As attention on global warming and other critical environmental issues mounts, interest in the perceived marketing benefits of “going green” is on the rise as well. That has many entrepreneurs asking, “What can my business do to make a difference?”
2007 winners of the “Greenest” category in the StartupNation Home-Based 100 ranking posed that exact question from the get-go before starting up Sweet Onion Creations in February 2007. The co-founders, Jake Cook and his wife Lee, embody the higher-road ideals of running a business that’s green and growing.
“It was kind of a guiding light for us from the start,” says Jake.
While most of the companies grabbing the headlines, and credit, for helping protect the environment through their business practices are large corporations such as Wal-Mart, the green business movement has hit home-based businesses across the United States.
More and more entrepreneurs are deciding that this is a route they want to take with their enterprise. If done right, these owners realize they can attract more clients and even make more money in the long run through cutting their energy-usage costs and increasing employee morale.
The Bozeman, Mont.-based Sweet Onion Creations makes three-dimensional models of buildings for architectural firms. After receiving a computer-generated rendering, or even hard copies of blueprints, the Cooks construct the models in their garage using computer-imaging software and customized ZCorp machines.
Author: Rich Sloan
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