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6 Fun Ways to Start a Business and Save the Planet, Too

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By Diana Gomez

Saving the planet has to happen organically, one individual at a time. As an entrepreneur, you have the world at your fingertips to do as you please.

The decision to start your own online business is alone a huge step in the eco-friendly direction. Think of the good you’ll do by staying at home and off the road, for instance. Fewer overhead costs also means less energy used. You’re the boss, so you have the right to decide that you’ll recycle daily or send vendors paperless bills.

But beginning your own business means you can do more than using less paper — it means you can actually make your living with a green business idea. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas to help get the creative juices flowing.

volunteers recycling

Recycled Clothing Shop

Why not start an online clothing store? With resources and platforms like Etsy available, it’s easy to do your part for the planet by selling used goods, turning your products into recycled ones. Whether it’s vintage clothes, designer labels, or regular modern wear, you have a market. And the best part? Besides an environmentally satisfying career, you get to shop for a living. And once you get started, you’ll find that friends and friends of friends will even give you their used stuff to sell — for free.

Upcycled Furniture

So maybe hoarding clothes isn’t your thing. Love to work with your hands? Try your hand(s) at taking old, thrifted or roadside furniture and turning it into a work of art. Take a look around and you’ll notice that more and more homes are full of furniture that’s used but endearingly rustic. Many stores are even filled with tables and chests that are brand new, but made to look shabby chic. How senseless is that when you can create the real deal? People will appreciate the heart you put into your work. And you’ll be saving a tree or two in the process.

Green Events

It doesn’t take a serious environmentalist to figure out how wasteful events can be. And whether it’s a business meeting, a wedding or a festival, bringing people together often brings up the problem of wasted materials, energy and water. By becoming a green event planner, you can use your eco-friendly know-how to make decisions that are not only mindful of the planet but also ones that clientele will be grateful for. It can be frustrating attending a concert that doesn’t recycle beer bottles or a nighttime event that’s unnecessarily lit up. By making sound decisions in your event planning, it can not only save you money, but the business image it generates can only be positive as a result.

Organic Foods

The yummiest thing you could do as a business owner is to grow your own vegetables and consider selling them at your local farmer’s market. The organic movement is in full force, and so it’s a great time to use that as a launching pad for your dream (green) business. If cooking’s more your thing, consider a baking venture. Yes, you can make it as an online baker! There are plenty of sellers on Etsy who make their living sending beautiful edible goods off to faraway places. There’s no reason you can’t get in on that, giving yourself an edge by making your products totally organic. When possible, use ingredients you can grow yourself or buy locally, like herbs and fruits.

Nutritionist

If you’re laughing at the thought of growing foods or cooking them, but you’re still interested in the notion of being good to your body, why not start an online business as a green nutritionist? The number of people needing guidance away from processed, convenient foods toward whole, real food is a growing one. Why not elect yourself as their savior? You could go the extra mile and create (or hire someone to) an app to complement your efforts by providing clients with a place to track what goes in and helps people choose what to eat next. Forget counting calories and tracking how many steps you walk in a day. Get back to the basics and help people eat more like our grandparents and less like Homer Simpson.

Green Trade Sites

Why not take the idea of renting a movie by mail further and apply it to other types of used goods, which saves money on purchasing tons of new stuff? I read an article recently about a guy who’s applying the notion to renting used ties online. Never buy a new tie again! Why not rent out a hat by mail or a set of tea cups for a special party? The creative options are endless.

What kind of online green business have you been impressed with lately?

Author’s Bio: Diana Gomez is the Marketing Coordinator at Lyoness America, where she is instrumental in the implementation of marketing and social media strategies for USA and Canada. Lyoness, an international shopping community and loyalty rewards program, sponsors the Lyoness Greenfinity Foundation, a charitable organization actively involved in sustainably protecting the environment, realizing innovative climate protection projects worldwide, and promoting the use of renewable energies.

