Starting-Up Green: The Planetshifter Interview with Sustainable Business Consultant and Author Glenn Croston

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Starting-Up Green: The Planetshifter Interview with Sustainable Business Consultant and Author Glenn Croston

Green Business Planning for Green Business Success

It’s hard to get anywhere without a map, and the map that guides businesses to success is their business plan. Being green doesn't mean you don't need business fundamentals. Green businesses need a sound plan if they are to help the environment and build profitable ventures, and a solid business plan is often essential for raising money. Tim Cassidy at Green Business-Plans.com can provide a quality plan than helps you get where you want to go, and will get you started with a free initial consultation.

To boost your visibility without busting your budget, contact Glenn Croston at Starting Up Green. Croston will craft your message and deliver it with the 3BL Media distribution network reaching hundreds of thousands of people in the CSR world and beyond.

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How do you see your role in the innovation process? Do you have any patents?

I help businesses to get from having an idea to having a business. One misconception people have is that having an innovative product is all it takes. Innovative products and patents are important, but they’re only the first step for a business. If a client holds intellectual property, I can brainstorm with them about development and commercialization of the product, marketing strategies, and partnering opportunities, for example.

Please tell us about your “extensive research experience.” How have you made a difference here?

I have over 20 years of research as a biologist in several different fields related to health and the environment. I’d like to think I’ve made a difference by helping people live healthier lives, and helping our planet get healthier as well.

Are you formally trained in sustainability?

I have a Ph.D. in biology, and learned on the job from a broad range of experts in fields like biofuels, renewable energy, consumer products, and energy efficiency. There are a lot of great academic programs related to sustainability today, but I’m afraid when I was going to school they were less plentiful. In addition to the great academic programs available now at places like the Presidio Graduate School, you can also find innovative training with folks like the Earth Savers Institute.

How many green business do we need Glenn?! What types are better than others now?

Take a look at the scale of environmental challenges we face. We’re looking at global issues that affect people everywhere like climate change, soil loss, dwindling water supplies, and loss of biodiversity. Now look at these problems as opportunities to provide solutions, opportunities as big as the problems are. That’s how many green businesses we need, enough to solve these problems. When all businesses are green businesses, we’ll know we have enough.

The opportunities are everywhere. Some of the best opportunities are in green building, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, helping people and businesses to both save money and go green at the same time. We waste billions of dollars on wasted energy, so there is a huge motivation from homes, businesses, and the government to save this energy and save money. Check out what innovators like Empowered Energy Solutions are doing in the energy efficiency field.

Opportunities to waste less are also on the rise, with solutions like sustainable packaging. Solutions like Hexapack and ExpandOS provide not just more sustainable shipping with less waste, but also cost savings and reduced breakage.

With all of the interest in greening our lives and businesses, another opportunity is for people who go out into businesses and homes to help them green what they do. Businesses like Green Irene, the Green Business Bureau, and Zola Goods are helping to fill this need with information and pre-screened products, and help with greening business operations.

Is Entrepreneur Press a big house? Why go with them?

Entrepreneur Press is very strong in their expertise with books for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Their strength in this publishing field, and their work with the other arms of Entrepreneur Media, Entrepreneur Magazine and Entrepreneur.com, make them a very attractive publisher for authors in this space. They have a real interest in their authors and in the field.

The economy and the people are down, struggling with fear and an uncertain future. How do you help them start-up?

The first step is setting aside the fear and getting into action. People need to know that whatever the condition of the economy, there are great opportunities for people from almost any background to start their own business, and they don’t all require huge start-up funds. Many can be started or bootstrapped from almost nothing, no matter where they are at today. Green businesses are great businesses, providing many advantages for start-ups. Going green helps businesses save money, find new partners, attract employees, and plan for the future trends driving growth in the 21st century.

I help businesses in several ways to get started. I help them find the opportunity that is the best match for their background and resources, I help them connect with partners and resources they need, I help with business marketing, strategic planning, putting together information for investors, and looking at the sustainability of their existing business.

Fair to say that www.StartingUpGreen.com is a simplistic, cookie-cutter approach to starting a green business?

I don’t think so. A cookie-cutter approach sounds like a bad idea, frankly. Green businesses are not one size fits all. Every business is unique, just like the people starting them. It’s important for people to know there are a host of useful resources available that people can plug into to help them succeed, but the central piece is always their own unique combination of individual strengths and assets. I work with people to find the path that best suits their unique assets rather than trying to force them into a mold that might not be right for them.

What is your relationship to 3BL Media? How does it work?

I have a partnership with 3BL Media helping green businesses to get high quality but low cost media exposure. 3BL Media has a distribution network to deliver releases in any format to the CSR and green business worlds, helping businesses to tell their story. I work with businesses to refine their message and to deliver it through the channels that 3BL Media provides.

Glenn Croston Bio -

As an author, entrepreneur, and scientist Glenn Croston helps entrepreneurs build successful businesses that make money and make a difference.

The founder of Starting Up Green, Croston works with entrepreneurs to help them start their own green businesses and grow them into successful ventures helping our world and their bottom line. His speaking and consulting engagements provide practical, innovative, and personal insight into green business success.

Croston’s books include:

“75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference” (Entrepreneur Press, 2008)
75 Green Businesses provides business opportunities for people from any background to join the green business revolution in fields that include green energy, buildings, transportation, food, water, services, waste reduction, farming, and green careers.

“Greening Your Business on a Budget” e-book (Entrepreneur Press 2009)
This e-book goes over the checklist of easy steps any business can take to increase profits, build brand value, and open the door to new opportunities.

“Starting Green: An Ecopreneur’s Toolkit to Starting a Green Business from Business Plan to Profits” (Entrepreneur Press, 2009)
Starting Green picks up where 75 Green Businesses leaves off, laying out the nuts and bolts for green businesses to get started and to succeed, including planning, marketing, raising money, and utilizing government incentives.

Croston also highlights the path to a greener and healthier economy in articles for Entrepreneur, Renewable Energy World, and expert blogging for Fast Company. His work has been featured on Greenbiz.com, BusinessWeek.com, and many other print and radio outlets.

Glenn Croston has a Ph.D. in biology and extensive research experience. Living with his wife and two daughters in San Diego, Croston has a Prius in his driveway, solar panels on his roof, and compost in his backyard. He’s looking forward to the time when all businesses are green.

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Connections -
Author of “75 Green Businesses” and “Starting Green”
www.StartingUpGreen.com
glenn.croston at startingupgreen dot com