, maybe twice, that ends up in a
landfill when we can use our trash to reinvent the way we pack and move
without trashing the planet. I sketched a few boxes on a doily and my
idea was official. I would rent a green box and eliminate the cardboard
box. Nine months later, I was renting the Beta Test Recopacks and then
six months later I was able to make them electric lime green and in
three sizes. From concept to market took nine months and another six
months to make our world-famous green box. The next 18 months was spent
on making it simple for people to understand our product and service
and we’ve been growing exponentially ever since!
How did you get
so passionate about the environment?
Up until I went to the landfill, I
had never really been there, and was so disturbed and so shocked. I
didn’t realize that the problem was so pervasive. And didn’t realize
that no one was doing anything about it. I surf on the beach side. I’ve
always gone to Farmer’s Markets. I’ve always been aware of the
environment, but didn’t know how I could make a change. I just said I’m
going to make a better product. I’m like a chef; I want you to try my
food and enjoy it. I’m like a musician; I make music and want you to
enjoy listening to it. If that means that I’m environmentalist, than so
be it. I’ve also become very passionate about making sure that if you
give consumers the right choice, they’ll make it.
Besides the
obvious, what are some of the other benefits of using your products as
opposed to traditional moving supplies?
What we hear from our clients
is that they like that my Recopack has handles, is crush proof, speedy
to pack, load and offload and unpack. So, there’s no messing with that
fussy tape and that’s a huge benefit and differentiation. The other
benefit is that they are rented for two weeks and they are 50 percent
cheaper than buying a cardboard box. Most people who use our service
are not green and they see that they can save time and money. When they
find out how green we are and the immediate environmental impact they
have by detoxifying the landfills and moving green without trashing the
planet, they really get into the feel good of the product and service.
They also love the electric lime green color—it’s amazing to see them
take pictures with their green boxes. It’s almost like an event and
they always do cool poses and stack them in unique ways to make it an
event. It’s very cool.
What motivates you?
I think being the
best at my craft and challenging myself to master the project or idea
that I’m working on is a huge motivator for me. I like the feeling of
improving myself with the goal of a personal best and I know the
feeling when I look at what I have done or created and I can say: Hey
I’m proud of the work, effort and results. My twins, a boy and a girl,
are also a huge motivator for me. There were times when I was
delivering boxes at 5 a.m. and I would get done at 11 p.m.—my whole
body was sore and my hands were cracked and swollen. Thinking of them
and their futures really makes me think of the importance of this
company and I want them to see that we all have to work hard and smart
and that we can do GOOD at the same time. My last motivation comes from
my clients who blog about us, Yelp us and tell their friends. It makes
me challenge myself to do even better for them and that’s a very
powerful motivator—not letting people down when they need your help.
Do
you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a
successful entrepreneur?
I was wondering about that myself and thought
of the Steve Jobs quote from an old Apple commercial. All of the
entrepreneurs that I have met share this same philosophy: Here’s
to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the
round pegs in the square holes … the ones who see things
differently—they’re not fond of rules … You can quote them, disagree
with them, glorify them or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do
is ignore them because they change things … they push the human race
forward, and while some may see them as they crazy ones, we see genius,
because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the
world, are the ones who do.
What’s the most hopeful sign that
you’ve seen recently from the green economy?
Actually the green economy
is doing great. The Internet is connecting everyone together. When you
connect everyone together, customers have a choice. Everyone is trying
to be eco-friendly and green. Companies don’t change. The companies
that do are leaders and leaders make all of the money. But now, the
consumer is going “I don’t want to buy that stuff.” Corporations are
saying, “Hey, we’re green too.” They don’t want to miss the opportunity
to capitalize on what people want. They want to go green. They go
green; everyone wins. America is built on winners.
Article Tags: 10 years, attitude, belief, brilliant idea, cardboard box, cardboard boxes, entrepreneur, genius, hellip, initial customers, inland empire, inventor, landfill, landfills, los angeles county, moving box, orange county, rsquo, spencer brown, zero waste
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About the Author: Lynn Celmer RSS for Lynn's articles - Visit Lynn's website Lynn Celmer is the Managing Editor for America's Best magazine, a nationally-distributed publication geared towards small business owners. Before coming to America's Best, Lynn was a Lifestyle Editor for Gatehouse Media in Illinois. She covered various topics, including Business. Read the online version of the magazine at www.gowithabc.com/magazine Click here to visit Lynn's website Head of the Class Learning to Fly Protecting Their Property Food for Thought Simple Gifts |
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