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Start a Green Business
Have you ever dreamed of being an eco-entrepreneur? If so, you're not alone. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 600,000 people start a business in the U.S. each year. And with interest in sustainability at an all-time high, the trend towards starting eco-friendly businesses will only continue to grow.
Your green business idea may not be rocket science, but how do you get going? Let GreenBusinessOwner take the guesswork out of your idea for a social venture. With business planning tools for businesses in sustainable food (like Gather restaurant in Berkeley, CA - pictured right), renewable energy, non-toxic services, eco-friendly retail, ecotourism and more, GreenBusinessOwner offers you a wealth of opportunity.
If you want to develop an idea into your own business plan and model, consider taking one of GBO's social entrepreneurship workshops.
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Energy Efficiency Auditing
by Scott Cooney
Energy efficiency auditing companies survey a building's usage of energy and help to eliminate waste, thereby reducing utility bills and greenhouse gasses at the same time. It's such a win-win situation that U.S. News and World Report cited this business as the best small business to start in their November 10, 2008 issue. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Specialty Advertising
by Scott Cooney
Many companies are looking for alternatives to traditional print, radio, and TV advertising. They're looking for something that involves their customers, creates brand loyalty, and allows them to show their true colors. Specialty advertising services help these companies create branded T-shirts, mugs, water bottles, shopping bags, hats, calendars, pens, key chains, and other "chotchkies," as they are colloquially called. When a green company can sell an organic cotton T-shirt with its logo, and their catchphrase of sustainability and social responsibility, its customers may become more loyal, and then promote that company every time they wear that shirt. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Independent Sales Company
Many small companies have terrific green products that are eco-friendly, socially responsible, fun, innovative, interesting, and inspiring. Many of these same companies are started by people who are innovators, who are passionate about the environment, have some design experience, and have some sense of what a customer wants….but don't enjoy doing sales. Without sales, their companies flounder or unfortunately fail, no matter how interesting, fun and eco-friendly their product. There are other companies that do shows and expos and are terrific at organizing the event, but not very strong at selling sponsorships and booths at the event. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Restaurant Delivery Service
by Scott Cooney
Many restaurants want to offer delivery of their food, in order to increase their potential sales. However, hiring a delivery person, insuring a vehicle, advertising their deliveries, and operating an extra business segment present significant management and financial challenges to small restaurants. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Community Wind Farm
by Scott Cooney
Community-owned, small-scale wind has the potential to replace dirtier energy, like coal plants. Through community ownership of the wind power resources, this 'distributed' energy provides local independence from grid fluctuations and energy price spikes, plus green jobs, to boot. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Edible and Organic Florist
by Scott Cooney
Conventionally grown flowers have a host of environmental problems; intensive application of agrochemicals, plus freshwater resource consumption which is higher per acre than most food crops, and a big carbon footprint from long-distance transportation. Sixty per cent of flower workers have health problems associated with exposure to chemicals in their work. The bottom line, though, is that the flowers have a useful life of only a few days and then are tossed. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Used Book Exchange
by Scott Cooney
A used book exchange is a purveyor of gently-used books. The 'exchange' part comes from the customer loyalty program usually practiced by these businesses, where a customer can bring their used books in and 'exchange' them for others, usually on a credit system. For instance, the bookstore may choose to allow people to give two books and receive one in return. Or the customer may receive credits towards the purchase of books when they drop off their used books. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Outdoor Gear Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Furniture Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Kids Clothing and Toys Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Sporting Goods Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Tools, Hardware, and Garden Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Commuter Bike Store
by Scott Cooney
High gas prices are likely here to stay, meaning the trend for more people biking to work, school, and for errands is likely to continue to increase. In San Francisco, 40,000 people commute by bike to work every day. More and more cities and towns are expanding their bike lanes and converting abandoned rails to bike trails. Commuter bikes are comfortable, have fenders to protect riders from road spray during inclement weather, and have storage space like panniers for work stuff, school stuff, or fun stuff. Your bike store can focus on these kinds of bikes, helping make it easy for people to learn to eco-commute. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Second-Hand Bicycle Store
by Scott Cooney
A second-hand bike store takes in used bikes, fixes them up, and sells them at a premium. This not only creates a second life for bikes that might have instead gone to the landfill, it also provides inexpensive and eco-friendly transportation alternatives. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Musical Instrument Consignment Store
by Scott Cooney
Consignment shops take gently used goods from some customers and sell them to others. The revenues from the sale are split between the store and the customer who originally owned the product. In this way, consignment shops give another life to products that might otherwise go to a landfill. One of the very attractive aspects of running a consignment store is that your entire inventory costs you nothing. You do not pay the owner of the article until it has sold…in other words, until you have money in your hand for exactly that item. You are simply providing the marketplace for buyers and sellers of gently used items. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Sustainable Flooring Products Store
