A woman who sells reusable grocery sacks. A small business that salvages housing materials. A man who has created his own green cleaning products. At first glance, perhaps they have little in common. However, a closer look reveals that they have two things in common. They're eco-friendly and they're making money.
Some Green Small Business Ideas
There are many different small business ideas that are eco-friendly. A few of the most popular ideas include:
- Green landscaping and gardening related businesses. A landscaper that encourages clients to try gardening with native plants or a company that sells organically grown perennials are two green ideas.
- Recycled product crafts, such as coffee cozies made from sweater cuffs.
- Reusable product sales. Sandwich bags and grocery bags are two examples of reusable products.
- Organic farming. Growing vegetables and fruits organically has been popular for quite some time. These businesses frequently set up a stand at a farmer's market or sell produce to local restaurants.
Take a Second Look at Businesses to See If They Are Green
What if someone is already a small business owner who doesn't want to get rid of the current business, but wants to jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon? Is he or she just out of luck? Not necessarily. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of taking another look at the current business and tweaking a few things to make it green.
- One great example is someone who paints and sells furniture. If that person adds secondhand furniture that has been refurbished and painted with eco-friendly paints to the inventory, he or she has developed a very green line of merchandise that complements the existing business.
- A person with a hair salon could make the business greener by choosing environmentally friendly hair care products. While they may not always work as well as traditional hair dyes, there are even several different eco-friendly dyes that could be offered to clients who want to go green.
- Cleaning businesses can switch to green products and will be able to attract customers looking for eco-friendly solutions and should be able to add clients who are sensitive to the chemicals used in traditional cleaners to their customer base as well.
As the eco-friendly trend continues to gain momentum, entrepreneurs who start green businesses or tweak existing businesses to make them greener will become more and more popular. Getting in on this trend while it is just starting to take off is not just financially smart. It is also something the business owner can really be proud of.
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