Being Nimble: The Magic of Tiny Business with Sharon Rowe of ECOBAGS™

We’re very excited to have Sharon Rowe, the creator, and founder of ECOBAGS™, and the author of The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don’t Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living, back on the show with us today!

For a long time, environmental movements have been telling everyone to work together. That has become more important at this time than ever before. Now is the time that we need to stand up to the things that aren’t true, that are harmful, and that do not benefit people. Sharon feels that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there needs to be more focus on infrastructure and job creation, and people need to move away from selfish behavior, towards selflessness.

Cooking at home

In Sharon’s family, they’re home-cooks. They have been practicing cooking for years, and they all love to do it! They are aware, however, that some people don’t have the income to buy any food right now, and that’s quite frightening.

Food distribution

There’s a lot of focus on new models for food distribution now, on a much smaller scale than before, because, as Sharon points out, you can be a lot more nimble when you’re tiny. The models involve various individuals within the local communities having to be innovative and to make use of social media to communicate both their offerings and their needs.

Sharon’s book, The Magic of Tiny Business

Tiny business is really about staying true to what you need, and not engaging with the things that are not essential.

Sharon loves tiny business! Because, for her, a tiny business is all about being nimble. Her book, The Magic of Tiny Business, is all about being nimble, which means doing only what is necessary, and nothing extra.

What tiny business is all about

Sharon explains that tiny business involves a shift and become nimble. And that all comes down to the very sensible and basic rule of simply spending less than you make, which sometimes means having to cut down on the number of unnecessary extras that you spend your money on each month.

Sharon points out that it’s not about deprivation. It’s about conservation.

Small business is all about being nimble and only doing what is necessary and nothing extra.

With what the world is going through right now, small business is all about keeping the cash flowing. That means getting as much as possible in, at the front end, and letting as little as possible go, from the back end, without shorting suppliers. Because we’re all part of the same ecosystem and it’s all about relationships.

Staying in business

Everyone wants to stay in business. And to do that right now, people need to work together and stay in communication with one another.

Business is all about problem-solving and maintaining your margins. And to maintain your margins, you have to know what they are.

It’s also very important to help others by meeting them where they are. And those who are not willing to play that way could risk losing their place in line.

When times get tough

When times get tough, you have to trim your sails. You could find yourself having to cut back on the number of people you employ to save your business. At first, it might seem like you’re pulling in too much, and you could even get some pushback from your employees, family, and friends, but by trimming your sails you can save the whole boat so that you can ultimately carry everybody over the water.

Making the right choice is part of the shift

Something positive to consider is that in times like these, tiny business allows you to choose who you want to play with, so you no longer have to play with anyone you don’t choose to anymore. And you also get to select the products which are made by the people you choose to play with.

Moving forward from this point

We need to be careful of snapping back to how things were before the pandemic. To avoid doing that, we will have to focus on structurally shifting the way things are run. There’s a lot that can be done on a local level.

Supporting local businesses rather than the big-box stores as much as possible is one example of how we can do that, and it’s also a great example of community.

Links and resources:

Buy The Book! The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don’t Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living by Sharon Rowe

Purchase ECOBAGS™ from Everyday Green Home

Previous Episode: ECOBAGS™ and The Magic of Tiny Business