Weather Delays BP’s Plan To Collect More Oil

July 8, 2010 · Posted in Green Business Ideas · Comments Off 

Latest News:

“Weather is delaying BP’s plans to collect more oil from its blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. The company had been planning to hook up an additional ship to collect oil from the well, but the seas have been too rough.”

Reported in Environment follow this link for the rest of the article

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Social Business – 9 Tips to Writing a Rock Star Social Or Green Business Plan

June 26, 2010 · Posted in Green Business 101 · Comments Off 

So you’re thinking about starting a social business (i.e. a business that helps a social or environmental cause in some way), or adding a social business element to your existing business? Awesome! And congratulations. If you take action on that intention, you’re well on your way to financial freedom and making a positive impact on the world.

Writing a business plan is one of the first tasks on your list. Well the, what makes a great social business plan? It’s both an art and a science, and there are hundreds of books, websites, and other resources on business plans in general. Here are nine great tips specific to writing social business plans, tips that you won’t find in any traditional business plan how-to.

1. Tell your story. How will your company benefit a social or environmental cause? Why start this particular business, why now, and why you? Do this in the synopsis and subtly throughout the whole plan. As a social business, this story is where you can really shine.

2. Keep it brief. No one wants to read a 50 page business plan, and in fact, no one probably ever will, no matter how special or amazing your cause is. Ideally, keep your plan to ten pages, and most certainly under 20.

3. Continually update it. A business plan is a living document that must be reviewed and adjusted on at least a monthly basis. As your company and your cause grow and change, your business plan should evolve in lockstep.

4. Include a brief Envisioned Future section. What will your company look like in 20 or 100 years? How will the world have benefitted from its existence? Your business is an organization with a good cause, so spell out your vision. It will help you keep your eyes on the prize in hard times, and the visual will also help sell the idea to investors, bankers, donors, employees, customers, and everyone else.

5. Show how and why you will be competitive and profitable in a market that doesn’t really care whether your products are made of recycled materials or if you’re empowering poor women beekeepers in Africa. If everything else is equal (i.e. price, brand recognition, quality, shelf location), you might have a slight edge because of your cause. But probably not. You’re providing a product or service to the world, and you must make a profit doing so. Use your plan to legitimately prove that you will. Remember: you can’t help anyone if you go bankrupt.

6. Don’t get too crazy with the use of words like sustainability, green, social business, good cause, fair trade, and so on. Unfortunately, many traditional business people have negative connotations for all those words, left over from extreme environmentalists of the 70s (think off-the-grid communes and lack of deodorant). Unfair images, but we all still have to deal with that for the time being. Use those words when you must, but keep it to a minimum. If you can, use words like “efficiency,” “improved safety standards,” and “increased profit” instead.

7. Do ample research. As a social business, your company will likely undergo more scrutiny from everyone involved than a traditional business model would, which is unfair but true. Back up everything you say with piles of credible research, some of which you may even include in the Appendices to your plan, where appropriate.

8. When compiling your financial projections, make sure to include a Social Return on Investment, or SROI. Explain how you plan to quantify, measure, and analyze your SROI. Quantification is how you will show the world the good things you’ve done, and how you can decide what your biggest and best levers for change are.

9. Use a template business plan to get started. No need to reinvent the wheel. There are lots of free or cheap business plans out there that can help you write your own amazing plan. Granted most of them are not specifically geared to social businesses, so you may have to improvise a bit.

Or, you could just click here to download a social business plan from Social Business Central, possibly the single best resource for small business entrepreneurs with a conscience. You’ll also find loads of other resources, a social business blog, and much more. It’s a really great website.

About the Author

Matt Sparks is a successful entrepreneur, both offline and on, having launched over 25 businesses (some notable successes and some colossal failures, both of which are important). He is a small business mentor and counselor for SCORE?a division of the Small Business Administration (SBA), Micro-Business Development, and other organizations. He has written books, articles, and blogs about social business, small business, real estate, finance, New Urbanism, and sustainable cities.

(c) Copyright – Matthew R. Sparks. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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What is a Nice Green Business Like You Doing Without a Plan?

June 10, 2010 · Posted in Green Business 101 · Comments Off 

Are you the owner of a green business? Or are you thinking of starting one? If so, then there’s something you know you need. You know how important it is to your business success. Unfortunately, you’ve also already heard how complex, time consuming, boring, and, quite frankly, not very green it is.

What am I talking about? A business plan.

What Is a Business Plan, and Why Do I Need One?

In brief, a business plan is a working document that strategically guides your business. Within each business plan are your operational and financial objectives and the plans and strategies that show how your objectives will be realized. While business plans are invaluable for obtaining financial support and backing, this should not be your main reason for creating one.

The most important reason to do a business plan is to clarify your thinking about your business. Whether you are just starting up as a one-person operation or already own a company with hundreds of employees, you need to be clear about where you are taking your business, what you are focusing on, and how you plan to get there.

A good business plan defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as the compass for your business. A good business plan helps you allocate resources properly, enables you to make sound business decisions, and represents your best thinking about the future success of your business.

“Yeah, but it’s hard to know where the green economy is going, so what’s the point of writing one?” you begin. “I don’t really need one now. I’ll get around to doing a business plan once I see if my green idea is actually going to fly,” you rationalize. “Besides, they’re so darn complicated and expensive!”

It’s true. Business plans can be a pain in the butt to create. Most people would rather have a root canal than write a business plan. That is, until now.

The One Page Business Plan®

The One Page Business plan is the easiest, quickest, least stressful way I know to write a business plan. I’ve been using the One Page system for over two years with my clients and have heard nothing but high praise for and satisfaction with this jewel of a tool. Prior to that, I guided my clients through the tedious process of writing a traditional business plan, and it was like pulling teeth.

Then I discovered One Page Business Plans created by Jim Horan over at: www.onepagebusinessplans.com. This five-step process comes with interactive courseware and can be completed in just three weeks. It’s perfect for non-profits, small businesses, and large companies. Gone are the months of agonizing meetings, thousands of dollars in consultation fees, and reams of paper wasted producing documents, spreadsheets, and flowcharts.

Here, in the One Page Business Plan, is everything you need to collect your green business thoughts and put them into a concise, relevant plan — a plan that connects your passion to definable, achievable outcomes. And it’s perfect for the green community because it’s eco-friendly, time considerate, and success oriented.

A One Page Business Plan will help you to:

• Describe the vision for your business in one compelling sentence!

• Define your perfect clients and what you do for them in eight words or less!

• Develop a set of simple strategies that will guide the development of your business over the next 3 to 5 years.

• Define and prioritize your business, dividing projects into bite-sized chunks.

• Define success so that it is measurable and graphable.

So, what’s a nice green company like you doing without a business plan? The One Page Business Plan is cost effective, time saving, and beneficial to your company. What excuse could you possibly have to avoid writing one? Whether you are a new or established small business owner, committing your ideas to paper is one of the quintessential ingredients to ensure your future business success.

Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for entrepreneurial women starting up businesses. She is the author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman?s Journey to Business Success. Susan provides intuitive small business solutions, powerful attraction marketing tools, inspiration, and direction. Visit

www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com and download your copy of her latest free business success article.

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