Four Steps to Focus on your Green Business

January is always a great time to re-focus on your goals for your green business.

Here are four areas for you to review your existing policies and change any, if needed. I recommend you maintain a laser-like focus on your business and map out your goals on a 12-month calendar, with your mission statement very clearly posted. With the support and networking of other green business women, I'm confident you will find a way to share your model of green thinking with the world.

1) Sustainability - The "New Economy" is built on trust, transparency, integrity, and a deep attention on the triple bottom line. Can you make your business work with the existing strategies and infrastructure? Review your suppliers. Understand your core market. Focus on how you will maintain a green policy, and make sure to post it in a prominent place like your website -- that will be your "Environmental Impact Report Card" that you use to keep track.

2) Finances - Profit & Loss and balance sheet. Have these ready for tax time as well as to get a handle on your incoming cash flow and projected expenses. Plan now for any items that may be changing in the next 3-6 months. Understand your timeframe between billing and recieving payment, and tighten that window if needed.

3) Personnel - How's your team? Is everyone functioning as expected? Do you have clearly laid out guidelines and an employee handbook? What are your review strategies? Are you taking care of insurance, health care needs, and family issues such as maternity or paternity? Focus on the people: your human resources are so important in bringing a happy, productive, engaged, and motivated workforce to help spread your green mission.

4) Policies - Sustainability, social justice, volunteering, sick leave/vacation, and other policies need to be written down and communicated throughout your organization so everyone is on the same page. Make sure you also comply with labor laws and OSHA requirements in your region or state. If you're running an online business, make sure your confidentiality, terms and conditions, FTC disclosure, privacy policy, shipping, returns and other policies are clearly listed.

With an ongoing focus on these issues, you'll improve the "internal business" end of running your business.

Photo by NASA Goddard