But, then I thought I might add a few insights of my own.

A few of her recommendations struck me as really right on target, and seem worth expanding on as they speak to a need that every entrepreneurial company needs to consider sooner or later to continue to grow.

That is, what to do once the explosive growth generated by your hot idea starts to wane. This can be because others jump into the field and it starts to get crowded or because of a slowdown in the economy or because consumers experience fatigue as the hot idea seems to be just about everywhere. Of course, now we are experiencing all three!

As I’ve written about before, now is the time to get back to basic marketing principles. I speak from experience, incidentally.

Fifteen years ago I was working at a very hot start-up that grew into a fast growing mid sized company then imploded due to, primarily, entrepreneurial arrogance in the face of increased competition and a sour economy. Rather than step back and consider a new way of doing business, they continued with the same old marketing programs that worked for them to date – bad idea!

As companies grow and markets mature, new strategies are required. Any marketing student who ever learned about product lifecyles knows that. What’s tough is convincing upper level management, particularly entrepreneurs who consider a product their baby…who will always stay a baby, of that fact.

So, here are just a few tips from me, on keeping your sustainable business growing over the next few years.

1. Step back and re-evaluate your target market. With budgets tighter, your current consumer just might not be able to afford your product anymore.

2. Take a hard look at your competition. Who is selling similar products might now? Keep on top of their marketing efforts.

3. What products might consumers be buying now instead of your product? How can you lure them back?

4. Re-evaluate your positioning. Just being green may not be enough right now – consider quality and/or cost savings a possible positioning.

5. Be creative in your marketing programs- during a recession, well thought out promotions can keep consumers happy and loyal.

6. Find ways to connect with your consumers online. I am a big proponent of social media. I use my Twitter account to not only connect with clients but to provide them with valuable advice.

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You can hear more from Sean Daily at GreenLivingIdeas.com and also hear my interview with him here.

Newsweek reports

First there was the dotcom bust of the late 1990s, then came the real-estate bubble that’s deflating before our eyes. Next up: the green bubble. Alternative energy ventures have received a lot of great press, heavy investment and lip service from politicians in the last couple of years, but many of the nascent green industry’s balance sheets are beginning to bleed red.

Well..la di dah is all I have to say. As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, the green movement has reached a tipping point and between the recession and the movement of green into mainstream business, green companies need to act smarter.

While this article in Newsweek, specifically addresses alternative energy, there is a lesson to be learned for all green entrepreneurs. When there is a rush to enter any field, there will inevitably be winners and losers. The field gets over crowded and only the strongest companies survive.

I’ve worked in Fortune 500 companies, in start-ups and in mid-size growth companies and my take has always been - look ahead. That often means changing management style or even changing management. If you are an entrepreneur who is good at starting a business, you may not be the best person to lead your company to the next step. (O.K. I’m ducking here as shoes may be thrown at me.) But seriously. If you want to grow your business, consider taking advantage of the lay offs this recession has brought and bring in managers experienced at growing a company to the next stage…making it also easier to raise capital.

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At the Opportunity Green conference held at UCLA November 8-9, many themes related to the growth and changing direction of the green business movement were discussed by the great variety of green leaders present.

One particularly interesting theme was about the mixed feelings some green entrepreneurs have about going big with their business.

Everybody is eager for success, but green entrepreneurs often fear that scaling up products to reach the masses requires compromises that would negate the benefit of what they are doing and hurt the brand in the long run.

Most green products today are still niche products, perhaps as a result of this fear. At the conference Josh Dorfman, author of “The Lazy Environmentalist”, said that contrary to what many are saying, “Green has not gone mainstream.” Some products are starting to change this, like the Prius and Green Works cleaning products from Clorox, but even these successes represent a small percentage of the overall market. Organic food is big, but it’s still only about 3% of the food we eat.

Do products have to be small to be green? Do they sacrifice something in going big?

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Bad economy got you down? If you’re looking for some inspiration, this trailer for a new documentary might just do the trick. Often down economy’s are the best time to start a new business -especially a green one.

Greenbiz.com gives a few:

According to McKinsey: “most companies in most sectors have profitable opportunities to save money by cutting energy consumption and gas emissions. Our studies indicate that a lot of companies can reduce them by 20 to 50 percent.”

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/15/the-call-of-the-green-entrepreneur/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/09/al-gore-words-bring-hope-for-ecopreneurs/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/09/al-gore-words-bring-hope-for-ecopreneurs/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:38:56 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/09/al-gore-words-bring-hope-for-ecopreneurs/

An op-ed piece in the New York Times, The Climate For Change, by über environmentalist, Al Gore, outlines for President-Elect Obama changes we need to make to both improve the economy and decrease climate change.

Much of what he recommends is good news for ecopreneurs.

1…. incentives for the construction of concentrated solar thermal plants, wind and advanced plants in geothermal hot spots .

