SYO Green Business Compiled.Pdf
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Entrepreneur Press, Publisher Cover Design: Jane Maramba Production and Composition: Eliot House Productions © 2012 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to the Business Products Division, Entrepreneur Media Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Green Business: Entrepreneur’s Step-by-Step Startup Guide, ISBN: 978-1-59918-472-2 Previously published as Start Your Own Green Business, ISBN: 978-1-59918-339-8, © 2009 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc., All rights reserved. Start Your Own Business, 5th Edition, ISBN: 978-1-59918-387-9, © 2009 Entrepreneur Media, Inc., All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America 16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments . xi Preface . xiii Chapter 1 What Does “Green” Mean? . 1 Looking Forward and Looking Back . 2 Sustainability . 3 The Eco-Lifecycle of a Product . 6 The Green Mindset . 7 What Does a Green Office Look Like? . 9 Have You Ever Stepped Into a Green Store? . 10 Have You Been to a Green Factory Lately? . 10 The Green Homebased Businesses . Have You Seen One? . 11 Balancing Pragmatic Business Concerns with an Environmental Approach . 11 Chapter 2 Business Decisions . 15 What Are Your Personal Goals? . 16 What Are Your Financial Goals? . 18 į What Are Your Business Goals? . 18 What Are Your Environmental Goals? . 20 How to Choose the Right Business . 22 Are You Inclined to Sell? . 22 Can You Provide a Service? . 23 Into Manufacturing? . 24 Suit Yourself . 25 There’s No Need to Re-Invent the Wheel: A Look at 22 Successful Green Businesses . 26 1. Pangea Organics . 26 Start Your Own Green Business Own Green StartYour 2. Patagonia . 27 3. New Belgium Brewery . 27 4. Clif Bar & Company . 27 5. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters . 28 6. Kettle Foods . 28 7. Seventh Generation . 29 8. Pizza Fusion . 29 9. The Evergreen Group LLC and Green Key Real Estate . 30 10. Solar Wind Works . 30 11. WeWe Clothing . 31 12. Newman’s Own Organics . 31 13. Odorzout . 32 14. Inu Treats . 32 15. GreeNow . 33 16. Chokola’j® . 33 17. Selfish Box . 34 18. Sum-Bo-Shine . 34 19. Electric Body . 35 20. Montana Stones . 35 21. iTySE . 36 22. Wild Dill . 36 Chapter 3 Customers and Market Research . 39 What Do Customers Want? . 40 Exploring Your Target Market . 42 Focus Groups . 44 Utilizing Your Research . 45 Niche Markets . 46 vi į Scouting the Competition . 47 Contents The 80–20 Rule . 49 Common Market Research Errors . 50 Chapter 4 Building Your Green Business: Names, Structures, Locations, and Energy Options . 51 Making Your Business Name Official . 53 Business Structures . 54 Zoning Regulations . 57 Finding a Green Location . 58 Know Your Business Needs . 60 Building Green from the Ground Up . 61 Leasing Versus Buying and Building . 62 Finding a Green Builder, Architect, and/or Contractor . 63 Brownfields . 64 Energy Options . 65 Solar Panels and Wind Turbines . 66 Chapter 5 Business Equipment, Furniture, and Figuring Out Your Costs . 69 Startup Costs . 70 Computer Considerations . 70 Printers and Eco-Friendly Ways of Using Them . 73 Telephone Systems . 74 Other Equipment . 74 Greener Office Supplies . 75 Green Office Furniture . 76 Chairs and Lighting . 78 Green Printing . 79 Website Designers . 80 Startup Costs Revisited . 81 Operating Costs . 84 Chapter 6 Getting the Green to Go Green . 87 Green Financing . 88 Finding Funding . 89 vii į The All-Important Business Plan . 90 Components of a Business Plan . 91 Reviewing Your Business Plan . 94 Your Sustainability Plan . 96 Your Waste Management Plan . 96 Personal Loans . 97 Government Financing . 98 Other Options . 99 Financing on Your Own . 100 Start Your Own Green Business Own Green StartYour Chapter 7 Making Your Way in a Greener World . 101 Making Money . 102 Knowledge . 102 Pricing . 103 Inventory . 105 Ordering from Green Suppliers . ..