In less than a decade, the typical small business startup has changed a lot. Modern companies tend to have fewer workers, take up less office space (if any) and use less energy. The human imagination continued to come up with ways to get by with less fuel and energy. Especially when entrepreneurs make that philosophy a cornerstone of the way they do business.
What are some of the most effective ways that today’s small businesses are chopping their utility bills, reducing energy consumption, and generally getting more done with fewer resources? Here are a few strategies that have worked well for thousands of organizations in every industry.
Going Paperless
The paperless trend began in the early 2000s when sustainable business ideas for eco-minded entrepreneurs started to become more mainstream and practical. With the advent of nearly complete digitization of the business world, operating a company without physical paper is easier than ever.
Even one of the most paper-intensive of all pursuits, the legal profession, has taken up the paperless challenge. By the end of this decade, there’s a good chance that the majority of new companies will never use a shred of wood pulp, refined or otherwise.
Smart Fleet Management
Green fleets of the 2020s aim to save money, reduce fuel consumption, and achieve extremely high levels of safety. In addition to using advanced tech solutions like vehicle tracking, high-definition dash cams, and electronic logging devices, commercial fleets closely adhere to an inspection checklist to maintain optimum safety.
To learn more about the concept, review an online guide explaining the six DOT inspection levels. Safety is at the core of smart fleet management. However, fuel reduction and efficient vehicle operations are also priorities for every competent fleet manager.
Virtual Offices
Accounting firms pioneered the idea of virtual offices (VOs) more than two decades ago. Today, every niche of the economy has its version of this novel concept. There are no central offices, no parking garages, no rented or owned space at all.
Everyone works from a home base, and all projects are completed online. A few law and engineering firms have begun using the virtual office approach, with most discovering that in addition to speeding up the flow of work, it greatly reduces overhead expenses.
Shared Space
Many solo entrepreneurs are discovering the money-saving and energy-saving idea of using shared office space. The sharing trend is most common in the personal services niche. For example where hairstylists, massage therapists, nail techs, and esthetician professionals use one office for just three or four days each week. It’s a way to reduce the need for new buildings and get the most out of a smaller space.
Being Public Transit Friendly
Municipal offices are all-in on the trend of encouraging the use of public transit for large numbers of workers. By financially subsidizing light rail and bus users and offering carpool services to anyone who needs them, city, state, and federal office complex managers are ramping up the use of public transit. Likewise, the practice is a way to reduce fuel consumption and traffic congestion.
Learn more about reducing your electricity bill at home!
