The recession is official.  As we put extra time and energy during these challenging times into ensuring the well-being of our famillies, our homes, and our businesses, we must not forget to take care of ourselves!  Of course if you can afford a day at the spa, go for it, but for many of us, that may be a bit too much.  Here are 5 simple suggestions for no-cost/low-cost pampering from head to toe-

(1) Soak in a hot tub- light a few candles, turn on some soft music (placed safely away from water!) and just soak.  Close your eyes and just think about nothing.
(2) Exercise- physical activity (any) helps stimulate various brain chemicals and makes you feel happier.  Jog solo, form a group of friends to do yoga in your livingroom, go walking with your children, clean your closets- purge unused belongings and calories at the same time.
(3) Chat with dear friends- sign up for a free account with Skype and you can chat your heart out, laugh and cry at no extra cost.  
(4) Eat- host a themed potluck- Mexican, tapas, breakfast, or maybe just desserts and wine.  Good company over good food can always boost your spirits, especially when everyone brings something to share.
(5) Take a nap- yup! Sleep deprivation can really wear you down emotionally and physically.  Find a moment in your day where you can carve out at least 15 minutes to lay down, close your eyes, and rest.

Not suggested above but definitely one of my faborites: If you have any little ones in your life, ask for a hug.  They always have a way of reminding us what's important in life.

     

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

A person I know who advises small business owners recently said to me that being an entrepreneur is knowing that you are on an island and that no one is coming to rescue you, that if you want to escape, you must build the raft that will carry you away. Most entrepreneurs I know share this understanding, and rather than finding it frightening or depressing, the challenge spurs them to concept and build the most stylish, seaworthy raft you have ever seen.

These are, obviously, uncertain times for everyone. The impact of the economic crisis seems to get worse by the day, and none of us know how bad it will get, how life as we have known it will change moving forward. I feel for our new president in the comparisons to Roosevelt, whose New Deal helped steer the country back to economic stability. He and his team face an unthinkably complex challenge in getting us back on the rails, and it seems there will be widespread pain in the interim.

The idea of sustainable business, which is what I am charged to write about here, is nothing without individuals who can build the seaworthy raft, which by all means may be patched perhaps unattractively, but effectively, where needed to stop the leaks. For many of us who don't have the comfort (false as it may be) of a regular paycheck, these are times that require a real faith in our ability to do what it takes to keep our livelihoods going. Entrepreneurs are used to uncertainty, and tend to have iron stomachs when it comes to fear and risk. If you can't tolerate risk, there is little chance you are an entrepreneur.

Still, these times test even the resolve of the most hardy when it comes to our businesses. The daily headlines can tempt us to reside us in a realm of fear and dread rather than hope, optimism, and confidence in the future. Of course, there is no certainty, and many of us will have to make tough decisions to survive. For some, this may mean taking a part time job, or projects we might usually reject to get us through. I am not a religious person, but I honestly believe the universe brings us what we need if only we pay attention and make the most of our resources.

At the end of the day, I for one am giving thanks that as an entrepreneur I've learned a real faith in myself that no temporal circumstance can take away. Times will improve, and while we all may need to be a bit creative in the short run, I do believe that once you've taken a path to live life on your terms, that fundamental way of seeing the world sticks. I'm grateful for all my fellow entrepreneurs, especially those at Beehive, and wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

     

Any of you out there conducting business without a computer? I would imagine there are not too many out there.  Computers have become vital instruments for businesses and are usually the first purchase made.  Google helps us research, email helps us communicate, accounting software helps us keep track of our precious dollars, and most industries have online presense via websites.  My computer is my business partner, my friend, and I do what I can to take good care of her. 

As an aspiring sustainable business, the plan is to use her as long as I can.  Sure there is the urge to buy the latest and greatest technology out there, but that may not be the best for my business financially and it doesn't comply with my goal to minimize waste.  Of course computers do get old and stop working, and of course there are situations where it just doesn't do what you want it to do to be efficient with your time, which for business is money.

So what do you do with your old computer? Throw it away? No....you can actually recycle it, completely! 

Here are some ideas:

(1) If it is still functioning, consider donating it to a local charity.  There are always folks out there that can refurbish and re-use any old computers.  Think schools, community centers, retirement homes, shelters.  You can check your local listings.

(2) Give it away for free on www.freecycle.com.  List your item(s) for free for local pick-up.

(3) Sell it to help cover the cost of a new computer.  You can advertise for free on www.craisglist.org.

(4) Recycle it!  Virtually every component of your computer can be recycled.  Take it to a recycler that specializes in technology recycling.  This is super important!!!! Computers and most electronics contain toxic waste, also known as e-waste.  When disposed of improperly, e-waste can leech harmful toxins into our air and ground water.  These come from the harsh metals and chemicals found in batteries and CRT monitors (cathode ray tubing which emits electromagnetic fields), for example.  There are companies that exist in USA that can re-use and recycle every component, even grind up circuit boards into a re-usable powder.  The problem is they are few and far between, leaving many well-intentioned recycling businesses with loads of collected e-waste.  So do your part and obtain certification that whoever is taking your electronics for recycling is actually recycling the components safely and properly.  Also, advocate for more comprehensive recycling programs locally and nationally.

