Environmental Business

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

photo credit: DocBudie

There’s no question that consumers are starting to pay attention to eco-friendly companies. With the threats of global warming, over-filled landfills, water shortages, and many other environmental concerns looming on the horizon, some businesses that want to make a difference in the world-and attract a large amount of consumer goodwill-are choosing to go green.

There are plenty of reasons to consider environmental factors when planning for your next exhibit. If your industry is not traditionally linked with environmental movements, having a “green exhibit” is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Add to that the fact that you’re doing your part to make the world a better place, and you’ll feel less guilty for blowing your competition out of the water. Here are ten tips for going green at your next exhibit.

photo credit: Creap

The transition to start a “green business” or “eco-friendly” one, as it is often called, is not I had launched
one of Mississippi’s first health food stores. There was no Internet, no Google, no blogging, nothing.
I paid high rent in a mall across from the local university. The local townsfolk felt I might be
possessed to believe that natural products might be better than what could be bought at A & P Grocery.
(I am showing my age here).

Many years career changes later, I finally settled on e-commerce and cartooning. I found a way
to have my cartoon images printed on demand and drop-shipped. Sales were great from the start, as
I had already built a name with a non-commerce producing cartoon site.

photo credit: blmurch

In case you haven’t caught up to the latest of the environmental catch-phrases, “Green Supply Chain” is a relatively important concept that everyone will eventually discover. We live in the early side of the environmental project, and it is common to find businesses ramping up to offer “Green Products” and “Green Services.” Green is, after all, a marketing concept as well as a environmental issue. So, we find a bevy of businesses selling Green believing that they are environmentally conscious as well as reaching out to a growing market of buyers.

What is under developed in these newly-christianed, Green businesses is the follow through that asks whether they are committed to buying and hiring Green in their business dealings. This often creates an unseen and embarrassing realization that their Green commitment is superficial. The Green Supply Chain concept is really part of the greater sustainable issue. Sustainability seeks to create a deeper and more complete cycle of Green actions.

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Are you looking at the world around you and discovering ways to increase your sales? If not, why not? You are surrounded by opportunities all day everyday if you’ll just open your eyes and ears and put them to work for you.

Have you noticed there are cable television channels dedicated to green living, entire lines of green cleaning products, green cities, etc? And you’re wondering what green has to do with you and your business? Well, green could be your new marketing best friend.

One of the quickest ways to increase sales is to get complete strangers contacting you. One of the most effective ways to do that is direct mail.

photo credit: robertnelson

As any experienced marketer knows, differentiating your business from your competitors is a primary key to attracting new prospects and customers and retaining them once they decide to become your customers. But will the same “hook” that attracted them to become your customer be enough to maintain their loyalty? Let’s examine a few strategies:

Low Price: As people are always price conscience, especially in this slow economy, this can be an excellent method to attract new customers. However, unless your company plans on being a “discount house” operation, you will need to evolve a different strategy to retain those customers, otherwise they will simply seek out the next big discount elsewhere.

photo credit: myuibe

A Green Business is something to be proud of. By establishing such a business you are contributing to the well being of the Planet and of your fellow man. It doesn’t matter if you are a consulting firm that advises others on the best ways to Go Green or if you sell merchandise that is “green”, by adding your voice and your resources to the Eco friendly movement then you are doing the world a great service.

As the Green Movement gains momentum and more companies are joining the fold it is important to make certain that your business does not become another tree among the ever growing forest. You have to market your business in such a way that it is noticeable and necessary while maintaining the right to be Green.

photo credit: MK Media Productions

Adopting environmentally-friendly business practices has become more than a passing trend – companies and organizations are rapidly learning the importance and benefit of becoming green. Not only will you do your part to encourage and support eco-friendly habits, but you may just find you have more greenback in your wallet by going green.

Recycle and Reduce

Take a good look at what your company consumes and see what (if anything) can be recycled and reduced in use. Recycle all paper products, bags, and cardboard, and other applicable business products. Try and print less and communicate electronically whenever possible.

photo credit: Melissa Goldstein

Most public and private entities today are trying to promote “Green” processes as a way of doing business to help the environment or are touting their “green” attitudes to improve their corporate image. Common examples may include using recycled copier paper, buying items with a minimum percentage of post-consumer waste, and encouraging recycle programs for their own waste. While all those methods are valid, implementation can be very costly and may prevent the programs from being successful and widely accepted. What some “Green” coordinators do not realize is that utilizing and implementing technology solutions that eliminate waste can be just as good or better.

The common misconception is that technology equals huge dollar expenditures and long implementation schedules that may cost more than they are worth. This may be true in some cases, but not for electronic reverse auctions. Public and private entities can save thousands of dollars and trees every year by posting their bids online in either a reverse auction format or electronic RFQ, The specifications and terms and conditions documents can be uploaded to a website so they do not have to be printed out every time a request for them is made. The vendors can then respond to these bids by uploading their responses or placing bids during the live reverse auction.

photo credit: James Cridland

While planning your 2008 business goals and objectives, why not plan to go green and pocket more profits at the same time?

When it comes to the environment, being a good global citizen starts in your own business.
From recycling to using alternative cleaning products, minor changes can add up to real benefits for the planet. Not to mention your own health and happiness.

And every little bit helps.

1) Telecommuting: Video Conferencing can be used for telecommuters in your business. Employees will be able to work from a home office and still be able to meet face-to-face and collaborate in real time just like they would if they were in the office.

photo credit: thingermejig

There’s one thing you need to know about the green consumer. They want to know.

According to the Roper Green Gauge, over 50% reported they would do more if they only knew what and how. So moving your communications to educate and inform can do a lot to grow your green business.

While representing an eco-friendly paint company, we raised the issues of indoor air pollution which is caused in part by the out-gassing of toxins in conventional paints, stains and cleaning products. We built into their quarterly consumer catalog an educational component called “Did You Know?” Sprinkled throughout the pages were various statistics that enlightened consumers.

For instance, using EPA statistics, we informed them that “indoor air pollution is two to twenty times worse than outdoor air pollution even in a heavily industrialized city.” A few pages later, a statistic from Scientific American stated, “A baby crawling on a conventional carpet inhales the equivalent of four cigarettes a day.”

These eye-opening facts broadened their audience considerably, bringing many mainstream people into their consumer base who now understood the close-to-home benefits of their products. Then we launched the branding line for their non-toxic paints, “Beauty without the Beast.” We struck the balance between the reasons people buy their products: To beautify their homes AND avoid unnecessary toxins – the real reason for that “just painted smell.”

Most of us trust the marketplace to bring us products that are safe, useful and effective. Consumers have not trained themselves nor felt the need to examine everything that’s out there before they purchase. But that’s beginning to change.

The thousands of recalls of everything from children’s toys to chopped meat are beginning to wake up and energize a more informed consumer. They’re demanding to know more before they buy and that has profound implications for marketers.