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What are the Best Green Business Ideas?

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Green Business|What are the Best Green Business Ideas?With the current concerns about climate change, it is more important than ever that entrepreneurs are able to establish green and environmentally friendly business ideas that can both help to protect the environment and remain profitable. Not only this, but due to an increasing public awareness surrounding global warming, sustainable products and businesses have now started to become much more coveted than previously. With this in mind, here are some of the top business ideas for eco-warriors.

CBD Oils and Tinctures

CBD oil is relatively new as a natural remedy due to the recent changes in the laws surrounding it, and yet many people are seeing the substance as a sustainable and eco-friendly product that can be used without the harmful side-effects of other medicines. Not only does CBD need less water than other crops to thrive, but the production of hemp can be used for a vast variety of products, including the CBD oil that you are interested in. Choosing to invest in white label CBD tinctures can then help to provide your target audience with a more natural way to protect their health and treat long-term health conditions, as well as aid their mental health.

Sustainable Crafts

Many people are looking for custom items that are created with the environment in mind. From upcycled furniture to creating products out of recyclable materials, there is a vast amount of DIY projects that you can try your hand at. This can also include creating a sustainable fashion brand, which uses organic cotton and other eco-friendly fabric fabrics.

Eco-Friendly Travel

Considering ways to live more sustainably does not often provoke people to restrict their travel plans. However, many people are looking for ways to travel in an eco-friendly way and participate in sustainable activities, from hiking to kayaking. This includes taking tourists to participate in conservation-projects or creating eco-friendly accommodation, such as hotels that have solar-powered electricity. Many of these businesses also give back to the communities that they visit, such as helping to support independent creators and ensuring that their activities are not exploitative.

Essential Oils

Many of your potential eco-minded clients are looking for natural ways to treat common illnesses, and one of the major ways to do this is through essential oils, like lavender and tea-tree oil. These oils have been proven to help stress, anxiety, migraines, inflammation, and skin conditions. As well as creating and branding your own products, you should also consider the benefits of opening your own aromatherapy clinic if you are willing to become fully licensed.

Organic Food

Organic food has seen an increase in popularity due to the fact that organic farmers are focused on providing their clients with food that has been grown using methods that protect the environment, such as avoiding the use of chemicals and pesticides, as well as genetic modification. Once you produce your products, you could consider selling them on local food stands and at farmer’s markets, as well as considering distributing them on the internet, where clients actively look for niche, eco-friendly brands.

Why Its Time To Turn Your Business Green

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Green Business|Why Its Time To Turn Your Business GreenIf you haven’t started to make “green” changes in your business yet, then it’s time to start now. When it comes to your business, it’s not just about contributing to the sustainability of the environment as there are many benefits to your business as well and many reasons to go green.

Contribute to the Sustainability of the Planet

Let’s start with the most compelling reason for making your business greener and the most obvious one. We all know that the planet is changing and that we need to do our bit. Going greener can benefit our health, it can help endangered species and provide a better future for the next generations. Most people know about this now, and companies are doing what they can. From Starbucks providing incentives to bring your own reusable coffee cups, to other companies working on ways to use recycled frack water or non-potable brine for fracking. No matter what business you work in, there is something you can do to help, so it’s time to work out what that is.

Save Money

One way that you can go green in your business is to minimise your power usage – and the good thing about this is that it will save you money too. It might seem like a cost at first to switch to energy-saving light bulbs and upgrade to other more energy-efficient equipment where but over time it will save you a lot of money. You could try converting a paperless office which will save you money on paper, printing supplies and filing cabinets too.

Tax Reductions

Green strategies often equal tax deductions. Renewable energy will mean savings not just for now, but for way ahead into the future, and the government wants to encourage and are providing incentives to do so.

Builds Your Reputation

Today consumers are pickier over who they choose to buy from and give their money to. This applies to millennials in particular, who would spend more on the same product if the company they are buying from is more ethical than another. Research shows people now want to do business with merchants, service providers and manufacturers that share their values. It would help if you shouted about the efforts you are making, whether it’s on social media, writing blog posts or advertising your efforts. Let people know so that they can make an informed choice on where and with whom they spend their money.

