Are you interested in making your small business a more earth-friendly enterprise but afraid of what it might cost in time and cash? Luckily, there are a few green decisions that are low cost or even save money. Here are six easy, bottom-line-friendly ways to make your small business a lean, green money-making machine.

Recycle. Recycling key items such as paper and cans is important, but your business recycling plan should not stop there. There are many things that can be recycled within your office, saving money while helping the environment. For instance, it is now possible to refill and reuse the ink and toner cartridges used on commercial printing and copy machines. If you are not interested in refilling cartridges or worry about the mess, you can also buy refilled and recycled cartridges at a discounted price.

Use energy efficient products. From light bulbs to desktop computers to microwaves, there are a variety of energy efficient products on the market. Many of these products cost about the same as their less efficient counterparts. Best of all, they will lower your energy bill, keeping your overhead lower and lessening your ongoing operating expenses.

Go digital. In most small businesses, there are areas where you can use digital means instead of paper. For instance recordkeeping is easier, less time-consuming, and infinitely greener when you switch to an entirely digital program. This not only reduces paper waste, it reduces clutter and the chance that an important document will get lost in the shuffle. This is just one of many areas in which your business can save money, time, and the forests by choosing a digital option.

Plug into a power strip. Did you know that many electrical appliances use energy even when turned off? Luckily, there is an easy way to avoid this. Plug your less used products into a power strip and then simply switch it off when not in use. This will reduce your energy usage without any additional time or expense.

Donate unwanted items. While it is often easier and quicker to just throw things away, many items that are routinely replaced in an office, such as furniture, could be given to a charity and reused. This will reduce the size of our landfills as well as the amount of new products that need to be manufactured. Many charities will pick up discarded items at your office, reducing the time and fuel this option requires.

Turn off lights. This is a simple option, but one that is unfortunately rarely used in most offices. You can begin saving energy by sending out an office-wide email asking employees to turn off lights when they leave a room. For added reinforcement, put a small note over every light switch reminding people of the importance of saving energy.

There are many benefits to implementing these changes in your small business. Not only will you save energy and waste, you will save money with most of these options. Plus, being a green business may attract more customers and help you retain the ones you already have. There are so many benefits to being green that there is no reason not to start immediately. By the way, please do check out my latest article on the top 10 eco friendly company logo designs.

The Internet has changed the way we play marketing. It has turned one-way talks to dynamic conversations. Before, businesses bombard customers with messages from printed, radio and TV ads. But with the explosion of company blogs and social networking sites, customers can easily talk back if they don’t like what you’re doing.

A double-edge sword if you will. Do great things and it will spread like wildfire. Yet, one fatal mistake can stir numerous protest and boycotts. The recent privacy issue (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=13049) on Facebook has created hysteria in the online world, forcing the company to retract its terms within hours.

Conversation is a two-way process. Before, only people in the media can launch attacks against companies. Today, everyday customers can start conversations with you through comments in your website and other popular social networks. Passionate and disgruntled customers are now empowered to make or break your image. And they don’t need to pay a dime to do whatever they want to do.

Being responsive is more critical than ever. It can be your advantage over big corporations. These guys have to deal with bureaucracies before issuing official statements. As small business owners, speed and flexibility are on your side. With a little help from your slick BlackBerry or iPhone, you can reply wherever, whenever.

A well-designed website backed by a superior content management platform is a big help in managing crisis and reaching out with your customer. You might remember that there were toy recalls last year from Mattel, the renowned makers of Barbie. Its website became the main mouthpiece in resolving issues and informing the public about safety.

In the market filled with customers longing for personal attention, how you respond can be a crucial element in building strong relationship. Who knows what 1 comment can do to your business.

One of primary considerations when starting a business is work-life balance. During the startup stage, expect that you’ll be really drained for it takes time and energy to launch a new company. Being organized is the key to maintain that work-life balance. Luckily, there are some tips that will help you achieve and maintain this.

Don’t be too greedy. Start with a small number of clients to work with. Taking too many projects will backfire on your business. You won’t be able to focus on delivering quality service and you will always be cramming to get things done.

Ignore negative comments. As you run your business, you’ll realize that there are some crazy customers who will do anything to annoy you. Worrying too much about their criticisms will taint your work-life balance simply because frustration kills. Just let it go and worry about it the next business day. Life is too short to worry about so many things, my friend. Take to time to laugh at your problems.

Invest in right technology and people. If your business is dependent on machines like computers or printing devices, you should learn to invest wisely in upgrades and upcoming technologies to make your life easier and tasks shorter. In some cases, hiring new guys will help unload some of the non-critical tasks you have at hand like clerical and administrative functions. In this way, you can focus your efforts on really important aspects of your business.

Build your reputation and raise your rates. If you own a consulting or service-related firm, it is better to get a few high-paying clients than too many low-paying ones. In this way, you’ll get more in less time. Having a great reputation and positive word-of-mouth will give you the right to be picky and the power to balance your life.

At the end of the day, try to see work-life balance as a necessity rather than an ideal situation. In this line of thinking, you will create a business that supports this lifestyle and not the other way around. There’s more to life than work and I bet you already know that.

In this very competitive business world where cutting through the clutter is the name of the game, many entrepreneurs are trained to sell, sell and sell. They would rather talk about their products or services. No wonder active listening is often referred to as a lost art.

Shut up! Gag your mouth if you can’t help it. Then go out or pick up the phone and talk to your customers.

Contrary to popular misconception, marketing is not all talk. It’s about paying attention to WHO really matters – your customers and employees (if you have). Researching about your customers need not be expensive. But it should be well-planned. Otherwise, it will lead you to the wrong direction.

The first and most difficult thing to do when listening is to remove all your faulty impressions about your target market. It’s unfortunate that some brilliant entrepreneurs believe they know their customers by heart. Start with an empty mind and try not to contradict the insights. Clarify but not contradict.

Basic questions

In case you don’t notice, consumers like to talk about themselves as much as entrepreneurs love to talk about their products. If such is the case, why not indulge them by asking open-ended questions? This will not only create an impression that you care but also give you free access to multitude of insights. Here are some questions to break the ice:

1. How do you use this product? How often?
2. Are there similar products you’re also buying?
3. Where do you buy these products? Why?
4. Where do you gather information when buying this product?
5. How different is this product to competitors?

Don’t act surprised. These are not magic questions that will direct you to the winning formula. Rather, they are so simple that many undervalue its importance in marketing.