2… planning and construction of a unified national smart grid for the transport of renewable electricity from the rural places to cities

3…. help America’s automobile industry (not only the Big Three but the innovative new startup companies as well) to convert quickly to plug-in hybrids

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/09/al-gore-words-bring-hope-for-ecopreneurs/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/05/75-green-start-ups-that-can-make-a-difference/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/05/75-green-start-ups-that-can-make-a-difference/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:22:50 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/05/75-green-start-ups-that-can-make-a-difference/ I spent this morning at a meeting of The Eco Investment Club meeting in San Diego. Founder, Yeves Perez thought I might be interested in attending and I was. While there, I had the opportunity to speak with Glenn Croston, a Ph.D. biologoist and founder of Starting Up Green.com.

Like many of us, Glenn told me, he and his family starting behaving more green in their home and, with his unique perspective on our planet as a biologist, that led him to build a green business.

His new book, 75 Green Business You Can Start To Make Money and Make a Difference, has some great ideas for anyone looking to join the ecopreneurial world. Oddly enough, I ran across this video yesterday, prior to even being aware that Glenn would be at the meeting. Take a look.

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post. ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/05/75-green-start-ups-that-can-make-a-difference/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/27/diwali-indias-biggest-holiday-provides-an-opportunity-for-eco-businesses/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/27/diwali-indias-biggest-holiday-provides-an-opportunity-for-eco-businesses/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:51:00 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/27/diwali-indias-biggest-holiday-provides-an-opportunity-for-eco-businesses/ Diwali, India’s Festival Of Light, is the most important holiday for the global Indian community. As much as it is a time to participate in family traditions, it is also a huge commercial opportunity for businesses, retailers and vendors that cater to the needs of the growing Indian community.

Diwali falls in October or November each year. Indians celebrate the holiday with lavish meals, lighting clay lamps, elaborate house décor, fireworks, exchanging sweets and much more. The month preceding Diwali is the Indian community’s classic gift-giving season. Individuals, small businesses and large corporate houses budget for Diwali gifting and workers’ bonuses at the outset of every financial year.

The Diwali industry is well developed in India but in other parts of the world it is limited by the geographical and cultural context of businesses in the Indian community. Given the increasing numbers of Indians all over the world and increasing evidence of unsustainable Diwali practices, this holiday has become an opportunity for eco vendors and businesses all over the world.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/27/diwali-indias-biggest-holiday-provides-an-opportunity-for-eco-businesses/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/26/call-to-ecopreneurs-inventors-and-innovators-announcing-the-earth-awards/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/26/call-to-ecopreneurs-inventors-and-innovators-announcing-the-earth-awards/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:09:20 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/26/call-to-ecopreneurs-inventors-and-innovators-announcing-the-earth-awards/

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/26/call-to-ecopreneurs-inventors-and-innovators-announcing-the-earth-awards/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/18/the-sustainable-entrepreneurs-dilemma/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/18/the-sustainable-entrepreneurs-dilemma/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:01:05 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/18/the-sustainable-entrepreneurs-dilemma/

The following is guest post submitted to me by the ecopreneurs over at Grow and Make - The Sustainable Living Store.

When MC Milker at Ecopreneurist asked me to consider sharing some of the writing we had been doing at Grow and Make with her readership, I reflected on what it means to be an entrepreneur in this emerging era of sustainability and the  dilemma that we face as both responsible stewards of the earth and successful business people. Grow and Make was founded on the premise that we should create a business which encourages and enables consumers to return to the consumption habits of the 19th century when, through necessity, individuals and families would ‘grow’ and ‘make’ more of their everyday essentials.

Individuals and businesses wishing to adopt more sustainable practices must recognize that minimizing consumption is key to living in a more sustainable manner. Moreover, it is critical for consumers to understand the life-cycle of the goods they consume recognizing that all products leave a significant environmental trail from the cost of conception and production, through the supply chain and into the hands of the consumer, until it’s ultimately discarded and placed in landfill and/or the atmosphere.

While each of these links in the chain can be offset by responsible manufacturers and consumers to some degree, there is no substitute for the benefits of a decision to not consume a product at all.

As an entrepreneur, business owner and consumer, this does presents a dilemma. How to continue to encourage and enable production of goods for consumption while simultaneously discouraging and raising awareness about the perils of consumption?

I believe that the best way to overcome this dilemma is to create best practices for both manufacturers and consumers to consider when creating and consuming goods.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/18/the-sustainable-entrepreneurs-dilemma/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/13/consumer-confidence-at-2004-levels-%e2%80%93-does-this-mean-green-grocery-is-dead/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/13/consumer-confidence-at-2004-levels-%e2%80%93-does-this-mean-green-grocery-is-dead/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:10:09 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/13/consumer-confidence-at-2004-levels-%e2%80%93-does-this-mean-green-grocery-is-dead/ Not necessarily. Though consumer confidence is down, recessions are historically the time when emerging trends gain momentum – green is a fast growing trend.

