I’ve been doing a lot of reading about how to start a business. The amount of information is overwhelming, and I’m not even close to executing the business aspect of my green living goals. Shopify offers a thorough guide to business start ups with 12 steps which include:
- Finding an idea
- Choosing a name
- Validating your product
- Writing a business plan
- Getting finances set up
- Developing the product
- Picking a business structure
- Researching licenses and regulations
- Selecting tools
- Choosing a location
- Planning the workload
- Launching the business
I guess I’m technically on step 1. I have the idea. I want my own green living business. I envision it going beyond just upcycling. I want to help others live their greenest life, too. I’ve been reading “The Creative Entrepreneur” by Isa Maria Seminega, and she encourages writing out a mission statement and core values early in the business development process.
My Mission Statement:
I aim to help clients live their greenest life possible by offering a wide range of environmentally-friendly services and products in order to lower our carbon footprint and save time, money, and energy.
My Core Values:
Innovative – green living can be achieved through new ideas and creative thinking.
Inclusive – green living should not be political or divisive, but a lifestyle for everyone.
Beneficial – green living should improve not only the planet, but the lives of those who practice it.
Practical – green living can be achieved on a small or large scale with little interference in daily life.
Collaborative – green living is best achieved through partnerships and community involvement.
While fleshing out my ideas, I developed a 10-step action plan for greener living. And since I like to be kitschy, I thought it would be cute to have each step begin with the letters RE. After all, we all know the mantra – recycle, reduce, reuse, but green living goes far beyond that. Here’s my 10 Rs of green living in its infancy:
REMOVE – declutter your home, get organized, and purge your home of environmentally harmful products.
REPLACE – swap out the single use plastics and disposable packaging for more eco-friendly options. Invest in greener products and habits.
REDUCE – cut down on waste by changing your shopping and eating habits. Reduce your energy and water usage and look for ways to lower your carbon footprint.
REUSE – invest in products that can be used more than once. Find creative ways to use items that would normally be disposed of after one use.
RECYCLE – start separating your trash and see how much you can take to the recycling center. Find clever upcycling projects for items that can’t be recycled.
REPAIR – fix, mend, and repair broken items, electronics, and clothing before running out to buy new ones. Tap into the depression-era wisdom that got people through poverty.
RESALE – shop resale and buy used clothing and other products. Invest in local resale shops and put your money back into the community.
RENT – consider renting or borrowing before you go out and buy something new. Ideally, I would like to have a rental shop of some kind.
RENOVATE – make those upgrades to your home and lawn. Invest in green appliances and make the necessary renovations for a greener home.
REVOLUTIONIZE – get involved in your community, plant trees, vote, and become an activist for green living.
Now this is just a rough draft to help me organize my ideas, and I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. This is the big picture idea that I would like to work on and develop, but I’m going to start small with my simple upcycling dream. I’m going to try to live out each R in the 10-step process and see how it evolves and develops along the way. I’ve already gone through the first step of organizing, decluttering, and removing items from my home that aren’t environmentally friendly. My next move will be helping people organize and declutter their spaces and then finding creative ways to upcycle items that can’t be sold or donated. Let’s get started with that first step!