7 Cost-effective Environmentally Friendly Tips to Start a New Business

Whether you’re starting a new business or trying to grow an existing brand, there are a couple of trends that you can’t ignore, especially if your goal is to build a sustainable empire built on cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly solutions.

If you want to increase your bottom line by cutting down on operational expenses while remaining relevant on matters of environmental preservation, here are some ways to go:

1.  Paperless transactions

No business can ever truly subscribe to zero-waste operations, but doing away with paper will tremendously help your cause of living a more intentional life, even as a business owner. Store files in the cloud instead of in filing cabinets; send contracts, receipts, and purchase forms digitally; and collect client information on virtual databases instead of using traditional, outdated signup sheets.

You’d be surprised how much you can save in terms of money and space without paper.

2.  Rented vehicles

Whether you need cars for transporting workers, machinery, equipment, or even construction materials for your business, you can rely on companies that offer industrial and commercial truck rentals instead of buying your own trucks. There are considerable and undeniable benefits to renting a fleet, including more flexibility on your part, i.e. you can simply return and rent a different truck if you find that the one you got is not suitable for the project you’re working on.

Of course, supporting the car rental economy means you are helping reduce the industrial waste in the automotives industry.

3.  Co-working spaces

Along with rented vehicles, co-working spaces have been gaining ground in the pre-pandemic era, as it provided an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to set up their office without having to burn through their life savings or taking out a huge loan that will put them in debt forever.

This is a good trend to revisit once things return to normal. Using a co-working space will allow you to save on overhead expenses like rent and utility costs since you’ll be sharing those with other short-term occupants.

4.  Remote working

Another trend that became popular on account of the coronavirus situation is remote working. It is already part of the new normal, and many employers are seeing the benefits of letting employees work from home. It really is a good choice if you don’t want to spend a lot on equipment, office space, and transportation provisions for your workers.

5.  Tapping into the gig economy

You can also explore hiring people for project-based engagements instead of offering full-time employment. This way, you can save on labor costs while also giving workers freedom and flexibility to take on other jobs and gigs when things are not too busy in your business. Supporting the gig economy provides a win-win situation for you and your colleagues to work more efficiently while earning more.

6.  New and improved digital marketing

Everyone knows that focusing on sales and marketing strategies online is way cheaper and produces less waste than traditional advertising like posters and flyers.

However, since virtually all businesses are doing digital marketing nowadays, you have to be able to incentivize clients to engage with you on social media. You can do this by hiring  digital marketing and SEO specialists to run successful online campaigns for you.

7.  Big data strategy

Speaking of online strategies, it is becoming more and more common for small businesses and brands to leverage data to their advantage. If you can make good sense of the data you can collect from your online engagements and website clicks, then you can understand how to improve your services, may it be in terms of the actual business you offer, or in terms of customer service. Data-based strategies will allow you to spend less on campaigns and innovations that will not help your business grow.

Keep these trends in mind as you start your journey towards building your own business. This is your guide on how to run a chic, relevant, and cost-effective enterprise.