Entrepreneurship is rapidly becoming a popular trend these days. Being your own boss is appealing to a lot of people, especially the younger generation. However, managing a business entails a lot of responsibilities that the owner has to fulfill. With all the natural calamities which are happening at present, there is a need for a business to not only be profitable but be sustainable as well.
What is a Sustainable Business?
In the simplest term, a sustainable business is one that strives to lessen its negative effects on its surroundings (in the environmental sense). Businesses such as this tend to continuously ensure that nature is not harmed as they make a profit out of their products and/or services.
To be classified as sustainable, a business must meet the following criteria:
1. Being environmentally friendly must be made a part of the decision-making process in the business.
2.) The business must be producing “eco-friendly” products and/or services that are used instead of the traditional ones.
3.) It must be firm in its desire to initiate and maintain environmentally-friendly philosophies in its day-to-day workings.
How Can You Be a Sustainable Small Business Owner?
As with other concepts, business sustainability can sometimes be easy to envision but somewhat difficult to put into practice. However, fortunately, it is not impossible. The following are some ways by which you can be a sustainable business owner.
Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
To be a sustainable business owner, one must abide by the principle of “practicing what he preaches". This may mean to become a model for others in the business to follow when it comes to the topic of business sustainability.
Even leaders in the business playing field are catching on to the idea of business sustainability. A lot of companies are choosing to do away with their environmentally unsound operations. One technological company has made the initiative to utilize renewable energy in its factories. Another has taken the bold step of letting their products be made out of plastic which could have ended up in the water forms such as the ocean. If these organizations are making these moves, why shouldn’t you?
Incorporate Visible Changes in the Workplace
Sustainability efforts shouldn’t just stop at the factories and manufacturing sites. In fact, it should be spread even to the confines of the workplace. The changes don’t need to be extremely drastic; it could as simple as replacing the light source which could save tons of energy. From there, the whole workforce (with the owner included, of course) can go further by setting more and more environmentally sound goals for the business.
Take the Sustainable Lifestyle Out of the Office
Sustainable practices don’t have to be constrained to the workplace. In fact, it is even better when it is spread as far and as wide as possible. As they say, “values are most caught than taught". This can also apply to the principle of sustainability. To make the process more appealing to the workforce, owners can plan to make it into a fun activity, with a reward for those who are able to meet the target sustainable goals both inside and outside the workplace.
The Advantages of Being the Owner of a Sustainable Small Business
With all the talk about sustainability, one may wonder “What’s in it for me?” Well, there are plenty of benefits to practicing the concept of sustainability. The following are some of them:
Having an edge over competitors. It is a well-known fact that businesses often face stiff competition from others with regard to the consumers. Thus, there is a need for it to stand out from the rest. Sustainability is one sure-fire way to attract customers.
Boost in productivity and less operating expenses. Even though a business tends to make a profit when run efficiently, it is still to an owner’s advantage if operating expenses can be reduced or kept at a minimum. Sustainable practices make the above-mentioned scenario a reality by allowing the business to cut down on the wastage to valuable resources.
Potential to attract more workforce and potential shareholders. In the business world, image is very important. Thus, anything which will improve it is highly welcomed. With a sustainable business, people tend to associate it with something which is a worthy cause to believe in and fight for. With this, a new workforce and potential shareholders are not far from being found.
Being a business owner doesn’t mean you have to disregard everything else just for the sake of profit. You can surely run your business while making sure you fulfill your part in protecting the environment.
