Episode 79 - Shannon Hames, Mandy Lawson and Annette Carberry
Mother Nature. She has given us everything we could possibly ask for, and shown us the natural beauty, longevity and prosperity of building sustainable systems. Mimicking and building-in natural processes into your business can often mean pumping up the bottom line and sustainability of your business.
Three folks who know this well are Shannon Hames of Flat Bags, Annette Carberry of The Red Dresser, and Mandy Lawson of Revived Wax.
These three vibrant young women have started three diverse businesses that all share one common thread. In each case they have woven an environmental consciousness into their businesses, and in the process, found innovative business models to turn one person's trash into another’s treasure. Indeed, in each case, and many others, the "Environmentally friendly," business model is often also the most profitable model.
What started as a chat over drinks on a lakeside patio, later became a scramble out of the rain, a dash inside, and then a move down the hall to a quieter couch, only to be met by an intrusive air conditioning system. What is entrepreneurship though if it's not rolling with the unexpected punches, and turning challenge into opportunity?
Andrew Zwicker sat down with Shannon, Mandy and Annette to hear their unique stories of taking a low value waste stream and turning it into high value new products for sale.