8 Things To Consider When Starting Your Sustainable Business

Julie Starr • May 19, 2020



If you’re thinking of starting a sustainable business but you don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you have had your idea for years or it’s something that has only just come to you, you need to be sure you’re making the right decision. Whilst it may be overwhelming, there are lots of questions you can ask yourself to ensure exactly that. From deciding on what your business is going to be doing to working out how it’s going to make a profit in a sustainable way, the more questions you’re asking yourself the better. With that in mind, here are 8 things to consider when starting your sustainable busines s:

What Will Your Business Be Doing?

One of the first things you need to consider is what your business is going to be doing, as this will be the basis of your journey as an entrepreneur. Whether you’re going to be offering sustainably made products or you have developed an app that encourages people to think about their energy consumption, you need to clearly plan out exactly what it is your business is going to be doing. The sooner you do this, the easier the process will be.

How Will It Be Sustainable?

When thinking about your business and what they’re going to be doing, you also need to detail how it’s going to be sustainable. Although this will be obvious to you, it may be something you have to explain during pitches to potential investors or buyers.

The best way to approach this, of course, is to come up with a thirty-second elevator pitch that details what your business does and how it helps the environment. For a guide to putting together an elevator pitch , you can visit this site here.

What Are Your Overall Business Values?

Another important thing to consider is your values, as these will help to define your business. Although it may take some time to perfect them, thinking about what you will offer your customers is incredibly important. For a guide to putting together your business’ values , you can visit this handy site here.

How Will Your Business Make A Profit In A Sustainable Way?

When it comes to running a sustainable business, often it’s a little harder to make a profit. Whether you’re paying more for materials or you have a smaller target audience, you need to think about exactly how your business is going to be making a profit and whether or not it’s something you can sustain.

Have You Considered Your Costs?

When it comes to profits, you also need to think about your costs as chances are when you’re running a sustainable business, your costs are going to be much higher. If you don’t know what your exact costs are going to be right away, it might be worth putting a rough estimate together as you’re finding the best suppliers for your business.

Do You Need To Employ Any Staff?

Another important thing to consider when it comes to starting a sustainable business is whether or not you’re going to need to hire any staff. Although this may not be something you do right away, hiring staff is the perfect way to free up your time to work on business growth. Whether you outsource or bring someone on full-time, you will notice the difference in no time.

If you do need to employ staff, here are 8 Payroll Reports Every Business Manager Needs To Know.

How Will You Promote Your Business To Others?

As you start to launch your business, you need to think about how you’re going to promote it to others. When it comes to sustainability, online is often the best place to start.

What Are Your Targets As A Business?

Finally, you need to think about your targets as a business. Whether you’re looking to make a difference in the world of sustainability or you’re looking to make a profit during your first year, setting goals is a great way to keep you motivated. For a guide to setting goals , you can visit this site here.

With lots of important things to consider before starting a sustainable business, you can be sure you’re doing all that you can to protect the environment at the same time as following your dreams. What else do you need to consider? Did we miss anything off of the list? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Online Business More Sustainable

By Julie Starr • August 9, 2025
Running an online business can feel like a constant balancing act. You’re trying to grow, keep customers happy, and still have time for yourself. The trick to making it all work long-term is to build habits and systems that last. You don’t need a complicated plan or endless resources to do it either. Here are five straightforward ways to make your business more sustainable without overcomplicating things. Focus on long-term customer relationships If you want your business to last, you need customers who keep coming back. That doesn’t just happen because you’ve got a good product or service. It’s about making people feel valued every time they interact with you. Simple things like remembering their name, following up after a purchase, or sending a quick thank-you email can make a huge difference. People are far more likely to support a business they feel connected to, so keep those relationships personal and genuine rather than purely transactional. Make your marketing work smarter A big part of sustainability is making sure your marketing isn’t draining your time or money. You want it to be efficient and get results. This is where working with seo consultants can help. They know how to make sure people can find your business online without you throwing cash at random ads. Even if you can’t hire someone right now, you can start by focusing on keywords, improving your website’s loading speed, and posting valuable content that answers the questions your customers are already asking. Streamline your products or services It’s tempting to try to offer everything to everyone, but that’s rarely a good idea. The more you offer, the more time, money, and resources you’ll end up using. Instead, focus on the things you do best and make them as good as they can be. When you streamline what you’re selling, you can put all your energy into perfecting it, which makes it easier to maintain quality over time. Customers notice when you consistently deliver something great, and they’ll trust you more for it. Keep an eye on your finances No matter how much you enjoy the creative or customer side of your business, the numbers are what will keep you going long-term. That means knowing what’s coming in, what’s going out, and where you can cut costs without cutting quality. Set yourself a monthly check-in to look at your spending and profits. If you spot something that’s not working financially, don’t leave it for months, hoping it will improve. Tackle it early and you’ll avoid bigger problems down the road. Look after yourself You can’t run a sustainable business if you’re running yourself into the ground. Burnout isn’t just bad for you, it’s bad for your customers and your bottom line. Make sure you’re setting boundaries, taking breaks, and switching off when you can. That might mean scheduling a full day without work every week or turning your phone off after a certain time. The more balanced you are, the better decisions you’ll make, and the easier it will be to keep your business moving forward without constantly feeling like you’re in survival mode. Sustainability in business isn’t about doing one big thing; it’s about making intelligent, consistent choices that build over time. Start small, keep checking in on your progress, and before you know it, your business will feel a lot steadier and more future-proof than it did before.

