Small Biz Leads Job Recovery- Can it Lead in Sustainability Too?

Small businesses in the U.S. added 70,000 jobs in January, continuing their upward trend in employment growth that began in October 2009, according to the Intuit Small Business Employment Index. In fact, since October 2009, small businesses have created more than one million jobs.  

If you think small businesses can't make an impact, think again! Small business is BIG business: ·         The 23 million small businesses in America account for 54% of all U.S. sales. ·         Small businesses provide 55% of all jobs and 66% of all net new jobs since the 1970s. ·         The 600,000 plus franchised small businesses in the U.S. account for 40% of all retail sales and provide jobs for some 8 million people. ·         The small business sector in America occupies 30-50% of all commercial space, an estimated 20-34 billion square feet.   What is more encouraging is more small businesses than ever before are subscribing to the idea that they can save money, increase sales, and improve brand value by implementing social and environmental business sustainability strategies.  Exactly how are small businesses leading in sustainable business practices?  Generally driven by cost effective / value added projects, business owners are adopting effective ways to identify obvious areas of business sustainability improvement and address quick and easy solutions. ·         Low-Hanging Fruit Strategy: Often already known areas of improvements, this is a process of capturing low-cost, low-risk easily identifiable solutions. ·         Silver Bullet Strategy: A singular focused initiative that significantly alters the current state. ·         Risk management strategies are typically focused on addressing internal weak points in an attempt to protect the bottom line.  This is a tactic often employed when considering a sustainability concept that is seen as having a potentially large negative impact. ·         Benchmarking Strategy: A focused external practice to gain information on best practices through proactive observation of peers and applying similar practices internally.  Click here to continue reading.

 

 

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".

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