Helps to Attract Talent

Just as people are picky about who they spend their money with, they are also particular about who they work for. If you want to attract the best talent, then you need to become a leader in your industry and stand out from the crowd. Today, employees are more bothered about being environmentally responsible too, so they will want to work from somewhere that they align with in terms of what is important to them. Make sure your home page, About Us page and blog proudly show that you value sustainability, and any potential employees who share your values will definitely notice.

How to Further Reduce Your Company’s Carbon Footprint

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Carbon Footprint|How to Further Reduce Your Company’s Carbon FootprintThere’s no denying that we all have to look at making changes if we’re going to overcome the problems that climate change poses to the world and the people in it. While there are things that individuals can do to have a more positive impact on the natural world, the truth is that the most important changes will be the ones that companies make. They are disproportionately responsible for causing damage to the environment — indeed, only twenty firms are responsible for a third of all emissions. If you’re a company owner, then it will, of course, be nowhere nearly as impactful, but it’s still important that you’re taking steps to make your company greener. It’ll be better for the environment, and for your business, especially as consumers are increasingly likely to avoid companies that cause harm to the environment.

But how can you do this? We take a look at a few helpful tips below.

Find Your Flaws

First thing’s first: you’ll need to find your flaws. You won’t be able to figure out how you can improve things until you know where you’re going wrong. Begin by taking a look at your current operations and identify the practices that are causing environmental damage. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, then you can hire an outside expert to do it for you. It might be that you have one especially bad practice that is severely harming your company’s green credentials.

Working From Home

There are many benefits to initiating a ‘work from home’ program at your company — it can boost employee happiness and productivity, and it’s also better for the environment. How so? Well, it takes a lot of energy to have people in the office. Apart from the energy for lighting and electricity and so on, there’s also the impact of having all of your staff members driving to work. If your staff can work from home, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint, and your company’s finances will receive a boost too.

Green Initiatives

If it’s not possible to have staff working from home, then take a look at starting initiatives such as cycle to work and ridesharing programs. It’s much better to have four people riding together in one car, rather than in four cars!

Reduced Packaging

Even companies that are generally green can run into problems. Take, for example, the packaging for their products. This is normally a secondary concern for most companies, and, because of this, is where many fall down. To ensure you’re not using more materials than necessary for your packaging, take a look at the services that product packaging companies can provide. They’ll help to make your packaging more efficient.

Reviews and Updates

Finally, remember that your move towards having a greener company is never finished. There are always ways to improve! The best way to do this is to periodically review and update your operations, so that they eventually move to become carbon positive — that is, they have a positive impact on the world!

7 Strategies for Building an Industrial Laundry Business

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Industrial Laundry|7 Strategies for Building an Industrial Laundry BusinessThinking of starting an industrial laundry business? While it is promising in terms of success, nothing can be certain. If you want to increase the chances that you will make it big in such a sector, keep on reading and we’ll talk about some of the best strategies to pursue.

Find the Right Equipment

One of the most important is to pick the best equipment possible. Even if it means spending more, this should not be an issue if this means being able to enjoy superior performance. If you are looking for the best industrial laundry equipment, make sure to check out what Continental Girbau has to offer.

Take Your Marketing Online

We are living in a digital era, and hence, online marketing strategies are promising. Do not rely on traditional mediums to promote your laundry services, especially if you are looking for cheap alternatives. Utilize a variety of online tools available, including social media and email marketing. If you need help executing successful digital marketing strategies for industrial and commercial laundry businesses, Continental Girbau has the best solutions.

Build Your Network

An industrial laundry is different from a traditional laundromat in terms of its customer base. You are not serving individual customers. Rather, you will be serving business clients, including hospitals, hotels, salons, and restaurants, among others. To get closer to your target market, find ways to build a strong network. By knowing the right people, you can forge strong relationships that can benefit the business in the long run.

