Posted over 11 years ago

Recycling the outrageous! part 3

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Recycling the outrageous

So you say you're doing your part in the recycling initiative? You put out your cardboard, plastic and glass once a week? Well that's not enough for go-getters like us. I'm challenging you to let the kids sort out the cans and the magazines. Discover the resources within YOU that you could be sharing. Or using to power your business. Part of taking ourselves to the next level is recognizing what we, as participants in the human race, have to offer... Recycling tip #495: Recycle your business resources.
Many years ago, I was considering a project that would require some sewing. If I had a sewing machine, it would take just a few minutes; to do it by hand would be unthinkable. But was I going to cough up a few hundred dollars for a machine I would almost never use? Heck, no. “What if there were one sewing machine per neighborhood” I thought, “and we could all share it? That would be about right.” And since I never initiated the South Austin Neighborhood Sewing Collaborative, my project fell by the wayside. (Much like my idea for a “reverse” microwave - make things colder in an instant! - but that's another story.)But look what's been happening lately, thanks to social networking, mobile technology, the recycling movement and general penny-pinching. Americans with stuff, skills and time are connecting with others who are eager to rent their homes, cars, tools, services, you name it.

You can rent a room at Airbnb. Put your car and your spare time to work at Uber or Lyft. Turn your driveway into a cash cow at ParkCirca or JustPark. Find road-trip partners on Zimride. Share your sewing machine (!!!) at Zilok or upgrade your kids' gear at Swap.com.

“Well that's all very warm and fuzzy, Leslie” you may be saying, “But how does that apply to my business?” Business owners have also embraced recycling their resources. Why move to a larger facility when you can rent a cubicle or meeting room at LiquidSpace or ShareDesk? Why pay a full time employee when you can hire one as needed on ODesk or eLance? Why go buy a label maker when you can borrow one at NeighborGoods? On the flip side, why sit there and stare at unused resources when you could renting them out? $$!!!

A side effect of sharing your resources is that you open the door to meeting new people and building new partnerships. This “sharing economy” is a great platform for making new connections. You probably have much more to offer than you realize. Share it with others. As that wise sage Snoop Dogg says, “It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none.”

To read previous blog entries, click here!

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

~ Mother Teresa

Video pick:
I recycled something unique each day for a week. Click play to check it out!

Leslie Kalk is a Real Estate Investor and Portfolio Manager with Top Shelf Assets, LLC. Based in San Antonio, Texas, she pursues her passion for year-round warm-weather sports, an exquisite cup of coffee and all things real estate related.