How To Start A Sustainable Online Business In 8 Easy Steps

Julie Starr • May 3, 2022



If you’re looking to start an online business that is both sustainable and profitable, you need to take a few key steps. Fortunately, these steps are relatively easy to follow and implement.

1. Do your research

The first step is to do your research. You need to learn about the different aspects of running an online business, as well as what’s currently trending in your industry. You can do this by reading blogs and articles about running an online business, attending webinars or conferences, and talking to other business owners in your area.

2. Set up your website or blog

The next step is to set up a website or blog where you can showcase your business to potential customers. Remember to sign up with internet providers that will keep you connected. This will require some technical knowledge, so it’s a good idea to work with a web designer who can help you choose the right domain, design your site, and set up any necessary tools or plugins. 

3. Choose a business model

Once you have your website or blog set up, you need to decide on a business model. There are many different online business models, such as network marketing, affiliate marketing, dropshipping stores, and eCommerce businesses. You may want to try several different models until you find one that works best for your particular business and customer base.

4. Get started with marketing

Once you have your business model in place, it’s time to start marketing your business to potential customers. There are a number of different marketing channels you can use, such as social media, email marketing, and pay-per-click advertising. You’ll need to experiment with different marketing strategies to find out which ones work best for your business.

5. Build a customer base

As you start to market your business and attract customers, you need to focus on building a strong customer base. This involves creating valuable content that will help solve your customers’ problems, providing great customer service, and developing long-term relationships with your customers.

6. Generate sales

Once you have a solid customer base, you can start generating sales. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as selling products or services on your website or blog, setting up an eCommerce store, or running a pay-per-click advertising campaign.

7. Maximize profits

Once you are consistently generating sales, it’s time to optimize your online business and begin making more money. This can be done by optimizing your website or blog for search engines, upgrading your products or services, and offering discounts to loyal customers.

8. Keep learning and improving

To keep your online business growing and thriving, you need to keep learning and improving. This means staying up to date with the latest marketing trends, tracking your analytics and website traffic, and experimenting with different types of content or marketing channels. By continuously working on your business and staying on top of the latest developments in your industry, you’ll be able to create a sustainable online business that generates profits for years to come.

There you have it!

With these steps, you can set up a sustainable and profitable online business in no time. It just takes some planning, hard work, and dedication!

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.