We had some friends over at the weekend. With temperatures and hours of sunshine rising, we see our social agenda improving as well. We usually do a Friday-night at our place whereby we invite some people from the neighborhood, get pizzas and booze and let the children trash around in the garden. Not exactly a wild night in the pub, but very enjoyable nevertheless.
Anyways, last friday we had a couple over who are both working in the advertising industry. they had seen my biobag on our kitchen counter (we use it day-to-day in our own house). and they were really enthused. Now I know that it is in advertising people's genes to get enthusiastic about things, but it seemed really genuine. In any case, there is nothing like a piece of positive feedback to lift your spirits. Because, that for an entrepreneur is the sweetest nectar of all. The inverse, negative feedback is utterly soul destroying. Even the smallest throwaway remark or mildly disinterested comment can shatter me for days. After all, this is my product, the result of my brain, hard work and dedication, my life and soul. It is extremely hard to separate criticism of the product/concept/business model from the criticism of your own person. It always surprises me that on programmes like Dragon's Den people do not burst into tears more when they have been savaged once again by the likes of Duncan Bannentine...Cause I would (or maybe I'd hold it back till I am out of the studio). I think that this is one of the difficult balancing exercises an entrepreneur has to engage in. On the one hand it requires copious amounts of passion, guts and belief to get a new concept up and running. An entrepreneurial business is not a matter of the brain, it is one of the heart and the guts. At the same time, it requires the cold and calculating eye to evaluate the options, assess the opportunity and the chances of success. Balancing the two and knowing when to heed outside advice (and when not) is probably the biggest trick of 'em all.

An interesting article in the New York Times on the rise of "Green Collar Jobs"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/business/businessspecial2/26collar.html

Over the Easter weekend I went on a little weekend break to Croyde (http://www.croydedevon.co.uk/beaches.html) in North Devon.
I was introduced to the place a few years ago and it is one my top-10 of favourite places in the UK (I am not from the UK originally. I moved here about 8 years ago from the continent). It has an unlikely combination of the most gob-smackingly beautiful and dramatic coast, wide sandy beaches for all kinds of bucket and spade type entertainment for the kids, good surfing waves (and the associated surfing types), chocolate box style cottages in traditional villages with low-ceilinged pubs and finally, a fantastic art-deco style luxury hotel on the edge of the cliffs.
First of all about the hotel, The Saunton Sands (http://www.brend-hotels.co.uk/TheSauntonSands/Home.cfm) : it is a family run business (We can't afford to stay there, but their spa is a favourite of my wife and their prices are very reasonable. Apart from being very friendly, they are also very eco-conscious. Read their section on what they are trying to do to limit their impact on the environment; They really take it seriously. On a more general note, I think it is an encouraging development that all kinds of businesses are starting to take note of the environment and the need to do something about it. In many cases it might just be "green wash", but nevertheless, it points to a shift in attitudes.
And now about the other attractions: normally we get the chance to get some surfing in (not that I am any good at it, but it is surprisingly relaxing to just mess around on the water), or at least an invigorating cliff walk. Unfortunately, for most of the weekend we got lashed by these brutal northern winds which made it near impossible to go out. So now we were cooped up in a cottage with three young families with kids between 6 months and five years: not the ideal recipe for love and harmony. Luckily we did get to escape to the pub or the beach when there was a break in the weather. We even did manage to get in some outdoors activities in the form of "coasteering", which is an expensive term for "messing about in wetsuits at the bottom of the cliffs". It was good fun, and a great way of reminding you of the forces of nature. Even in the protected coves, you could feel the power of waves and I did thank the gods a few times for having supplied me with a sturdy helmet...But it was also wonderfully relaxing and invigorating at the same time. I can warmly recommend it.
So if you want to take an invigorating carbon-limited holiday, try Croyde (or any other place on our great South Western Coast). And try not to get cooped up with too many in one cottage;-)
As for me, I did come back invigorated and have started to chase my web-designer (a friend of mine whom I got to do this on the strength of our bond a promise of some future market-based payments) to update my website. I need to get the word out some more and will strt to get some links in, so people can find their way mor easily.

