Entrepreneurs in Sustainable Tourism, Renewable Energy and Green Initiatives
Sustainable tourism capability in your community is achieved via the following steps:
Sustainable economic development of your community - Job creation is imperative for economic development. You cannot have long-term sustainable economic development without job creation. Because social enterprises focus on giving back, having a social enterprise in your community is a win-win. It creates jobs and gives back to the community. We focus on jobs because they are the backbone of economic development. Everything we do is with that end goal in mind. We help social enterprises get the talent they need to thrive and grow and create even more jobs. We use a portion of the proceeds from their job postings to fund job creation programs. The job creation programs we support directly impact economic development in those communities.
Creating new wealth in your community - like most communities throughout the world, yours needs to create new wealth in an era of economic stagnation. This is how we do it: project partners and investors participate in local development projects, even with contributions in kind – products and services.Our approach is especially useful in communities seeking to develop or enhance a tourism destination management capability; we engage with anyone interested in contributing to sustainable local development and putting to work the considerable local talents in your local area.
Doing business locally, doing business globally: the experience with the Brescia SMEs Based on work experience in a local industry association and as independent consultant, interesting case studies of manufacturing small and medium companies of Brescia (Italy) will be presented, pointing out their features, as well as the strengths, weaknesses and future prospects. In particular results will show:
1. an experimental project to promote the adoption of environmental management and accounting systems in 60 companies (different sectors and mostly family run); 2. several examples of local companies involved in the international development processes.
Then we will analyze the factors which help or limit the international development and the export intensity of local companies, mostly family run businesses. Managerial skills play a fundamental role to fully seize the opportunities offered by international markets.
If it's true that family culture could be a point of strenght in doing business for its contribution in terms of "education to entrepreneurship", of values like commitment, personal sacrifice and cohesion, on the other hand it can be a weakness for the lack of openness toward professional managers outside the owning family. Indeed, their contribution is crucial to integrate internal skills and competencies and to respond effectively to global challenges.
We are strongly convinced that the issue of internalization is increasingly linked to the role of "relational" capital, wich consists in a company’s ability to activate and manage relationships. Today, in the global market, internalization should not be conceived only in terms of revenues and resources allocated abroad, but also in terms of business alliances and networks of relationships. We have to move from an approach that measures internationalization from the amount of resources allocated abroad to one that emphasizes the importance of networking and relationships as key factors for the companies to cover their competencies gaps and to grow in the international markets.
Marketing and management of museums and other tourism venues - A museum project begins with a new way of thinking: museums are not just places where knowledge is gathered and displayed; they are also centers of creativity, new educational experiences and learning. Museums must be places of entertainment, enjoyment, and culture – where visitors can always discover and participate in something new. A museum can fulfill the unexpressed needs of a multicultural society, offering different interpretations of the past and of the future because museums and exhibitions are the cultural expression of our world and are renewed by the attendance of the public. Museums are not made with objects, they are made with people. People who create the objects; people who study, who research, who conserve; people who display; people who visit and learn. To create a museum means dealing with people - with their desires and expectations; it means being able to listen to people, learn about and understand their needs. To create a museum means to talk – at length: with directors, with curators, with conservators; with administrators; with architects, graphic designers, technicians. It also means to listen: first of all to the objects and to the spaces and to the people. Before creating a museum, everyone and everything should be listened to, above all the public.
Education and training in a green economy - Most jobs in today’s world, including those entrepreneurs create for themselves, require more than a high school education. However, not everyone is willing and able to spend four years in a traditional undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. For people who want to master a skill set and get or create a job, non-credit workforce training may be the right path. Options for workforce training are addressed, both as a way into the workforce and as a way up within the workforce, with a focus on green training.
Starting an online business - This program will cover the basic information you need to know in order to become a successful online entrepreneur. By the end of the course participants will know how to create a business plan, set up a web site with an online store, as well as a blog, Face book page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, and newsletter. They will also learn how to design and execute online marketing strategies and advertising campaigns. Topics include:
Finding your business and creating a plan - Find your business idea and set your goals;Market research to test your idea;Write a business plan;How to gather your resources.
Setting up your business - Design and build a web site;Design and set up an online store;Design and set up a blog; How to set up Face book, Twitter and YouTube accounts; How to set up and create mailing lists and newsletters.
Marketing your online business - The basic elements of online and social media marketing; Creating your online marketing strategy;Getting traffic to your site (SEO – Search engine optimization); Measure your site’s effectiveness; Email marketing; Search engine marketing; How to measure your marketing efforts.
Measuring success – you will be able to measure the performance and success of your business.
Resources for entrepreneurs in your community and the global economy - Social enterprise is on the rise. Because of this boom, incubators and investment capital is also making its way to local economies. The economy has forced a newfound interest in entrepreneurship as well as people who are unemployed turn to starting companies. As a result, there are more resources than ever for entrepreneurs. We created a Social Enterprise Database in part as a resource for fellow social entrepreneurs. Now entrepreneurs or soon to be entrepreneurs can partner and connect with like-minded people in their area. Having a support system when starting out is a must. This database helps people find that support system.
Business networks and nonprofit associations - Socially responsible and green friendly business networks are on the rise. There are more ways to connect with like-minded people than ever before. It’s an exciting time and it helps us keep moving in the right direction.
Becoming a benefit corporation – By becoming B Certified, your business meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment.
