GreenBusinessOwner.com - Business development, training and advising for the mission-driven

Improving Customer Loyalty for Mission-Driven Companies by Wisely Focusing Your Marketing Dollars

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

How can a startup in the green economy effectively use its limited advertising and marketing resources in order to get the biggest bang for its buck? Obviously, there is no easy answer, but a recent study published in the Harvard Business Review by a McKinsey and Company Online Marketing Specialist gives companies a solid suggestion about where to focus their dollars to effectively improve customer loyalty. Adapting that strategy for the green economy is a no-brainer, as people who buy green WANT to love the companies they buy from, and this method gives startup entrepreneurs great advice to do just that.

Business to business marketing in the green economy

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Tonight, GreenBusinessOwner.com is hosting our first annual green business to green business (GB2GB) speed networking event at the Galleria Park Hotel in San Francisco. What we've learned about who is coming and who is not, who sponsored the event and who didn't, is gold for people in the green economy looking to market in the B2B space.

The First Step to Raising Money: Developing a Budget

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Successful entrepreneurs possess many common traits: creative, idea-driven, optimistic, visionary, tenacious, willing to take risks, and hard working. While developing a budget may seem counter to many of those characteristics, it is essentially the blueprint of your operation and can actually be a powerful tool for helping you realize the design of your business.

Working Hard, Working Smart...the Bottom Line is to be Effective, Right?

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

How many entrepreneurs does it take to switch out some CFL's? Well....it depends on how many other windows they have open. Everyone says you should work smart, not work hard. Great advice, of course, but the devil's in the details. How?

How do you "hang up a shingle" if you're not a brick and mortar business?

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Marketing a taco stand is, in a strictly hypothetical sense, simple. You find a place, set up your operation, and hang up a sign that says, "Tacos". People get it, will likely try out your cuisine, and if they like it, tell their friends and probably yelp about it, too. Marketing other businesses that don't necessarily have such a simple message or a physical location upon which to hang their sign. So...how do you find the equivalent, so that marketing is not so much of a challenge?

With significant health risks hanging in the balance, who should pay for pharmaceutical disposal?

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Another externality that doesn't receive much attention is the disposal of petrochemically-derived pharmaceuticals. Studies show that drugs leach from landfills and are often flushed down toilets, allowing the chemicals to infiltrate drinking and irrigation water. Results from wildlife studies have shown that these endocrine disrupters can have significant impacts on sex and other reproductive characteristics. Are these externalities the reason why human sperm count has been dropping steadily for the last half century?

Happy Meals May Cause Childhood Obesity, Diabetes, and ADD. San Francisco's New Law Aims to Curb Tha

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

New law in San Francisco asks McDonald's to make Happy Meals healthy meals, or not include a toy with them. Republicans slam the effort as socialism...and ignore external health costs borne by the children, and financial costs borne by the taxpayer resulting from childhood health problems like diabetes, ADD, ADHD, and the like.

Does Your Logo Design Imply How Good a Corporate Citizen You Are?

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

A friend once remarked that she didn't care for the Lord of the Rings movies because all the bad people were ugly and all the good were good-looking (if a little short). A recent study found that elements of logo design had a similar influence on people's thinking about a company's environmental and social responsibility reputation...what, if anything, does your logo say about your CSR?

Price Premiums for Green Products: How Much Will the Market Bear?

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

It's plain that many consumers are just fine paying a bit of a price premium for green products. It's also plain that many others are not. It gets interesting when you look at the stats across industries. In some, a large price premium is common and accepted. In others, the story is quite different. What's going on? Is there a pattern?

Five Best Budget Green Startup Business Opportunities to Start Right Now

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

GreenBusinessOwner.com reviews five startup green business ideas with solid potential, eco-friendly fundamentals, and low startup costs that make sense in today's economic climate, as well as tomorrow's resource limited world.

With Election 2010 Behind Us, Where Do Progressives Turn?

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

With oil money behind much of the Tea Party's success, GreenBusinessOwner.com argues that the only way to move society forward is to break our addiction to oil. The beauty is that politics are largely irrelevant, and we don't have to wait for election night 2012 to participate once again.

"Start a Green Business" Series: Organic Community-Supported Agriculture

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Urban farms and CSAs are so successful at creating community and providing a market niche for small farmers that some credit them with the resurgence of small-scale organic farming in the U.S. They offer an exciting and rewarding business opportunity for enterprising ecopreneurs who like to get dirty.

DOWNLOAD: Low Cost, High Impact SEO for your Mission-Driven Business

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Search Engine Optimization is critical for small to mid-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets. This document will give you direction on optimizing your website with some tried and true principles. This document is sponsored by GreenFire Strategies.

"Start a Green Business" Series: Used Book Exchange

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Used book stores are a great way to offer customers great value and give books new life by keeping them in circulation. Low start-up costs and overhead make a used book store an excellent green-business opportunity for enterprising bookworms.

"Start a Green Business" Series: Green Car Wash

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Sustainable car wash companies provide car cleaning services that minimize water and energy waste and avoid using chemical soaps and detergents.

"Start a Green Business" Series: Wedding and Event Planner

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Event planners design and execute a variety of events (including weddings, celebrations, and conferences) on behalf of others. Growth in the industry is a function of how extravagant people can get with their events, and sustainable events are all the rage among the extravagant.

Greener printing and other communications for your marketing strategy

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Reaching your target customer is achieved through a variety of channels. If you are trying to reach the green consumer, how can you do so in a way that's both effective and values-driven?

"Start a Green Business" Series: Sustainable Property Management

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

A sustainable property manager can coordinate the most environmentally friendly maintenance and repair of properties, providing superior long-term value and return on investment for property owners, and a healthier living situation for tenants

"Start a Green Business" Series: Eco-Transportation Rental

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Businesses offering inexpensive, eco-friendly transportation options in big cities are a popular and much-appreciated alternative for tourists who want to explore the area at their own pace without having to spend a lot of money on cabs or car rentals.

Customer Loyalty Through Greener Medicine — 2 Key Takeaways of a Recent Survey

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Is there a customer loyalty advantage to being a greener medical practice? A recent survey of customer satisfaction reveals two key takeaways for small companies in health care.