B&Q together with the London Mayor organised a “light bulb amnesty” a week or two ago. I did my bit and screwed out tow of our light bulbs and went to exchange them for energy efficient light bulbs. In the process I decided to buy a few more and switch a few more bulbs in my house.
I found it interesting to observe my own behaviour: how getting to try the product for free enticed me to buy more and change my buying behaviour. Whereas previously, I must admit, I could not be bothered to look for the energy efficient bulbs and went straight for the cheap (and plentiful) option. Which leads me to the other question: if they ‘d put the energy-efficient bulbs right at the entrance of the store and traditional ones somewhere at the back, I am sure people would buy more energy efficient bulbs. All these thoughts have been going through my mind as I have been trying to place my product in a few stores (not unsuccessfully, I now have a few official outlets (see my website)). It’s one thing to convince people of the qualities of your product in a one-to-one conversation. It’s an altogether different proposition selling them through somebody else’s shelves. I need to somehow find a way of connecting both…..

When thinking about the Bio Bag business, I took inspiration from a number of existing businesses. Some of them operate in the green space. Others don't. I think what ties them together is that they are decidedly non-corporate, have created a distinct, positive identity for themselves and are trying to contribute something to the world.
So in no particular order, her they are:
Innocent. www.innocentdrinks.co.uk. Fruit smoothies with a positive attitude. They continue to go from strenght to strength and their quirkiness still worksI hope they can keep it up as they grow ever bigger.
Dorset Cereals www.dorsetcereals.co.uk. They are very brave taking on the big boys in the cereals business, but they seem to succeed, again with a message of quality and goodness.
Barefoot Books www.barefoot-books.com. Beautiful and uplifting children's books. We have a few at our house and the kids love'em. The business is run by a few people who broke out of the corporate mould to create something new. I like'em a lot.
Enfin la Voila http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5226179&order=&section_id=&page=2. This is the webshop of a good friend of mine who also did the initial design of the Bio Bag logo. She runs a little web-shop selling these really nicely designed, slightly off-the-wall greeting cards and stationary. She sells them via Etsy.com, which is like an ebay for creative people and minor and major artists. It's a great site. My friend actually succeeds in making a half-decent leving off her stationary business and shes sells her stuff worldwide. I guess it is a living example of a "long tail business"

I realised that I have created a link from my business website to my blog, but not the inverse. So here it is: www.biobags.uk.com.

Met up yesterday evening with a fellow green entrepreneur who runs an electric vehicle busines: www.drivelectric.com at a nice little Italian restaurant in Hampstead.

We had a chat about the challenges of running a green business... He seems like a nice guy and I have a feeling that our conversations could evolve into a more formal business relationship. Let's see

So here it is. I am now officially an entrepreneur. I have a company. I have a product. I have a plan and even have some money. And to top it all off, it will make this world a better place.Now I have to make it happen.
I came up with the idea for the Bio Bag about a year ago when watching a BBC news item about waste separation and recycling. It followed a typical British suburban family which was, for the purpose of the programme, seperating all its waste for a whole month. They seemed to be happy doing it. But the thing that caused the most difficulty was the kitchen and organic waste which was kept in a big slop-bucket in the kitchen. It very rapidly became a bucket full of unspeakable mess...Not something you want in your house, especially if you are living a busy (sub-)urban life of too much hassle and too little time.
I think that most of us live this kind of life: very busy with work, family and general housekeeping and meanwhile trying to do something good for the world beyond our front door. No eco-warriers, more eco-worriers. Our good intentions strand in the practicalities of daily life and we rarely get much further than using the reusable supermarket bags, turning the telly fully off at night and keeping our metal and glass waste seperate from the rest...
So the Bio Bag is for us, my friends. A way of collecting and disposing our organic and kitchen waste with a minimum of hassle. We can keep our kitchen clean and still do our thing to limit landfill and reduce global warming. Every little helps....
That, at least, is the sales pitch. Most people I bounce it off to, react enthusiastically. Now I have to turn it into a real business...Keep watching this space!