by Scott Cooney
Slightly less ambitious than a green building retail store, a sustainable flooring products store carries only flooring products such as bamboo, cork and other easily renewable wood floors, FSC certified hardwoods, Marmoleum, Forbo, and reclaimed woods, as well as all the healthy accessories, like eco-friendly sealants and finishes, that would go along with them. These may not be the cheapest products but they can add beauty, value, and durability, when installed in a properly. Plus, products like cork flooring originate from trees which must be kept alive year after year, rather than cut down. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Green Building Retail Store
by Scott Cooney
Think Home Depot or Lowe's, except that all the products are eco-friendly. It's not an exact comparison, but a green building retail store typically sells countertops, cabinets, sinks, paints, plasters, finishes, floors, rugs, carpeting, etc., with the key difference being that all these things are healthy and sustainable products. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Pedicab Company
by Scott Cooney
Pedicabs are like taxis, where customers pay someone to take them somewhere, except their cab is pulled by bicycle. Pedicab companies exist in progressive cities that you might expect, like New York City and Seattle, but their appeal, charm, and low cost of startup has helped create pedicab companies in places like Salt Lake City, Utah, and Franklin, Tennessee. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Eco-concierge and Relocation Specialist
by Scott Cooney
Have you ever moved to a new place where you didn't know too many people? Now contrast that to a time when you moved to a new place where you happened to have a lot of friends who were intelligent, fun, green, and a lot like you? How much better did you enjoy the second experience? An ecoconcierge company provides that soft landing for people relocating. In essence, newcomers learn all the great, green stuff to do in their new town, from someone who is an expert in the local green scene. Want to know where the best organic farmer's market is? An organic foods co-op? Best vegetarian restaurant? The best great organic cafe to hang out in? Where to get a shirt dry cleaned at a green dry cleaner? What about the best road bike rides? . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Sustainable Travel Planner
by Scott Cooney
The concept of this business is similar to travel agents in the traditional sense. In a nutshell, you help people plan their vacations. In this business, however, you would guide them to an eco-friendly trip. It might include some alternative forms of transportation that have lower carbon footprints, more ecotours, human-powered trips like bike touring or backpacking, National Park and other wilderness preserve destinations, and visits to places like Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Iceland that traditionally rank very well in national sustainability indexes. You have the opportunity to appeal to a growing spirit of sustainable learning too by sending eager learners on adventures on the farm as agri-tourists, or to eco-municipalities where communities adopt sustainable practices from top to bottom. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Sustainable Foods Prep and Cooking Instruction
by Scott Cooney
Helping people learn how to prepare their own delicious foods with low environmental impact can be a very rewarding profession. You will teach people how to select local, seasonal, and organic ingredients, including tips on how to save money doing so (thus making it affordable to anyone, not just the eco-elite). You can instruct them on raw food prep, and vegetarian/vegan cooking to create scrumptious, low-carbon meals. You have many options of how you will do this, whether it's with individuals or small groups, in a restaurant or home kitchen, and as a one-time or ongoing basis. No matter how you do it, you can see people light up as they discover how to bring healthy and yummy foods into their lives. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Urban Farming and Permaculture
by Scott Cooney
There are several kinds of small businesses that can arise from urban farming and permaculture design. Permaculture is understood as modeling food production after systems found in a natural environment. This is an alternative to traditional landscape and row cropping approaches which are labor and resource intensive. In contrast, Permaculture works with nature, and creates a perennial food bearing systems, which require little maintenance and soil disruption once developed. Permaculture can be practiced in a wide range of geographies and climates, from inner-city New York, to arid India with its scarce water resources. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Wholesale Food Manufacturing
by Scott Cooney
Capitalize on your ability to create delicious food with your own special recipe(s) to start a sustainable wholesale food manufacturing business. Examples can include Jams/Jellies, sauces, salsas, bread, baked goods, soups, beverages and more! You can sell directly to customers at markets or wholesale to other vendors and store owners. By using organic and locally produced foods, you are supporting the local food economy while reducing the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, in addition to creating a product your customers will likely seek out, pay a premium for, and talk to their friends about. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Furniture Manufacturing
by Scott Cooney
Sustainable furniture is supplied from natural sources (e.g., reclaimed, recycled or repurposed wood and canvas) and is made using healthy practices that benefit the environment, the customer and employees. Sustainable furniture combines high quality artisanship with a commitment to natural living. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Organic Farm
by Scott Cooney
Organic farms supply natural foods to wholesale markets or retail outlets. Depending on the size of the farm, owners choose to focus on a specific good (e.g., herb farm) or provide a variety of products that grow in local climates. Organic farmers avoid using synthetic pesticides and use farming practices that protect the land (e.g., biological pest control, crop rotation, green manure). As there are a variety of options for the size and product of your farm, the cost of startup and the potential income will vary greatly. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Gift Basket Service