FYI- because comprehensive e-waste recycling is so limited here in the states, some recycling businesses are shipping our waste to be dumped overseas, sometimes in rural poor communities in China.  This is an outrageous practice, so I do urge all you small businesses out there to be active and support recycling our own waste here in the states.

For other creative ideas to give life to your old computer, check out www.verdantcomputing.com.  The founder Carl Foner sells eco-friendly computing equipment and shares how you can re-use your computer, like turning it into a DVR!!!

Happy business and take care of your computer!

     

What a ride this presidential campaign and election was, and what sweet relief that it is over. Many of the headlines have trumpeted the arrival of a vibrant new era for our country, one in which industry and citizenry are re-energized with a sense of what's possible, of how we might just be able to nurture our idealism again. Of the many reasons I supported Barack Obama, one compelling draw of his candidacy was his championship of opening up a new era of green technology and alternative energy. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has written persuasively in his books (The World is Flat, and now Hot, Flat and Crowded) and in his columns that to retain (regain?) global leadership the U.S. must become a contender in developing green technologies that will create jobs and position us once again as an audacious innovator. I hope that beyond that industry sector we see an era in which the role of business in society evolves in general, one in which we purge outdated habits and practices that squander energy and other resources needlessly, and one in which the entrepreneur, of course, can thrive. As many of us are still riding the exhilaration of last night's results, it's important to look forward and think about not just how change might be imposed upon us, but how we can start making changes all on our own. To that end, I'm sharing a few great sites on sustainable business and environmental issues that I enjoy reading, that inspire me or give me an idea here and there for how to do things a little differently. Herewith, some great reads and resources:

News & Point-of-View:
Ecopreneurist
Worldchanging
Treehugger
Grist

Sustainable Business:
BALLE
Business for Social Responsibility
Green Biz

Office Supplies:
Greener Printers
New Leaf Paper
The Green Office

     

In my heart I really want to be ecofabulous. I'm so glad being ecologically minded is hip and trendy and fabulous because for once a trend can do some good for this planet. In my ideal world we would all be driving little bitty gas sipping cars and walking more and spending less of our lives in a time starved crunch. We'd have the luxury to be much more thoughtful about what we consume and enjoy fresh, seasonal tasty organic meals with our loved ones each and everyday.

I'm afraid however that this is not my reality. My reality is that I'm in a race with the clock at least 6 days out of the week and I don't have the luxury of being eco fabulous - nor in many cases do I have the budget. But by no means do I think this is a good excuse and I've come to terms with the realization that much of it amounts to changing bad habits and rethinking my consumption in ways that are sustainable and long-term for me and my family.

So here's what I have decided. I'm not going to bite off more than I can chew and I'm going to take the long road to eco fabulosity. I'd rather make serious long-term changes than get frustrated with feeling like I have to do it all at once and fail miserably.

Now, I'm pretty average in the eco department, I wasn't horrible to begin with. We've always recycled, we drive cars that are reasonably fuel efficient and cook using fresh ingredients 80% of the time. But there is a ton of room for improvement and I think in about 2 years time I might just be really proud of myself. So for what it's worth here's my roadmap, keep in mind I really just started and old habits are hard to break!

1. I stopped using plastic grocery bags cold turkey. It only took 4 months but now every time I go to the grocery store I actually remember my cloth bags. After a few times of having to tell the checkout clerk that I have to run to my car for my bags but I PROMISE I'll be back, I learned.

2. Next I weaned myself off of disposable plastic water bottles. Dang those things are addictive...I still falter once and a while but don't buy the cases I used to - what was I thinking!

3. Now I am working on the ziplock bags and school lunch bags. That's another hard habit to break. If we do use them we wash them out and reuse them several times over. Just like my grandmother and mother do - back to basics. I must say I loath the site of those things drying all over the counter but I'll get over it. I found a cool lunch box that I'm going to order for the kids for Christmas called laptop lunches which I really think will help.

4. My next big thing to tackle in the new year is replacing our cleaning products with the earth friendly variety. Flushing lysol toilet bowl cleaner down the toilet just hasn't felt so great lately. Luckily, there are many on the market, Mrs Meyers being one of my favorites, but I also found a local company here in NY Sound Earth who we now carry at Beehive. It's the perfect incentive to make a fresh start!

5. And in the spring we plan to join a CSA Community Supported Agriculture  program in our area and really work the whole year on shopping locally for our staples. Realistically, I think this will take a while mostly for the convenience and time crunch issue. Here's a good resource for finding local producers.

So, for now that's how I'm going to tackle it, day by day, month by month, issue by issue, and I'm going to feel good about my baby steps. Many of you are probably already well ahead of me and I applaud you but I hope in some small way this helps to validate the small efforts the rest of us are making to change our ways - or to give those of you who haven't made a committment to give it a try. One day I too will be eco faboulous but for now I guess I will just have to read the blog!

     

I just read a great interview in Grist with power bar pioneer Clif Bar's co-CEOs (and husband-and-wife team) Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford.

