Upcoming Webinar on Sustainable Capital

This week MHBA hosted our Buzz Box on financing and capital options for small businesses. We were joined by Rob Smith of RMMFI, a local micro-finance organization doing great work with budding entrepreneurs. 

Tomorrow, the American Sustainable Business Council is hosting a webinar on this issue: how do small businesses raise necessary capital that's *also* more sustainable (from a triple-bottom-line sense)?

If you're a local business owner, it's likely that the principles of triple-bottom-line accounting are embodied in how you do business, whether or not you formally counting it. The other two profit lines, those of people and planet, are often of higher priority to local business owners. I make this claim out of my experience working with these people - who are more likely to sacrifice profit for the well-being of their employees, customers and community. 

I recently had a conversation with a restaurant owner who was being chastised by his bank for not generating a higher profit. His response? 'I'm not here just to make a profit. My employees are more important than that.' This same restaurateur works with local farmers directly, paying a premium for his product out of his commitment to local agriculture and great flavors. 

Profits are necessary to the long-term success of a business - you can't keep functioning if you build too much debt. However, the pursuit of profits while sacrificing other things we value - this we must stop doing. Creating a healthy, resilient economy requires that we ditch the incentives and systemic mechanisms that allow (and even reward) that kind of behavior, and re-align our businesses to create value and generate profits that don't endanger our long term capacity to thrive.

This is why MHBA exists: to support local businesses who are the foundation of this new economy. As always, we invite you to get involved as a member and participate in our upcoming events and programs.