Successful Home Based Green business: Do you have what it takes?

Making the choice on becoming an entrepreneur can be a challenge unto itself but add to that the uncharted waters of being an ecopreneur. How do you know if you have what it takes?

Entrepreneur's article, "25 Common Characteristics of Success Entrepreneurs" list 25 home business must required to start, operate and grow a profitable home business. Following is a review of 8 of those characteristics from an environmental business perspective. See if you have what it takes to be a successful sustainable business owner.

To begin, do what you enjoy. Embrace your passion. What areas of an environmental business inspire you? By embracing your passion, you are creating meaningful work for yourself and others.
Purposeful Planning: Sustainable business requires long term planning for the business itself, as well as designing products and services with eco awareness. Planning includes design, energy usage, resources and so much more. Be sure to take a comprehensive approach in your planning for business sustainability.
Manage money wisely: Consider managing cash flow as tools to not only help your business get off the ground but also as a means to integrate sustainability concepts to your business processes.
Know your customers and stakeholders. Just because you may be a home based business doesn't mean you don't have stakeholders. Learn who your stakeholders are and connect with them.
Level the playing field with technology. The internet is a small business resource that offers exceptional functionality for sales and marketing. Utilize online contact management software for sales and social media sites for marketing. Sites like SustainLane and JustMeans are great examples of leveraging technology to be competitive. A bonus in using them is that you are also supporting other like minded sustainable businesses
Build a top-notch business team with eco awareness. Consider conducting all of your sales in the most eco friendly means. This includes, bringing eco awareness to your meetings, sales, literature, travel, and exhibits.
Create a competitive advantage. Small businesses and entrepreneurs may be more equipped with the speed and flexibility to incorporate sustainability concepts directly into their business model. Create brand differentiation through successful implementation of sustainability concepts in your small business.
Design your workspace for success: Design your physical space with eco awareness. Create your policies and procedures to support sustainable business practices like recycling, energy efficiency, using less paper.

As a professional consultant in the area of building business sustainability, it's rewarding utilizing the small business resources available to assist new environmental businesses get off to a great start. Ecopreneurs bringing eco awareness to business contribute to positive change in the business world as well as help the planet. At Taiga Company, we encourage new and existing small businesses to claim their position as sustainability leaders in the market and accelerate sustainable change.