Let's talk about what it takes to open up your own small business. Is the road easy? No. Worth it...yeah, and like any journey, its always best if you have a tour guide.
I'm glad this was in my recommendations.. it is a big sign.. I have always wanted to one day open up a zero waste business and make it affordable and accessible to marginalized communities. Because they too can have the easy option to live sustainably.
Yes! Zero Waste has a stigma, and somewhat deservedly. We need to make sustainable attainable :) But it is no easy task. We need time to develop our sourcing channels. Progress over perfection.
Agreed!! If the goal is to be sustainable to keep our world beautiful for our children and others the effort comes at large. We need to include our minorities in this movement because they too want a brighter future for their children. It’s tough I’m sure, but if we set our mind to it I believe we can accomplish all those things and more.
I feel the same way. I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast where we do not have WinCo or any affordable loose bulk store. I feel this might just be my calling.
Looks like the "Zero Waste" concept is not limited to large industrial facilities and municipalities. Seems like there was a movement towards recycling most of the US consumer goods until the market was disrupted by the Chinese refusing to take the recycle materials. Not sure if any of the recycle bin material is being recycled or just mixed back into the landfill. On the other hand, there are some retail stores in SF Bay area doing similar things but there should be more. Anyways, thanks for sharing and keep on saving the planet!
This is my passion too. I will definitely be reaching out to you all. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we do not have enough stores like this, considering the demographic here in the Bay Area. I want to open my own Bulk Store as well. Thanks for sharing.
I'm 20 pretty young but very serious about possibly opening a zero waste store in the near future. I just dont even know where to start!! How do you start? Did you figure everything out on tour own? How do you find suppliers? So many questions..
For sure there are lots of questions! There are lots of people doing it now though and a number of platforms on FB you could join. I do think this series would help so if you want to watch the first video ($13 on hellobulk.com) you can see if you think joining the video series is for you. We've already had our first Zoom call but the 2nd video comes out this month and that will be followed by another Zoom call. You could always just start looking into a couple things and start the series with I re-release it next year too and follow the path then. Lots of options, but its good to start making some baby steps :)
Where do you come up with your numbers? How are you generating 40K a month? That seems like A LOT for a refill shop, but I don't know. Are you in a metropolitan city?
I hope I can find someone to help through this. This idea popped out my mind while cleaning in the kitchen with so much waste, plastics. Btw, im from the Philippines and I am a simple housewife full time mom, no work but has small monthly income from rentals. I want to start but I don’t have ideas what are the basic needs like tool. Im an accountant so I wish I can manage the projections mentioned. I hope you can help me. Thank you
How To Live In Harmony With Nature And Reduce Pollution 1. Many Production Which We Do Not Need Actually For Human Beings Has To Be Stopped We manufacture so many products and it is creating pollution. So if we minimise our products, pollution would be less. We produce so many things which we do not need, like cold drinks, leather products, potato wafers, chips, fruit juices, chocolates, biscuits, pickles, ice creams, etc. Cold drinks, fruit juices, pickles, ice creams, etc. Should be cooked at home only. If we stopped producing this things which are not required for humans, so much pollution could be reduced. If we colour the clothes pollution occurs. So if we don't colour our clothes, the pollution resulting from colouring the clothes can be stopped. Let everything remain in natural colour. 2. We Should Cook Foods In Its Natural Form We can cook rice and wheat in our homes and eat it. Rice and Wheat is produced in farms. Then it is packed and transported to big warehouses, then wholesalers buy from them and supply to retail shops. But if a manufacturing company makes bread from rice and wheat, then to make bread a manufacturing company has to be set up, machines and working staffs are needed. When a company is built many other things are also needed. Then at last a plastic pack is required to pack the breads. So if we start cooking eatable things in its natural form then we do not need many companies like bread manufacturing company, tomato ketchup, noodles, fruit jam, pizza, burger, etc., the things required for the company and the plastic pack, paper box pack and glass bottles. If done like this, so many companies will not be required and hence less pollution for the world. Also we could save our money like this. If you buy a packet of bread, it would cost you more money than if you cook wheat and rice in home. Previously before industrial revolution, we didn't have technology, but our foods were rich with nutrients. Now we have technology, but technology is polluting our foods and our foods are not rich with nutrients, and because of that also we have health problems. If this is done, then many jobs would be lost. For that many peoples should do farming and they should be given loans if they do not have enough money to start farming on their own. Food, Medicines, Surgeries and Education's should be made free to the world till the world settles down with farming. After that food, medicines, surgeries and education's should be stopped free to the world. Many people should study botany subject so that they have knowledge of plants and they should do farming. Is their any another solution, that humans won't lose jobs and also pollution would decrease. Humans have to take this step certainly instead of going on polluting the earth, making wildlife extinct and also mass extinctions of humans in future. 