4 Online Business Ideas that Don’t Require Incorporation

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By Ken Myers

The availability of internet access has minimized the complications that come with starting a traditional business, and it’s easier than ever to provide products and services to the public. Online businesses are subject to many of the regulations and tax laws that storefront businesses abide by, but one main advantage is that there are certain services and products you can deliver without needing to go through the formal process of incorporating. With some business idea lists reaching well over 100, the possibilities are astonishingly numerous; however, we’ve shared four ideas that anyone can do below:

Content Management

Social media marketing and management, copywriting, ghostwriting, technical writing and transcription are just a few types of content management services you can do online. The first step to tackling this career goal is to validate yourself as a professional freelance writer. Businesses and employers who need your writing skills are going to be looking for a polished portfolio and examples of previously published work. The fact that you can work for a number of clients as a sole proprietor or as an independent contractor is what makes this business so attainable. If you were to really take off, you could leverage your services by expanding and outsourcing to other writers for larger projects.

Blogging

One of the most popular and straightforward ways to make money off the internet is through blogging. Even hobby bloggers have started monetizing their blogs. Many bloggers host ads and get paid every time one of their visitors clicks on one. If a blog has an exceptionally high amount of traffic, you can give advertisers the option to place unique ads directly on the blog. Sites like Pay Per Post bridge the gap between bloggers who write for an audience and advertisers who want to reach those readers.

A blogger can also sell products as an affiliate. You can become an affiliate by marketing an eBook or reviewing an online service such as HootSuite or GoToMeeting, and then provide an affiliate link (be sure to properly disclose) that users can click to sign up. If you have a blog with high traffic or you’re interested in starting a niche blog, affiliate marketing can supplement your income. 

Multilevel Marketing

If you’re looking for a business that will make you money and give you the chance to flex your marketing muscles at the same time, then you may want to invest in an MLM, or multilevel marketing company. Amway, ACN, Thirty-One, Organo Gold, Empower Network and Scentsy are among the reputable companies that you could buy into. By signing up as an independent distributor for an MLM, you save on the substantial startup costs that it would normally take to start another business. Also, much of the work has been done for you in an MLM. The most enticing benefit is the residual income that you can earn from commissions, which means you get paid on a recurring basis from a transaction that took place once.

The companies that offer services instead of products make earning residuals incredibly easy. ACN, for instance, offers cell phone and cable packages. Every time that a customer pays a bill, the sales rep who sold that package gets paid time and again. However, the MLM business model is a bit controversial and receives split reviews around the internet community. There are many individuals who see enormous results from their businesses, and there are those who stand on the other end of spectrum, struggling and failing to close enough leads to make their investment worthwhile. If you’re a natural marketer and find a company with a product or service that you believe in, consider giving it a shot. Just do your research first and use your own judgment about whether or not it fits your budget and the time you can dedicate to the business.

eCommerce and Dropshipping

As an alternative to offering creative services, you can sell your own products through your website or another eCommerce platform. Maintaining an online store is not for the faint of heart, though, especially if you plan to operate on a third party platform like Etsy, Amazon or eBay. There will be a steep learning curve because these companies make constant revisions to their websites and procedures. One benefit of using them, however, is that they do much of the marketing for you.

There are other stores for creative products similar to Etsy that feature your products to their viewers. Zazzle, Cafepress and Artfire are among them. These websites will deduct a percentage of your profit, so if you want to retain as much of your earnings as possible then you can always set up your own store. Volusion and BigCommerce are web tools that you can use to construct an online store entirely from scratch. The end result is a site that uniquely fits your own brand and allows customers to check out directly from your website.

Both eCommerce options will require a financial investment. Selling your products will not be a get-rich-quick option. In fact, none of these online business ideas will take off overnight. If you choose a line of work that best fits your interests and lifestyle, though, the overall process will be much more smooth and, hopefully, profitable.

Share Your Thoughts
What is your experience with starting an online business? Do you have any other ideas for attainable business opportunities? If so, share them in the comments!

Author’s Bio: Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.