Environmental Business

Business Loans, Angel Investors, Venture Capital and Start Up Capital for Environmental Businesses

photo credit: Ajda Gregor?i?

With the current U.S. economic conditions, financial institutions are tightening their grip on funds. Markets have dropped dramatically, foreclosures are popping up like daisies in the spring and small-town banks have gone belly-up to be purchased by larger banks. Every day brings newscasts with more dreadful financial tidings and we’ve been warned that loans will be harder to secure. So, if your business is in need of working capital, you may be thinking that the outlook is pretty bleak. There is hope, however and there are a few things you can do to increase your chances when you sit down in front of that loan officer.

First, you need to develop a positive attitude. That may seem difficult, given the point of view of the media and the general population. It may be easier, though, if you simply remember a few important facts:

Lenders have to lend to make money. Financial institutions don’t simply gather funds. They make money by loaning money. Your finance charges and interest are your bank’s bread and butter. The bank has nothing to gain by hoarding funds because there’s a crisis.

Business is a good investment. It’s obvious that our financial institutions need something other than the housing market to invest in. Businesses like yours contribute to the economy, pay taxes and employ our citizens. Your government and your bank want you to stay in business.

photo credit: Jeramy & the Octoberlings

There was a movie before where fledging companies in common office parks and deep-pocketed shareholders group research labs in Silicon Valley hunting for world-changing technologies and the promise of untold earnings. A few extremely buzzed stock offerings explode in to the market long ago when the immense Wall Street hype machine starts to crank into mechanism. The sector was said as the Next Big Thing in the business magazines. Far away, there was a spoilsport talk about a bubble eventually going out of order.

This time with the green tint, the shades of the dot-com bubble and bust cycle are seen again in Wall Street.

photo credit: fogcat5

In this changing world investments can seem a risky business. Some currencies are a bit unstable at the moment, and with a decrease in natural resources and the call to go green it is natural to worry. How secure are investments in new technologies? Is it still safe to invest in less green ventures? If tempted to go the green route, which green route should you take?

At this point I guess it is safe to say that nothing is certain. However, some avenues seem more secure than others. Bio fuels may have a short-term appeal, but in the long run may prove to be unsustainable.

photo credit: thingermejig

Good health never sounded so good… especially when you can actually earn money while buying your own all-natural “green” health and spa products. If you’ve always dreamed of financial freedom, you can now work from home and earn a residual income simply by buying green health and spa products and possibly recommending them to others.

If you’ve been searching for an online business endeavor for very long, you’ve probably heard of home business opportunities that require you to purchase high-ticket items at wholesale prices such as cars, boats, TVs, furniture, and even $1,200 pots and pans! The company asks you to persuade others to sign on under you and purchase these products for themselves, earning you an added commission and them a savings on these items. The problem is many people who want to start a home business are looking because they need money – not because they already have lots to spend. These high-ticket products – even at wholesale – usually cost more than many can afford. That’s why some aspiring business owners drop out of the race so soon.

With “green” health and spa products, things work a little differently. These are actually products you use daily and might even already purchase on a monthly basis. They are affordable, below $100 monthly for entire supplies, and might possibly benefit your health, particularly if you have allergies. One opportunity such as this is with Ultra International, a manufacturer of health and beauty products called Ultra Selects, such as shampoos, body soap, hand soap, and other 100 percent green products. There are also weight loss products, nutritional super drinks, and other health-related products you can try while earning money with this company.

photo credit: sgs_1019

More and more these days’ people are worried about the environment. You will find that many more companies are now launching public relations campaigns in order to show their customers and the rest of the potential customer market that somehow they are changing their ways and going green. This is a great move for companies to show that there is more to worry about than just the bottom line.

If you own a business and you want to let your customers know about your new green strategies, environmental public relations will come in handy. This is more than just regular PR; instead, it is a type of PR that is focused solely and preparing and presenting your company with green initiatives.

photo credit: Orin Optiglot

Everyone is concerned about the effects of global warming and protecting our environment, and avoiding the dangers posed by the continued abuse of the environment. Individuals and businesses are finding ways to be more environmentally conscious. The buzzword on being proactive for the environment is Green.

Go green with your business promoting. Show your customers that you are as concerned about conserving natural resources and protecting the environment as they are. Show them your willingness to do your part to reduce the amount of waste you create that ends up in land fills and adds further harm to natural resources and our environment.

photo credit: lmeurs

In recent months, it seems that the trend of “going green” – living in an environmentally friendly way – has caught on with mainstream America. Clorox has started advertising green cleaning supplies. Paper towels and toilet paper made of recycled paper are cropping up on store shelves. Car companies are advertising hybrid vehicles, and celebrities boast about their extravagant eco-friendly lifestyles.

As a practical retailer, joining the green trend may seem too expensive or too difficult. You care about the environment, but you don’t have the time to install solar panels, grow grass on your roof, or conserve water with fancy plumbing. However, “going green” can be as simple as changing the store bags you use.

photo credit: Torley

Take Your Company’s Green Initiatives, Make Them Work for You and Add Green to Your Bottom Line.

So, your company has a Green Initiative. Maybe you’ve started recycling paper and other products, utilizing biodegradable and renewable resources, choosing sustainable sources for the materials you consume, utilizing energy saving devices or solar powered energy or begun working to reduce your carbon footprint another way. Even if you’re only taking part in one of these initiatives today, it’s likely that your company has invested time, effort and funds into the program – which, by the way, is a lot of additional work you were not doing five years ago. Working to preserve the environment is a noble cause that many companies are making part of their business plan or social responsibility plan, but it also provides those companies a big opportunity to reach out to green consumers and promote their products and services.

Now that your company is putting forth all this extra effort, it’s time to examine your environmental practices and take the positive steps that can help you add profits to your bottom line.

photo credit: Flyinace2000

1. Create an environmental impact statement. If you want to host a green meeting, you’ll need to get buy in from all your stakeholders. The best way to do that is to create an environmental impact statement. Don’t worry. We’re not suggesting a long legal document. In fact, we suggest creating a short description with a couple bullet points to highlight the areas that are important to you. For example, you may say that your organization is committed to reducing solid waste and conserving energy at the event. Share this information with other stakeholders at your event.
2. Use paperless technology to manage your event. In the past, organizing an event meant folders full of paper and piles of lists. Not anymore. Web-based registration and attendee management solutions are making it easier to manage any type of event online in a paperless environment. Take registrations online, send automatic emails to follow up and share reports digitally through a web link. Not only do these practices reduce your environmental impact, but they also reduce your workload and expense.

photo credit: Melissa Goldstein

You can save face as a responsible, “green” corporation while also saving money on buying solvent. In many cases, if you buy a solvent recycler from a knowledgeable vendor, your investment could be paid off on an average of less than one year from time of purchase. Not only will the investment pay for itself, but you can avoid waste removal costs, excessive solvent purchasing costs, and give your company a public profile that promotes your stance on being responsible to maintaining a clean environment.

There are obvious advantages to recycling your own solvent. The first advantage stems from the recent positive publicity from “going green.” While it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss issues such as global warming or water conservation, these and other environmental issues have taken center stage in the media. If your company already recycles its solvent, taking advantage of your contribution to the well-being of the environment will make other companies want to do business with you.