3. Electricity Pollution We create electricity from many types of sources like coal, water, etc., but it creates pollution. If electricity created from windmill and solar energy then no pollution occurs in the creation process. But still to manufacture windmill and solar machines pollution would occur. As I previously said that if we shut down many manufacturing companies which are producing things which are not needed for humans, then the world would not require so much electricity. If less electricity required, then less pollution generated. 4. Could We Stop Drinking Cow's and Buffalo's Milk Whatever vitamins and nutrients we get from milk, if we can get it from other eatable things, then we can stop drinking cow's and buffalo's milk. As milk has to be packed in glass bottles and plastic packs and then transported to places. All of this can be stopped. For infants whose mother's have died or mother's who cannot breast feed their infants, only for them cow's and buffalo's milk should be given. We use milk in tea and coffee. Instead of milk we must use lime with tea and coffee or just plain tea and coffee. A lime should be cut into a few pieces and cooked with tea and coffee or something else can be used instead of lime. 5. How Much Should Be The World's Population Every place should have a single house. No buildings, everything ground floor. If we do this and the whole lands of our planet earth would be occupied one day with homes, farms, forests, schools, hospitals, etc., then we would come to know how much our planet earth can have maximum population. Once the population is determined, then we have to maintain that population. For example if our earth can have a population of 10 billion peoples, then when the population reaches 10 billion, then everyone should have only one child till the population reaches 9 billion peoples. As if we have only one child then the population decreases. When population is 9 billion peoples, then everyone should have 2 children's till the population reaches 10 billion peoples. After that again we should have only one child. In this way population can be maintained.
Love your store! There's a company teaming up with big brand companies to have refills available for people in aluminum containers delivered straight to their homes. Whats going to happen with your store when that happens?
Hi Leonardo, Yes, lots of things are happening in response to plastic pollution, which is exciting! Its a bit of a learning curve though, for everyone, and I feel that particular response (that you mentioned) has some big limitations. But regardless, we will see what the future holds and I have no doubt that there is room for LOTS of innovation in the future.
Hi Jamaica, thank you for this info, question - do I need to register my refill business as an LLC? or can I use my hairdresser business license with a resale license ?
I live in Denmark, and the only zero-waste store I know of is a webshop. I would love to be part of opening up a physical store, but, I have dyscalculia and am not able to do financial accounting at all. Should I just give up or is there a way to go about this without me having to burn my brain trying to calculate numbers?
The loose bulk stores I've purchased from do not allow customers to fill up their own bags. They must fill up a standardized bag provided by the store to ensure accurate measurement and also not to hold up the line by adjusting the instrument. They also sell large 20-25 lb bags of some of their produce. Very cool! It's our job as the customer afterward to dump whatever we have into our own vessels. :) Great question!!
Can you sell any brands in a zero waste store or do you have to have permission? I sell prepackaged body products from big brands. Would I have to get permission to sell in bulk?
Start bugging people in your local stores...especially the chains. The employees aren't going to be picky about sharing sourcing info, if they know it (in small businesses they may be more cautious about sharing). Also, all the zero waste stores watch each others social media and reach out to brands they see there. Everybody does it ;)
Zero Waste is a marketing term and does not mean green. In fact, it actually may be very bad for the environment. I'll explain why. Plastic is a byproduct. I feel like I even need to explain what a byproduct is. Byproduct means that it is not the main commercially viable product that one would produce in the process. The main product that makes a profit in this instance is gasoline or any refined petroleum products. Plastic just comes along for the ride. Whether you use or not, it will be made. It will be wasted, as long as we keep using gasoline. Zero waste stores buy bulk, which translates to overseas sourcing like China. Overseas means more gasoline use in terms of freight transport in sourcing country, packaging, freight across the Pacific, and freight to the store. Double paper bag even recycled means more gasoline use mainly due to the weight of the product. The realistic impact of zero waste is far offset by the fossil fuel usage of the idea. It is MUCH greener to buy local. Local farmers market is convenient and reduces your carbon footprint. Zero Waste stores is a marketing fad for uninformed, although well-intentioned individuals (if you noticed of a certain ethnicity and generation).