Provide Innovative Service

One of the biggest challenges for an industrial laundry business is to set itself apart from the competition. To do this, you need to embrace innovation. This is possible by developing a mobile application to improve customer reach. You can also provide free pick-up and delivery services. Offering specialty cleaning services depending on the needs of the industrial clients will also help.

Go Green

Industrial laundry businesses need to operate their business while minimizing impacts on the environment. One of the best ways to do this is to choose energy-efficient equipment. Using solar panels and alternative sources of energy will also help. Recycling water is also a good solution to make the business more sustainable.

Find the Right People

While it is important to have tech-advanced equipment in an industrial laundry facility, this will not be enough. You also need to have the right people to maximize the benefits of the equipment. Invest in your human resources to deliver exceptional service to your customers.

Set the Right Price

To succeed in your industrial laundry business, keep your pricing competitive and timely. Pricing decisions require careful thought. Start by researching your customers to learn about the prices they find reasonable. It is also a must to consider the pricing strategies of your competitors. You can learn from their success or failure.

From using the right equipment to intelligent pricing decisions, consider our suggestions above to build a profitable industrial laundry business.

Green Business Guide How to Make Your Business More Eco-Friendly

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Green Business|Green Business Guide: How to Make Your Business More Eco-FriendlyTransforming into a green business is a low-cost, high-reward investment. The change over to eco-friendliness is a great contribution to our environment’s betterment. In the process, you’ll improve the brand image — win/win!
We all know about the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

How can we bring these into our businesses? What ways can we make an environmental impact beyond them? Keep reading, we’re sharing a lot of ideas to boost sustainability in business.

Start with the Three R’s

Start with what we know to be effective in lessening our impact on the environment. Let the three R’s become a philosophy within your business.

How could you incorporate and encourage the three R’s? Try:

  • Reducing hard copy materials in favor of digital items
  • Reusing shipping materials for your logistics
  • Recycling old electronics and hardware when appropriate

Look for inefficiencies and waste in your business. Else, seek environmental consulting if you feel lost. These experts provide helpful insights on how to adopt eco-friendly business policies.

Go After the Low Hanging Fruit

The low hanging fruit is the “easy wins” anyone can do without trouble. They have a big impact with little put into the effort.

Do things like:

  • Smart plugs to track and reduce energy use
  • Using energy-efficient lighting
  • Ditching single-use products (especially plastic)

Perform an audit by tracking what gets used in the business every day. Then, see what you can do to reduce or end its usage. Find those items you and employees wouldn’t have qualms doing without.

Virtual Meetings and Remote Workers

Why waste resources holding meetings when you could do them online? Virtual meetings, webinars, and video chat mean you’re not wasting time and fuel. You also won’t waste money with printed items since you’ll deliver digital versions.

You could also open up to remote employees!

Remote workers are happy workers but they also help lessen the environmental impact. That’s one less person in the daily commute. It’s also one less person using items, facilities, and energy at the business.

Factor What’s Going on Around You

Think of your environment impact outside of the business and/or warehouse.

Consider items like:

  • Energy consumption
  • Water run-off
  • Sustainable sourcing
  • Landscaping
  • Trash

You could explore smart ideas like switching to renewable energy sources like solar. Or, heat energy waste via window films and reflective exterior coating.

Be mindful of where your business waste is going, too. And, the businesses you work with and their environmental impact. Harmonize your green efforts with those following similar policies for a bigger impact.

Also, choose landscaping fit for your zone’s hardness and environment. This reduces upkeep. Smart planting can reduce energy costs inside, too.

Transform into a Green Business

Make the transition into a green business part of your over-arching strategy. Leverage the positive brand image to build stronger connections. And, tap those connections to expand operations, sales, and reach.
Plus, know you’re doing good in the World by becoming sustainable.

What ways could you introduce policies and philosophies to your business to help it grow? Check out our strategy section for more ideas and inspiration!