by Scott Cooney
As a gift basket service provider, your job is to create charming, innovative, and creative gifts that use healthy products supplied from sustainable sources. You can craft artistic products that differentiate themselves from 'run of the mill' gift baskets and use local goods. Combining your passion for food with artisan skills can make for highly customized products with a terrific local "flavor." . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Sustainability Showcase and Expo
by Scott Cooney
Sustainability showcases bring together groups and individuals who aim to make the world healthier on all dimensions-- social, environmental, and economic. Organizers provide a venue for groups to present their ideas, insights and projects and for interested community members to learn how they can become more involved in the broader effort toward creating sustainable communities. Green Festival (http://www.greenfestivals.org/) is the biggest environmental expo and takes place in multiple cities around the country. Expos often start on a small-scale and grow every year, combining fun and educational activities and products around a common theme, such as a green home and garden show or a green wedding show. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Laundromat
by Scott Cooney
Laundromats provide a range of self-service or wash-and-fold services for customers. Eco-friendly laundromats offer customers a way to save water, reduce use of petroleum-based detergents and learn how to follow eco-friendly practices at home. Green laundry shops have begun opening with increasing frequency in major cities like New York and San Francisco, as consumers recognize the need to save water and reduce emissions. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Pool and Spa Cleaning and Maintenance
Conventionally, pools and spas have been serviced by companies using harsh chemical cleansers. As many people become more aware of the health effects and environmental effects of these chemicals, a market is emerging for eco-entrepreneurs to create a green business around servicing pools and spas using alternative maintenance methods that do not require clients (or, perhaps more importantly for you) workers to be exposed to these chemicals and the vapors they emit (often referred to as off-gasses or volatile organic compounds--VOC's). . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Garden Landscape Design and Installation
by Scott Cooney
Perhaps inspired by President Obama's organic garden on the grounds of the White House, many homeowners are becoming interested in growing their own food through gardening. The National Gardening Association (NGA) reported a 19% increase in do-it-yourself gardens this year, and fully 1 out of every 5 respondent to a telephone interview said they planned to start a garden in the coming year. The NGA also reported that interest in using organics around the house, where chemical exposure is so closely tied to the family (and family pet)'s health, has surged in recent years. From 2004 to 2008, the number of households estimated to be using only non-toxic fertilizer, pest control and weed control methods has risen from 5 million to 12 million. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Residential Landscape Maintenance
by Scott Cooney
An environmentally-friendly landscape maintenance company provides a similar service to conventional "Mow and Blow" companies, with the main difference being the type of tools you use to get the job done. If you love to work outside, an eco-landscape business may be a great opportunity for you. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Residential Cleaning Service
by Scott Cooney
A residential cleaning serive is a low start-up business opportunity for those with a knack for dirty jobs. Using environmentally friendly cleaning products are also better for you, your employees, and your customers, so this becomes an easy way to separate your cleaning services from conventional, chemically-laiden ones. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Biodiesel Cooperative
by Scott Cooney
Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly (renewable), typically domestically produced, and healthier alternative to traditional diesel fuel. Most diesel engines can freely substitute the two fuels with no noticeable loss in performance. The only significant drawback to biodiesel as a fuel is that its freezing point is higher than traditional diesel, meaning that in areas with harsh and extremely cold winters, biodiesel fuel either needs to be warmed prior to ignition of the vehicle, or, more commonly, it needs to be diluted with traditional diesel. This is where the common moniker B20 comes from: it is a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel fuel. B100, then, would be 100% pure biodiesel, which can be run in warmer times of year or in areas where winters are not so harsh. See Biodiesel.org for more information on biodiesel. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Healthy Fast Food
by Scott Cooney
These days people are trying to make better food choices, but this becomes a challenge when cheap, fast food abounds. A healthy fast food restaurant provides a smarter, more sustainable option for those who need to eat on the go. . . .
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"Start a Green Business" Series: Dry Cleaners
by Scott Cooney
Dry Cleaning was developed after the accidental discovery by Frenchman Jolly Belin that kerosene he spilled on a stained garment actually removed the stain. 170 years later, there are more than 30,000 dry cleaners in the U.S., with roughly 85% of them being independent, locally-owned companies. Dry Cleaning shops offer laundry services that use 'dry' solvents instead of water to protect delicate clothing items that would be damaged by water/detergent. 90% of dry cleaning shops use Perchloroethylene (referred to as 'perc') as the solvent of choice. Though powerful, perc is a highly toxic chemical that damages the environment and can have a negative impact on the health of your customers. In addition, there are significant compliance issues regarding the use and disposal of these toxic chemicals, making the industry ripe for a transition to greener, healthier solutions. . . .
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