When energy giant B.C. Hydro was casting for help in shrinking its carbon footprint, it landed on a tiny Vancouver environmental consulting outfit called Green Workplace.
So, too, did eco-friendly retailer Lululemon Athletica.
The founders of Green Workplace, Nicholas Lamm, 30, and Shamus Finnegan, 32, are committed environmentalists with academic and sweat-equity credentials: Mr. Lamm is an environmental scientist while Mr. Finnegan is a philosophy major with a background in tree planting.
Their Green Workplace concept grew out of a federally funded program in 2001. When funding ended in 2006, Mr. Lamm and Mr. Finnegan incorporated and carried on consulting on a fee-for-services basis, specializing in environmental assessments and employee training and education.
While consulting is their mainstay, they also take on greening projects for clients such as the City of Vancouver, which hired them last summer to install energy- and water-saving faucets in more than 700 restaurant kitchens.
Another sideline is an eco-driving program that teaches a company's employees how to drive in ways that save fuel.
"We offer a win-win proposition," Mr. Lamm says.
"Save the environment and save money by reducing consumption and making your company more efficient."
So far, Green Workspace has helped save thousands of trees and divert tonnes of waste from landfills with only four full-time employees, including Mr. Lamm and Mr. Finnegan, and several interns working out of a rented space in downtown Vancouver.
About 85 per cent of their business comes from referrals, and the partners have already received calls of interest from potential clients in Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto.
"What we'd like to do this fall is buy office space in Vancouver for our head office, to build equity in the business," Mr. Finnegan says.
They would also like to expand while the demand is hot, opening branch offices either east in Canada or south in the United States.
But the partners say they want to make sure they don't lose their hands-on personal approach to customer service as the business grows.
"It's a proven business and we want to grow. But how?" asks Mr. Finnegan.
What the experts say
Stewart Thornhill, associate professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ont., says the timing is great for Green Workplace. He says there is a voracious appetite for this kind of business right now.
"It's frustrating for an entrepreneur to see that there's more demand than they can service," Mr. Thornhill says. "But it's essential to balance that demand by not stretching yourself too thin."
Because Green Workplace is a service industry, he says the first thing the partners should do is sit down and decide how fast they can bring new employees along. They also need to be clear on the kinds of skills they need and why.
For most startups, it's tough to compete in salaries. At the same time, "you get what you pay for," warns Mr. Thornhill. "If they are cash poor, are they willing to give away a piece of the company or profit-share to get good people?"
He also recommends they do an attitude check before they hire anyone, because their business depends on service. "Never hire anyone you have doubts about," Mr. Thornhill says. "It can be fatal to a small company."
He suggests the partners develop a strong narrative about their firm's mission because money isn't always the main motivator for environmentalists. And when the first branch office opens, they should be on-site to set it up and get it going.
