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Organic cotton hankies and napkins

www.limegreenmonkey.com

When she and her son came down with a nasty cold, Kristin Anderson’s husband wondered why she didn’t use a handkerchief in place of disposable tissues, which contribute to landfills.  Since Kristin tries to live as sustainably as possible in the other aspects of her life, cloth handkerchiefs made sense.  When Kristin tested out the idea and made the handkerchiefs, she found both interest and need for this more sustainable option.

Motivated by her father’s entrepreneurship and her desire to live sustainably, Kristin started Lime Green Monkey after completing WEV’s Self-Employment Training course in 2009. Lime Green Monkey™ offers a line of organic, daily-use cloths that help children and adults lessen their impact on the environment – “one nose at a time.”

Is this a new business or are you growing an existing business?
Lime Green Monkey came into existence through the WEV program. I purchased a business license in November of 2008 after completing the course, and started my business on Earth Day in April of 2009.

What prompted you to go into business for yourself?   
One of my best business experiences was working for my father when he had his own retail business in Solvang, California. I enjoyed knowing that my father had taken the time to select every item in the store based on his own personal taste, and I loved his natural enthusiasm when talking to people about the products. I loved working at his store and conveying that genuine enthusiasm. Plus, there is a strong sense of pride when you are working for yourself, and excitement in knowing that every sale is directly benefitting your family.
I have genuine enthusiasm for my product line and believed in it enough to want to own it.

What has been your biggest business challenge?   
Financing has been my biggest challenge. When you have limited capital to launch your business, you miss out on price breaks available to those who can make a larger order. For example, I order one 50 yard bolt of organic cotton fabric at a time. This is already a large amount for me, but my competition can order thousands of yards at a time, meaning their costs end up being a fraction of mine. This makes it difficult to compete in the same market, and difficult to have a low price that Americans are used to because of this larger economy of scale.
I have been able to overcome this challenge to a degree through sweat equity, creative packaging, a boutique niche and strong marketing skills, which have garnered a fair amount of press.

My commitment to being an eco-business with a low carbon footprint also presents its own set of challenges. It is much cheaper to have products made overseas, which presents both ethical and environmental concerns that are in direct conflict with my mission statement, regardless of the fact that they might help the bottom line.

What has been your biggest business success?   
My biggest success has been my genuine enthusiasm combined with my continual promotion of my products. When people encounter your honest enthusiasm, they take note. This is not something that can be contrived to promote sales. That is why I believe it is essential to go into a business that you love, with products and services you believe in and would use yourself. People can be financially successful in jobs they don’t love, but their spirit feels compromised on some level.

I have received a fair amount of press for one year in business:. I had a feature article in The Daily Sound’s green insert on Earth Day 2010, a feature in The Santa Barbara News-Press in May of 2010 and a write up in Noozhawk in June of 2010. In July of 2010, Lime Green Monkey and our Snottykins children’s handkerchiefs were featured as one of 25 companies with recommended back to school gear in Mothering Magazine. I believe all of this press has to do with the originality of the “Handkerchief Revolution” as well as perseverance.

Who is your ideal customer?
My ideal customer is anyone with a nose, a concern for the environment and the daring to use a handkerchief.  Based on client surveys, my customers are mainly women who purchase the hankies for themselves, for their children, as baby gifts, for their husbands, boyfriends or grandparents. I have found that college students of both genders really get the whole concept of the handkerchief revolution and believe in the product and have the boldness to use it.

What has been the biggest surprise about owning a business?   
By far, the biggest surprise is the absolute boost of confidence owning your own business brings into your life, and how that confidence filters into all other areas. I tend to speak up more, voice my eco-principles to others and participate in networking groups. As an employee of another company, you have to make sure of what you can and cannot say as a representative of that entity. As owner of Lime Green Monkey, I call the shots on what is appropriate, clearly guided by my mission statement. Recently, I spoke at a city council hearing regarding the General Plan Update after I discovered a certain politician on the board didn’t believe in Global Warming, and didn’t think such language should inform the future of our city. I spoke to the council as an owner of a small eco-business and voiced my concerns over such a stance. My quote made the Independent, even though my name wasn’t mentioned. The point is, when you own your own business, you gain credibility.

How do you juggle all the pieces of your life (family/work/self/volunteering) to make it all come together?  
Since I do not have a bricks and mortar business, I have more flexibility then, say, a shop owner or restaurant that must be open for set hours. However, I make sure that I work on my business every day but Sunday and make it clear to my family if there are any deadlines or set appointments or events that are not flexible. I work the rest in when I can. The hardest thing is finding time for myself, as my son Ezra and husband Arie Jan are two of my favorite people in the world, and it is hard not to spend all of my spare time with them.

What advice do you offer other women who might want to start their own company?
The best advice I can offer is to be passionate about what you are choosing to go into. Money is great, and every business needs it to survive, but without passion, you are making a sacrifice on a soul level, which, in the end, is not good for you. Second, I would suggest doing the WEV program, or another business program to make sure you have that passion and that your business makes sense on paper financially, so you don’t make a large investment in something that hasn’t had a least a test run financially.

How did WEV help you to achieve your goal or dream?
WEV gave me a well rounded overview of the steps needed to go into business, and I left the class with a business plan, a solid vision and enthusiasm.

Is there something you learned from WEV that you use every day?
I think WEV placed a little mantra in my head, akin to that in Finding Nemo . . “Keep on Swimming . . Keep on Swimming.” You have to keep taking baby steps every day to keep your business thriving.

What does ‘success’ mean to you?
Success to me is being happy, staying grounded in who you are, sticking to your principles and ethics and conveying that through your business and actions to others.

What is the biggest reward you get from your business? What makes it all worthwhile?
What makes it worthwhile is when a person sees my products and says, “Oh my goodness, these are such a great idea!” and then follows through with a purchase.

How do you picture you and your business in: one year? 5 years? 10 years?
I am not in a rush to grow, but envision finding investment in the next year so that I can expand my product line and have professional packaging and merchandising. If this happens, I could see my products going nationwide in the next five years. If the economy, investment, interest and ingenuity align, I can envision the handkerchief revolution spreading nationwide…and across the oceans to other countries, with a Lime Green Monkey boutique in major cities throughout the world—all green buildings of course!

Is your business being affected by the economy now? And what are you doing to deal with this challenge?
I am definitely being affected by the economy. I was laid off in February of 2010, which has meant that my ability to self-invest in the expansion of my business has been greatly reduced. On the other hand, my ability to market my business and come up with new ideas has grown exponentially with more free time.

I also see the economy impacting potential customers. I see people light up when they see my products, and herald the idea, but when it comes to purchasing, there is hesitation and lack of follow through. I think this is directly related to reduced discretionary income.

As discretionary incomes are shrinking even further or drying up completely as people like myself are laid off, I know that the $8 or $9 dollars I ask for my products is being considered against other necessities and desires. If there is more financial flow, I believe people will follow through with a purchase.  

I have been offering reduced prices at fairs and events, and have lower inventory to make sure I don’t have much outflow, when the inflow is lighter.

Photography courtesy of Maria Carreras Photography: www.mariacarrerasphotography.com