Green Options » ecoentrepreneur

The Human Resources Advantage in Green Businesses

Leah Edwards — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:45:18 +0000

Last week I blogged about avoiding trouble with human resource issues, and this week I’m taking a more upbeat note. As a green business, you’ve got a hiring and motivational advantage, and you should retain those dedicated employees with as many benefits as you can without breaking the bank.

Alignment around the Environmental Mission

One of the most important operational issues in any business is alignment around a common goal. In some organizations the mission and the highest priorities are unclear. Often, well-meaning staff members are working at cross purposes or are at least not benefiting by the compounding effect of everyone’s efforts complimenting that of everyone else.

In an eco-enterprise, you probably think about and speak about your mission often, and it is likely that your staff joined your green business because they believe strongly in the mission.

Knowing Employment Rules Helps You Devise An Ideal Strategy

As the owner of a green business, you have some flexibility in terms of paid time off and holidays, flexible work schedules and more, and this can help build staff loyalty and help save you costs. By assessing the specific needs of your staff, you can work out a custom benefits package that pleases them and works for you financially.

Do not assume that you have to have the same benefits that were offered at your former employer or that of your friends’ current employers. Find out the employment laws, and then define your own strategy.

I usually recommend separating vacation time from sick time, versus lumping it altogether as paid

How to Pitch Your Green Business to a Venture Capital Firm or Other Investor

Leah Edwards — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:27:06 +0000

In my last post I talked about the pitch-to-pitch, that is, how to even get a potential investor to listen to your pitch for funding your green business. In this post, I’m going to assume you have a good plan for networking and outreach to venture capital firms and/or angel investors. The next question is how to distill all of the supporting points for your tremendous chances for success into one paragraph or a brief conversation.

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you are living and breathing your new business or business idea, and everything seems important. And truly it all is. However, you need to step outside of all of that for a moment and extract a few uber-important points.

Look at your business from the point of view of a potential investor. The investor wants high returns with low risk. And if you are reading this blog, you probably have a green venture and will be reaching out to double-bottom line investors, so you need to have a forecast for an impressive environment impact as well.

Four Points to Fit into Your Green Business Elevator Pitch

How to Green Your Business, Free

Leah Edwards — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:16:24 +0000

This is not exactly advance notice, but tomorrow evening the Small Business Administration in San Francisco is offering a free workshop called “Running & Operating a ‘Green’ Business”. The reason I even bother noting such a last-minute event is that the SBA often repeats popular workshops, and it offers similar programs in different cities. You might want to check out the SBA schedule in your area.
The description of the event in San Francisco is certainly compelling for business owners who want to start or run a green business. “We will discuss strategies to propel you to greatness by helping you deal with issues like energy, water, waste and procurement.” What entrepreneur doesn’t aspire to greatness?

And speaking of great, are things that come free usually great? Although I do believe it is often true that you get what you pay for, it could be argued that you are paying a lot in taxes, so that might be an indication of the potential quality of a “how to green your business” workshop.

My personal perspective is that I get something out of almost every business event I go to — either through networking or directly from something a speaker says. Gaining one idea you didn’t have before or spending one hour focused on starting a green business or making your current business more sustainable might really be the first step toward greatness.

If you’ve been to an SBA workshop, particularly one on running a green business or sustainable business practices, please let us know your experience by commenting on this post.

Sustainable Shopping in Portland, Part 1

Leah Edwards — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:29:16 +0000

In the past couple of months, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of clothing boutiques selling clothing made of sustainably produced fibers or accessories made from recycled materials. My personal observations may not tell the full story, but it seems that sales are slow for these cool but relatively expensive goods.

In Portland last weekend, I had the chance to visit two single-manufacturer boutiques in their home town, and I am happy to report that, at least when sales are on, store traffic was bustling.

My favorite brand in terms of creative styling and wow design is Nau. The brand started by an idealistic but experienced team, many of whom met while working at Patagonia, is all about sustainability whether in sourcing, distribution or retailing. Using fabrics created from recycled polyester and plastics, as well as organically grown cotton and cashmere, Nau’s clothing is surprisingly and pleasingly hip for a company focused on outdoor wear.