Sustainable Choices That Heavy Industry Businesses Can Easily Make

By Julie Starr • August 8, 2025
Are you hoping to build a heavy industry business? It’s the kind of company that can have globally sweeping positive and negative effects. On the one hand, you’re contributing to the industry, ensuring there’s enough supply to meet demand, and you can do your best to operate in a sustainable way that prioritizes the environment. But on the other hand, the heavy industry has long been the most significant business polluter in the world. Despite advancements in industry technology and usage, their ranking relative to other sectors, such as food and beverage , and shipping and logistics, has remained unchanged as of 2025. Requiring extensive use of large, heavy, and expensive machinery, the fumes produced by heavy-duty factories in sectors like mining, aerospace, nautical, and metal production regularly cause harm to both human and animal life. It’s why anyone interested in investing or scaling within an industry like this needs to focus on their company’s carbon footprint. There are various ways to ensure you’re limiting your harmful output and waste, and you’ll want to use as many as possible within your operation. Check out our recommendations below. Work with Green Suppliers No matter what stage you sit at in the hypothetical supply chain, you’re likely to source at least part of your overall production material from a supplier. If that’s not the case, you’ll still need to work with companies that provide machinery and equipment, as well as replacement parts for these industrial items. All in all, to make as sustainable a choice as possible, you’ll want to commit to working with a ‘green’ supplier who makes eco-conscious choices at every step. Eco-friendly suppliers will strive to both implement sustainable practices within their production line, as well as provide sustainably made and/or extracted materials. The products and/or parts they send out are likely to be recyclable when they reach their end-of-life period, or they’ll run a scheme where you can send old or broken parts back to them. Offset Your Carbon Emissions Offsetting carbon emissions converts the waste output from your operations into something more positive. If you’re interested in programs like this , you can use official government platforms or climate charity websites to contribute. You’ll be able to find a variety of projects that have been undertaken to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and they’ll be located in various regions across the world. You can choose to patronise as many of them as you wish, but if you want to focus on specific types, you’ll also be able to do so. When approaching a program like this, it’s usually best to offset month by month, as this helps you stay on top of your carbon footprint. Be sure to invest in as much carbon removal per tonne as your business has potentially contributed to the atmosphere in the last month. But before you go any further, there’s one thing you need to keep in mind here: Carbon offsetting is just one sustainable practice you can turn to, but it’s not the only one your business will ever need to use. Yes, it’s one of the most sustainable practices a heavy industry business can invest in. But that’s only true when it’s partnered with real-time carbon-lowering efficiencies within day-to-day operations. Repair, Rather Than Throw Away Repairing is the best option if a repair is possible. This should be the first step when evaluating old or broken-down equipment. If it can be salvaged, it should be. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace the equipment in question. Not only is that expensive, but it also means more waste to manage. And not all heavy industry tech can be recycled. Sometimes it’s potentially hazardous and needs to be disposed of carefully, and this could have harsh impacts on the surrounding environment. Repairing is your best bet, at least 80% of the time. You can get back up and running faster, and you don’t need to account for a large investment at short notice. And more equipment can be repaired than you might think. It’s not just small, singular parts that can be pulled out. Entire internal systems in even large vehicles, such as freighter ships, can be replaced by secondary parts. A marine logistics provider or deep-sea fishing operator would save a lot of money just by ordering a Cummins Rebuild Kit for one of their vessels. Deciding to put the ship out of commission and eventually scrapping it will contribute to the large-scale waste common in companies like this. Aiming to repair and limit environmental damage will get that same boat back onto the waters in seaworthy condition. Operate with Lower Emission Logistics Shipping your products to businesses and markets always generates a carbon footprint. Unless you’re operating only within the local area and you’re able to transport products back and forth on foot, this is an unavoidable issue. And seeing as you’re a heavy industry business, that’s not very likely. But some shipping options are better than others. Indeed, there are low-emission choices to be made, and you’ll want to look into these logistic partners only. You’ll likely find that air travel is a total no-go zone. Alternatives to this are long-haul road transportation or a traditional shipping company that operates via sea. Yes, even trucking your products over land generates a lot less carbon waste that can damage the environment than flying something! Staying Green as a Heavy Industry Player Working sustainably within the heavy industry is a career-long project. You’ll need to continually make moves to consider what could be streamlined into something greener and less consuming next. In the end, this can help your long-term costs decrease and stay low. Fewer risky investments, fewer fees from environmental bodies, and more productive time within your business. So, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it