Turning ECOpreneur: Your Guide to Doing Business Sustainably

ECOpreneurs are visionary business leaders who want to run a company without harming the environment or human life. They practice ECOpreneurship, which revolves around being profitable without being exploitative, and working (and living) in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. If that sounds like something you would love to do with your new business venture, this handy resource guide can help you develop a climate-friendly plan of action.

Build your business up to be green

Launching an eco-friendly business is a lot like launching any other business – the major difference being the emphasis on sustainability:

● Work with Pivot Business Consulting to create plans and processes that increase retention, innovation, and sales for your business.

● Come up with a green business plan or a “greenprint” for your business, documenting ways you can be more sustainable with your existing resources.

● Find ethical sources of funding. You can crowd-source, take loans, use your own money, or apply for grants.

● Aim for a sustainability culture. You will need employees who are on board with your sustainability vision.

● Utilize a financial API bank account balance system to securely take payments from your customers and avoid extra fees.

Measure and adapt as necessary

Sustainability is a constant process. As the ecosystem around you evolves, your business will have to adapt and evolve alongside.

● Take an audit of your existing processes and measure sustainability metrics like energy usage, water usage, and waste.

● Implement sustainable alternatives that don’t have a negative economic, social, or ecological impact.

● Create an official (or unofficial) green team responsible for monitoring, creating, and implementing sustainability initiatives in your company.

Market your sustainability

Last, but not least, you will need to create awareness in the market about your new green brand:

● Communicate your climate-friendliness. You need to find customers who care about the concept and can support you.

● Follow a sustainable marketing plan. You want the biggest bang for your buck.

● Understand the dangers of greenwashing. Unsubstantiated claims could put you in the doghouse.

Conclusion

Becoming an ECOpreneur is not just good for the environment, but it’s also good for your bottom line. Corporations that manage and plan for climate change can secure 18 percent higher ROI, make more sales, and are more productive. There are many benefits to becoming an ECOpreneur, essentially, and no reason not to.

Image via Unsplash

Guest Author: Adam Evans