But, if your business depends on retail distribution, now is the time to familiarize yourself with how the grocery channel operates in down markets…which you may not have been a part of until this time.

The effect at retail has more nuance than an upturn in staples sales, as people eat out less and turn to food stores more for their next meal components. Rattled consumers expressed their lowest confidence levels since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, and the lowest expectation levels since the oil embargo and Watergate of 1973, according to the Conference Board.

This means a focus on the consumer benefit for organic foods…not the term “organic” but the health benefit provided. Consumers may be more willing to spend the extra dollars to buy organic if they have the health benefit spelled out in front them at point of purchase.

Or perhaps, no certainly, this is the time to teach consumers how to stretch their menus. During tight times, providing recipes with which consumers may not be familiar is a great strategy. Coupons and selling a value message is paramount.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/13/consumer-confidence-at-2004-levels-%e2%80%93-does-this-mean-green-grocery-is-dead/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/19/helping-the-environment-can-have-an-immediate-roi/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/19/helping-the-environment-can-have-an-immediate-roi/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:48:25 +0000 Krates http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/19/helping-the-environment-can-have-an-immediate-roi/

“Go Green.”   It may have started out as a catchy slogan, but people everywhere are realizing it’s not just a nice idea, or even an option.  It’s necessary to preserve our way of life.  Businesses are not only heeding this message and providing ground-breaking support, they’re keying into the profitability factor as well.  Helping the environment, simply put, can have an immediate ROI.

“Consumers are thinking about it, and therefore retailers think they need to think about it as well,” said Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president at consultant TNS Retail Forward.

“Retailers have woken up to the idea that not only is this going to be good from a public-relations perspective but also from a profitability perspective“.

Public awareness of global warming is at an all time high.  People are looking for ways to make the world a better place.  In fact, “83% of Americans would choose products and services with environmental benefits over similar non-environmental alternatives.”

Businesses are noticing this trend, and stepping in to provide their customers with the resources and the opportunity.  As The Wall Street Journal’s Livemint.com notes,

“ …for the corporate world, “green” can be a mantra with a dual advantage: it’s the right thing to adopt, not just as an environmentally responsible entity, but also — more important — as a profitable proposition”.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/19/helping-the-environment-can-have-an-immediate-roi/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/12/naturally-successful-dvd-that-redefines-the-bottom-line/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/12/naturally-successful-dvd-that-redefines-the-bottom-line/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:40:57 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/12/naturally-successful-dvd-that-redefines-the-bottom-line/

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Arnold Creek Productions new release takes a look at ecopreneurs and what makes them tick.

“Naturally Successful” is a 78-minute program about how a new type of entrepreneur is changing industries and the world at the speed of business. It features interviews with some of the country’s top business consultants, educators, authors and speakers who are inspiring entrepreneurs worldwide, such as Hunter Lovins, Van Jones, Mark Albion and Michael Shuman.

They offer insights on entrepreneurship, with a focus on building a values-driven business, providing meaningful leadership, achieving results beyond profits, serving customers, thinking long-term, seizing opportunities in new and existing markets, creating a thriving business and embracing a new type of capitalism.

We wrote about this before…now you take a look and tell me: Does this capture the spirit of Ecopreneurs? Tell me what you think?

Related Posts:

Triple Bottom Line: The DNA of a Green Business Starts with People

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Social Entrepreneur?

Naturally Successful: Inspiring Videos for Green Entrepreneurs

Book & DVD Review: Building with Awareness

]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/12/naturally-successful-dvd-that-redefines-the-bottom-line/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/09/surprise-surprise-youth-not-leaders-in-the-green-movement/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/09/surprise-surprise-youth-not-leaders-in-the-green-movement/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:40:06 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/09/surprise-surprise-youth-not-leaders-in-the-green-movement/

While twentysomethings may be the cheerleaders of the green movement, a new report from i-com reveals that the ranks of actual users of green products are grey haired and wrinkled.

Both male and female groups 55 years and over reported above average usage of environmentally friendly home goods. Leading the way was the 55-59 year-old female demographic, who was more than twice as likely as the average consumer to use green products. Males 65-69 years old were second, more than 1.7 times as likely to use than the average American.

