Isn’t one of the ongoing challenges of being a business owner just keeping up with the changes around you?

Your customers are constantly looking for a better value, your competitors don’t let up for a moment, the technology you’re used to becomes obsolete quickly, and you need to run your business while also trying to have some balance with your personal life. No wonder you’re so busy!

However, keeping up with changes becomes especially important in this day and age. In particular, there are two recent developments that have changed the landscape of business and that will affect you now and in the future. All businesses, large and small, will need to incorporate these into their overall strategy in order to be successful in the 21st century. These two changes are the need to become more sustainable and to effectively leverage online and social media marketing.

By now, you probably know that going green and marketing online are important. The question is: are you doing both effectively? Consider that 46% of small businesses don’t have a website (still!) and many businesses are still learning how to integrate sustainability into their overall strategy and operations. If you’re focused on just surviving in the present, you’re missing out on gaining a competitive edge for the future.

If you go green but don’t market, you may not generate enough sales to make your business profitable. Most customers, including older Baby Boomers, are now going online for information. Without an online presence, your business simply can’t be found. Without social media, it’s harder to connect with and educate your customers.

If you market but don’t go green, you will be at a disadvantage in several ways. First, your expenses may be higher than those of competitors who have implemented green practices such as conserving water and energy, which can directly benefit your bottom line. Second, you may be missing out on potential customers who are factoring environmental considerations into their purchases. And finally, you may be unprepared for how changes such as increases in gasoline prices may affect the shipping of your products.

Ultimately, the best way to ensure that your business will survive and thrive for the long-term is to integrate sustainability and the triple-bottom line into your business and market yourself online effectively.

We are fortunate in the Bay Area to have a well-developed green business program. The Bay Area Green Business Program includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma Counties. San Francisco and Monterey also have Green Business Programs. Since 1996, over 2200 businesses have been certified.

In this short video segment hosted by Bill Roth of Earth 2017, Alameda County Green Business Coordinator Pamela Evans talks about “Best Practices for Cutting Costs and Emissions in an Office.” Tips and information for helping businesses to go green include:

• What is the quickest way to reduce energy in your office?
• What uses the most water in your office, and what can you do about it?
• What is the number one reason that businesses go green in Alameda County?

If you’re interested in pursuing Green Business Certification, you can visit the California Green Business Program website and enroll online.

Let’s face it: a lot of the sites for green news tend to focus more on large businesses. The blogosphere is overflowing with posts about everything from Pepsico’s ongoing effort to develop a quieter, compostable Sunchips bag and to the sustainability efforts of companies like WalMart and GE.

It is important for us to understand how large corporations are undertaking and reporting on their green initiatives. However, these sites often don’t address the issues that most small businesses are facing when it comes to going green. Most small business owners aren’t writing CSR reports, implementing sustainability initiatives across multiple business units, or developing sustainability scorecards for suppliers. Instead, the business owners I’ve spoken with are trying to figure out how to grow their business with limited financial and human resources, while also trying to do right by people and the planet.

With that in mind, here are five resources for green news and information that are relevant to small businesses:

1. Greenbiz: As “the business voice of the green economy,” Greenbiz is one of the best all-around sources for green business news. The content is overwhelmingly focused on corporate news, but there is a section that specifically focuses on small business.
2. Green Marketing TV: The mission of Green Marketing TV is to inspire individuals to participate in the green economy. From interviews with entrepreneurs to a series of posts about unique green business ideas, the website provides solid information and resources.
3. New York Times: The standard-bearer of news publications that provides “all the news that’s fit to print,” (or, in this day and age, “all the news that’s fit to publish online”) has not missed a beat in keeping up with the times. Within its “Business Day” section is a section on “Small Business,” and within that, you’ll find the small business sustainability news.
4. Small Business Trends: This award-winning site is a great resource for all small business owners. Posts on the site are written by their Small Business Experts and cover topics ranging from marketing to financial management. While it’s not updated too regularly, they do have a Green Business category that provides some helpful posts.
5. Triple Pundit: This new media site focuses on triple bottom line businesses that value people, planet, and profit. Although it covers its share of corporate news, its comprehensive coverage of all things related to green business on its website is helpful for small business owners as well.

With all of the information out there, I’m sure that there’s a few sites that aren’t on this list. What would you add?

Last week, I had the good fortune to co-present on the topic “How to Join the Women Leading the Green Economy,” with Grace Tiscareño-Sato. Grace is the author of “Latinnovating: Green American Jobs and the Latinos Creating Them.” The book is the first to examine the role of Latino entrepreneurs in the emerging green economy.

Our presentation was at the 3rd Annual Women’s Business Expo held by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (video highlights are available below). We focused on three main topics:

1. Women and sustainable businesses are a powerful combination. The rise of women-owned businesses and sustainable businesses is presenting us with a unique opportunity to reshape business as we know it.
2. Many women business owners are already active in the emerging green economy. Examples include women like Carmen Rad of CR&A Custom, a large-format printing company that uses biodegradable materials, and Sandra Artalejo, a fashion designer who repurposes discarded materials into new products.
3. How you can go green in your business. This involves looking at the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. While most businesses are quite adept at looking at the profit component (a necessity to survival in business!), the focus on people and planet tends to be much less prominent.

In terms of reducing your impact on the planet, areas to look at include:

• Energy and water conservation: How can your business reduce its energy and water consumption?
• Solid waste reduction and pollution prevention: How can your business divert waste from the landfill and minimize use of harmful chemicals?
• Production and distribution: How can your business modify its production and distribution practices to make it more environmentally responsible?

To ensure that your business is having a positive impact on people, areas to look at include:

• Employee wellness: How does your business provide for the well-being of your employees?
• Community impact: How does your business support its community?
• Supply chain impact: How are people impacted throughout your supply chain?

These are all important areas to look at in your business as you consider what you can do to go green and develop a sustainable business. The actual practice of greening your businesses in these areas may seem to be overwhelming, but it’s important to realize that the business case for sustainability has already been made: businesses that minimize their environmental impacts can in turn reduce their expenses, while also generating goodwill among employees and customers, which can lead to higher revenues. The businesses that do this will also realize a competitive advantage in being able to tap new markets. Finally, this is just an overview (we only had 45 minutes!), but fortunately, there are several resources available:

• Certifications: Bay Area Green Business Program and B Corps
• Networking and advocacy groups: Sustainable Business Alliance and the Green Chamber of Commerce
• News and information: Greenbiz, Triple Pundit, and Sustainable Industries

This short video captures some of the highlights from the Expo:

Are you a woman with a green business? Share your story below!