At some point, most successful entrepreneurs face the rather cliched (but inevitable) challenge posed by growth: get big - or get out. Clif Bar is one company that has opted for the harder road, or at least the unpaved one, of sticking with their values rather than selling or going public.

As anyone who has run even the smallest business can attest, there are days when you just get tired, when it would be a relief to hand the reins to someone else who promises to take some weight off your shoulders - for a price. While most independent organic food brands (Dagoba, Larabar, Cascadian Farm, Muir's Glen) have sold to big food conglomerates like Kraft and General Mils, Clif Bar is a rare holdout. Erickson and Crawford feel that ultimately staying independent preserves the meaning in their work that led them to start a business in the first place: According to Erickson:

"If you don't have to go public, then why do it? We have exponentially more freedom. The stuff we do here wouldn't pass many public boards. For example, we started a women's professional mountain bike team, Luna Chix. It wasn't cheap, and we don't really get a whole lot of sponsorship money for it because we want to keep its integrity. I won't tell you how much, but it costs us a lot. The board would be like, 'You're kidding!' Lunafest [Clif Bar's women-centric short-film festival] costs us several hundred thousand dollars a year. The programs we do here kind of don't make conventional sense, but they're working."

The interview with Clif Bar reminded me of a roundtable I attended this summer that featured an author and entrepreneur who had written a book about taking your business to the next level. I rarely go to these kinds of events and was interested in hearing what she had to say. It was frustrating to realize about halfway into the session that although this woman was young, energetic, clearly intelligent and accomplished, she had but one rather tired idea to peddle, as popularized by other recent business books: that unless you want to grow to the point of having an office, employees, overhead - you aren't going anywhere. Unless you are doing business in the way it has been put forth since the turn of the century in the American manifest destiny model, you will not be a success, financially or otherwise.

In light of recent news, it's all the more timely to question traditional business models and really imagine for ourselves new ones that fit our lives, skills, and authentic desires.

What is the point of being an entrepreneur if you don't have the energy or the inclination to ask these questions, to explore how to make business right for you?

Clif Bar, with more than 200 employees, is obviously a company that chose to grow. The nature of their business required it, and they are able to do more good work on a broader scale by having a bigger reach. But amidst all the recent news about greed, arrogance, and going for the quick buck, they stand as an inspiring and instructive example of what business can be if we ask ourselves what it is about our work that is really meaningful - and how that might not only shape our growth, but contribute to our success.

     

There's a lot of angst in the air right now. You can see it on people's (rather glum) faces at the grocery store, the bank, in line at the post office. With a steady stream of more bad news daily about the economy and previously unthinkable events (e.g. storied firms like 157-year-old Lehman Brothers going under) morphing our economic landscape, people are understandably worried about what's next, and with that many of us often clutch our children and wallets closer (o.k., I don't have kids, but if my wallet could talk, the last few weeks it might say, "Let go, I can't breathe!").

It's times like these that make us question our dearly held beliefs. I was raised to eat organic food, local when possible, and to value quality over quantity. I grew up learning the difference from peaches we picked up ourselves from an orchard on the Columbia River to those available at Safeway. I actually find after all these years that if I eat fast food or food with pesticides, my body often reacts negatively to let me know - "Very uncool, please don't do that again." Add the cost of cheap food to our personal health with the price paid by the environment, family farmers, farm workers, and animals, and to me the choice has always been clear.

To me, the choice extends beyond food to fashioning our own sense of community, and by that I don't mean everyone joining hands around the campfire. Some of us just aren't into that kind of group bonding. I think there are a lot of people who hear the word "community" and kind of cringe in a similar fashion. There is something to be said for the anonymity of the big box stores and chain retail. You're in, you're out, most likely nobody knows your name, nor will they comment that they haven't seen you in awhile, how are things going, and what the heck are you doing buying those non-pastured eggs?

Like I feel when I eat something that probably wasn't made or grown with much care, I have learned to tune in to the difference in how I feel when I buy local as opposed to when I don't. There are definitely local shops or outposts that have a virtuous platform or product, but the people kind of suck, even though I wish they didn't, because I want to support them. I've come to grips with the fact that I don't have to go to the independent coffee shop all the time, and I won't be struck down by ye gods and goddesses if I buy a Venti Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks now and again. Purists are kind of tough to be around.

I've been involved with Beehive Co-op for a couple of years now, and even though I blog here and you'd expect me to support the kind and generous host, I have to say that to me the concept and the designers represent my kind of buying local. Is it better for my community if I buy a birthday present at Beehive, because dollars go into the local economy and the environment suffers less impact because the lovely hand-hammered earrings I buy don't travel 3,000 miles on a truck or a plane? Absolutely. But what I really love about it is that I am buying a necklace from Julia, or a bag from Karen, or a lovingly-sewn blanket from Mary. As they say, all politics are personal, and all politics are local.

Buy local if you want or don't if price is truly the bottom line. I don't have a family of five to feed, so am only saying what works for me. But I do have to say that I think our national obsession with price (cheap gas, food, and consumer products) has obscured our ability to see the true costs of our choices. Perhaps that is why we are all looking so woebegone right now. I for one am grateful to have a little less, yet value what I have so much more.