Little guys go green
Cookie dough in a plastic bucket anyone?
There’s nothing that gets under my skin more than those school fundraisers my kids bring home selling a host of processed foods you wouldn’t want your dog to eat. Not to mention all the poorly made little trinkets hawked in these catalogs you’ll use once and then they’ll end up on the growing trash heap we’re going to have to jettison to the moon some day.
That’s why I was happy to read about a company that just made a new list of top 100 home-based businesses that’s helping schools and nonprofits raise funds by selling environmentally friendly products.
Green Raising, a small firm owned by Lisa Olson and located in Agoura Hills, California, is one of ten small businesses named as the greenest home-based firms in the country by small business website
StartupNation.
The StartupNation Home-Based 100, sponsored by
Microsoft Office Live Small Business, was released this week and includes ten categories including everything from the greenest to the wackiest. (MSNBC.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.)
Green Raising was ranked No. 3 among the greenest because of its “innovative” approach. “All products are eco-friendly and fairly traded. Some 25% of all Greenraising online sales and 40% of all catalog sales go directly to participating nonprofits. The general public can shop online at the Greenraising site and choose where their money will be donated,” according to the ranking.
Among the “wackiest” home-based firms is one of my favorites,
Nashville Lappy Hour. Entrepreneur Jenny Clough came up with an idea to find places where dog owners could take their pooches out with them for drinks.
I really think it’s insane how people have become drinking buddies with their pets, but hey, it’s entrepreneurial genius given how big an industry man and woman’s best friend has become.
While interesting ideas are fun to read about, the list also gets down to the business brass tacks…money.
The best financial performer on the list is
Medical Solutions International, a nursing placement firm.
Talk about great ideas. With the nation’s nursing shortage, which is expected to rise considerably as the population ages, this Tempe, Arizona company is cashing in.
Medical Solutions, owned by Robert Woltz, has seen revenues in 2006 jump to 11.2 million, from $3.4 million the previous year.
“Although large companies often grab the headlines, home-based businesses today are thriving,” says Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation. “Millions of people are following their passions through entrepreneurship by pursuing innovative, sound business ideas.”
Do you have an interesting green or wacky business idea?