I don’t find this terribly surprising for a number of reasons including what the survey found out: 50% of non-adopters cited high prices as the main factor behind their decision not to purchase green products. As is well know, the bulk of this country’s wealth is concentrated in the baby boomer generation. If you were lucky enough to be born in the first half of the boom (and now find yourself wondering why your kids have such trouble getting ahead in a vastly different economic landscape than the 60s and 70s) then you know what I mean.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/09/09/surprise-surprise-youth-not-leaders-in-the-green-movement/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/25/how-to-avoid-eco-fatigue-what-ecopreneurs-need-to-know/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/25/how-to-avoid-eco-fatigue-what-ecopreneurs-need-to-know/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:59:04 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/25/how-to-avoid-eco-fatigue-what-ecopreneurs-need-to-know/ It’s important for growing companies to keep an eye on the overall market. While much of what makes entrepreneurs great is their ability to think out of the box, it’s what’s happening overall and how they fit into the general scheme of things that determines whether they succeed or fail.

So, I like to highlight some of the greater market trends in this blog. One of those of particular interest, one might say overwhelming interest, to green entrepreneurs is the looming scare of “eco fatigue”.

Is it real?

Will it impact green businesses?

Are you seeing it impact your business?

Here’s some tips from AdAge designed for large established companies but equally relevant for ecopreneurs. What do you think?

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/25/how-to-avoid-eco-fatigue-what-ecopreneurs-need-to-know/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/10/green-consumers-pull-back-%e2%80%93-now-what-recession-strategies-for-eco-businesses/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/10/green-consumers-pull-back-%e2%80%93-now-what-recession-strategies-for-eco-businesses/#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:04:47 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/10/green-consumers-pull-back-%e2%80%93-now-what-recession-strategies-for-eco-businesses/

I’ve been carefully watching sales of green products during this current downturn; analyzing the double-whammy impact of inflation and unemployment. While, as I wrote in Worried About The High Cost Of Green Products? Inflation Will Help, the price differential between organic and natural products and their traditional counterparts, may narrow, falling consumer incomes may make that a moot point as consumers trade down.

“Frugality is now replacing frivolity,” wrote David Rosenberg, chief North American economist for Merrill Lynch, who suggests that the consumption patterns of the 1950s could be coming back. “Ozzie and Harriett” is in; “Sex in the City” is out.

Except for deep green consumers.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/10/green-consumers-pull-back-%e2%80%93-now-what-recession-strategies-for-eco-businesses/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/05/many-many-ways-to-go-green-new-case-studies-in-green-has-some-ideas/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/05/many-many-ways-to-go-green-new-case-studies-in-green-has-some-ideas/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:11:50 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/05/many-many-ways-to-go-green-new-case-studies-in-green-has-some-ideas/ For companies going green there’s a new resource our from PR Newsonline. Though I wasn’t willing to plunk down the almost $400 to buy a copy for myself, to me the publication says that enough companies are serious about going green to purchase this report and share it with key employees.

Greening one’s business is big business these days. Consumers are actively seeking green alternatives and shunning those that they perceive as greenwashing. The call is for true green initiatives, throughout an organization.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/08/05/many-many-ways-to-go-green-new-case-studies-in-green-has-some-ideas/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/06/10/nobodys-really-going-green-most-companies-just-pay-lip-service/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/06/10/nobodys-really-going-green-most-companies-just-pay-lip-service/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:46:52 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/06/10/nobodys-really-going-green-most-companies-just-pay-lip-service/ A new report from Arthur D. Little, Sustainable Performance shatters my perception that companies are whole heartedly going green. An analysis of the report at Greenbiz.com notes this conclusion.

“Sustainable Performance” from Arthur D. Little argues that regulatory and consumer pressures have not pushed corporations toward sustainability beyond superficial measures.

It’s not surprising that the report concluded that, in general, companies only take steps toward going green when it impacts the bottom line. Driven by shareholder concerns companies frequently implement those green solutions that maximize short terms gain. Forced to “report to stock markets” on a quarterly basis, it can be difficult for companies to proceed with longer term green objectives.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/06/10/nobodys-really-going-green-most-companies-just-pay-lip-service/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/22/coming-to-a-county-near-you-green-business-programs/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/22/coming-to-a-county-near-you-green-business-programs/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 18:37:24 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/22/coming-to-a-county-near-you-green-business-programs/ This story contains additional media. Click here to view the media.

I saw this video by way of Environmental Leader . I know that many other counties and cities have started up programs to help entrepreneurs promote their green businesses. What has been your experience with programs of this type? How much help and how much hype?

]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/22/coming-to-a-county-near-you-green-business-programs/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/16/how-to-advertise-your-green-business/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/16/how-to-advertise-your-green-business/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 17:37:48 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/16/how-to-advertise-your-green-business/ Like all entrepreneurs, those in the eco-sphere need to spend their ad dollars wisely. While big advertisers can afford to make big mistakes, small advertisers can only afford to make small ones. Green entrepreneurs can ruin their business without a carefully thought out campaign.

And so, as I mentioned in this post, Recession Proof Your Green Business, before you even consider embarking on an advertising campaign, you need:

….to ensure that you have a strong unique positioning and are promoting that differentiation at every opportunity.

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