Green = Sustainable
Radio Flyer is one of the oldest brands in childrens outdoor toys. They have been creating toys and wagons since 1917. An American company out of Chicago, they are known for their high quality toys that last. For the young and old, mentioning Radio Flyer brings back great memories.
We are now entering the phase in the new green movement where the word “Green” is being misused, overused and over hyped. Its use is now cliché. This evolution happens in every movement, new idea or trend. In the online web world “Web 2.0″ was the latest phrase to describe the new hip and functional way of building websites online. People were so upset with the overuse of this term they tried to have it retired several times in blogs claiming “Web 2.0 is dead.” The phrase still lives on, but it’s impact is diluted. More importantly the movement has moved on. That is also true for the green movement. Many people have moved on from “Green” and are embracing a previously used, but more powerfully descriptive term, “sustainable.”
“Sustainable” gets right to the core issues
I like the word sustainable. It is the most succinct term that exactly describes what the green movement is about. Right now we are not living, working and eating sustainably. It’s just not happening. Our current economy is a great example of how we as a society have strayed from the path of sustainability and reveled in excess. Our insatiable appetite for, money, food and resources has created a huge deficit that we now have to repay. What is most important is that peoples perceptions and values need to change. Bigger, better and faster should not be the goal. Creating something of value with integrity and respect for others will have a longer sustainable existence than taking what you need right now. The old way of thinking, doing and living doesn’t work. Its time for some new ideas or a return to old ones.
You’ve heard this before, creating accountability and responsibility in your business creates a sustainable business
There is a saying that I’ve heard many times before in the online world, “Its easy to make things hard; Its hard to make things easy.” That quote is mostly referring to user interfaces of websites, but I am sure it was stolen from some other quote from some other person in some other business. Creating a company that will last a lifetime is hard work. This is not to say that you have to work at the company you create for your lifetime, but you should lay the foundation for the company with the expectation that it is going to be around forever. Its fine to simplify your business, but don’t sacrifice quality and integrity to make a quick buck. The days of just going after the next customer have gone. You may not get another opportunity.
So, how do you create a sustainable company? These 5 guidelines will help get you started;
1. Create a sustainable business model. This means simply, design a business process that is practical and achievable. Whether you have a product or service, you need to be able to get the business and execute the business within a timely manner and with a profit. If your cost of doing business means that you have a tremendous amount of overhead, your process is too complicated. You need to streamline your process and approach.
2. Do what you say you are going to do. This sounds very simple, almost elementary, but this is huge. So many businesses lose clients every year, because they don’t do what they say they are going to do. I believe this is one of the hardest actions for all businesses to perform. To do this effectively, over communicate, bring up issues as soon as they arise and complete the job.
3. Know when to walk away. What? This sounds opposite to number 2! When you have been in business long enough you will find that sometimes the customer isn’t always right, you have done your best and its time to walk away. My experience in these circumstances are that time and time again, the customer is not the enemy, its just that what they want has changed. Whether they tend to share that with you or not is not the question, but being accountable and responsible to your own company is also your priority. You have to know when to say no.
4. Get out more. The biggest mistake a lot of businesses make is not going out and getting the business. You have to reach out. You have to make yourself known. You have to participate. This is business development. This is how you will pay your bills. It is really fun and very easy to do. All you have to do is get out and meet people and talk about what you know the best, your business! If you do not do this, your business will not succeed.
5. Treat your employees and customers with respect. In the United States, your employee’s are your assets. They are the ones that are out there working for you every day. It is your responsibility to train them how you want them to represent the company and get work done. Do not assume anything. This is your business, so take responsibility.
It is possible to create a sustainable business and have fun doing it. It won’t happen overnight and its a lot of hard work. Whether you are in it for the long haul or the short excursion, your business will be set up for success.