The Importance Of Legal Support For Your Sustainable Business

Julie Starr • July 20, 2022



When you’re running your sustainable business, there might be several instances where you will encounter difficult situations and would need professional legal assistance. Even though it is important, less than 20% of small businesses seek legal help. Although you may become more experienced at handling your business’s affairs, legal issues are complex and require professional skills. Additionally, legal support is very advantageous to your business. Here are a few reasons why you should seek legal support for your sustainable business . 

  • Insurance disputes

Insuring your business is a must for all entrepreneurs. It ensures that your business is fully covered if it suffers a setback such as theft or damage. However, the entire process of filing an insurance claim is not so simple, and you might need the services of an insurance lawyer . It’s the safest and best route to take. 

Your insurance lawyer can help you, and your insurance company will agree on your claims or if you have a claim that isn’t completely straightforward. They are also very useful when you have a large claim, especially if your sustainable business has suffered from a natural disaster or when it’s difficult to establish fault. 

  • Business expansion

If your sustainable business is continuously meeting its targets and your customer base is rapidly growing, you might consider expanding your business. But business expansions are not that straightforward, so you will need assistance addressing some legal issues that might arise during the process. This makes the entire expansion period more bearable and less challenging. 

When expanding your sustainable business, especially if you plan on operating in new territories or areas, you might want to introduce some new products for your potential customers. In such cases, there are several regulations that you must comply with. That’s why it’s a smart idea to hire a qualified legal expert who can handle those major problems, effectively giving you the chance to focus on other aspects of your business and make your transition as seamless as possible. 

  • Employee relations

It’s no lie that employees are one of the most significant assets of any business. After all, your sustainable business would not be able to run efficiently without the help of your staff. Its overall performance also largely depends on how well they do their jobs. Building a trustworthy relationship with your employees is something you must take seriously.

Therefore, if you are in conflict with your current, former, or prospective employees, it is crucial to resolve such matters to prevent them from getting out of hand. This prevents lawsuits, which can negatively affect your business’s reputation in the long run.

Legal services ensure that all aspects of your business’s operations run smoothly. When you work with legal experts, you can rest assured that you are doing things correctly and reducing your risk for any severe legal issues. Whenever you’re in doubt, always seek help from the experts. Fortunately, you can hire in-house legal professionals or outsource from a reputable company. 

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.