Sustainability Makes Sense For SMBs in Hibbing, MN

The possibilities are endless when you put yourself in a position to own your own business. However, human actions continue to have a negative impact on our world, and many businesses only contribute to the problem. These sustainable business practice tips from the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce can help you offset your impact.

Buy an existing business

You can reduce your negative environmental impact right from the beginning by buying an existing business. When you purchase an existing business, you’ll save time, money, and waste on refining a new business idea. Plus, because it will have existing records, you can gauge other steps you can take, such as allowing employees to work remotely or reducing your energy consumption.

Launch a new business with a structure that scales

Your business structure has a significant impact on how you run your business from the beginning. Be optimistic about your growth by filing as a corporation from launch time. As a corporation, you can quickly and easily take on investors, and you won’t have the hurdles that come with transferring LLC membership interest. While this sounds like a huge hassle, it’s very easy to form your corporate structure using a formation service that outlines your local state laws. As a corporation, your investors can help you afford future upgrades and updates that maintain your sustainable practices.

Create orders and invoices online.

According to The World Counts, paper accounts for 26% of all landfill waste. It is destructive and utilizes many other natural resources, such as water. None of this even counts the fuel resources needed to transport finished paper products to and from the retail locations and to their final destinations. Opting for digital resources instead of paper can help offset this problem. One way is to create customized invoices and orders online. You should have no problem finding a template, which you can then customize with your branding information. 

Another option is to go digital with your primary documents. Not only will it save paper, but it will allow you to create electronic files that will save space in your office. If you have multiple files that you would like combined, you can merge PDFs files online quickly through a merging program. Simply select your files, place them in the drop zone, and select Merge. It’s as simple as that to get organized, help conserve resources, and reduce unnecessary waste. 

You can use almost the same process for PDF to image conversion. Although PDFs have their advantages, they are less ideal for use in social media. So if you have content that is currently formatted this way, use the converter to switch it to a jpg. It's the same three steps: open the file, select the new file type, and save.

Tell your customers your plans.

Your marketing materials should do more than just sell your business. They should also help your customers understand that your focus is on sustainability. It does not matter whether your business is specifically focused on environmental friendliness or operates on a green business model, your customers want to know. Further, when you commit to reducing what Conserve Energy Future describes as the top environmental problems of the day (this includes pollution, soil degradation, global warming, and resource depletion), you may even attract new customers that may have otherwise gone with the competition.

Other Things To Know

• There is no single sustainable business practice or methodology that works for all businesses

• It takes time, money, and a strong commitment to maintaining sustainability

• Many customers are willing to pay a small premium to help you uphold your green practices

• Not all customers will react positively

• It’s necessary to change your processes as new environmental information becomes available

• Running a sustainable business is not as easy but may be more rewarding than having a traditional company

• You must verify that your vendors, employees, and contractors are also committed to sustainable business practices

Starting or buying a new business is a major life decision. But, this is one of those situations where if you never try, you will never know. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and go for it. The steps above, from utilizing electric invoices to buying an existing business to forming your business structure early will help you create a roadmap for sustainable success.

Find out what other local businesses are doing by becoming a member of your local Chamber of Commerce!