We are an opinionated bunch here at the Business Channel so this month we’ve got some debates going on between blogs known as the Odd Blog Couple. Liz at Business and Blogging and I are tackling the question of how to handle companies which engage in potentially harmful behaviors.
Companies which engage in potentially harmful behaviors with results such as environmental dangers or distribution of unsafe products often simply pay a fine as damages and move on. Should the punishment for these behaviors include a public mea culpa?
My understanding of the term mea culpa is to take responsibility, to say it …read more

Liz and Laura over at Business and Blogging have a great contest going called Can You Stump Business and Blogging? Here’s what they’ve got in mind…

We’re challenging you to identify a small business that you think could not possibly benefit from blogging. One of us will then try to find a successful blogging approach that would work as a low-cost, high return marketing device for that business.
We’re pretty confident that we can come up with an angle and focus that will work for just about any business, so we dare you to try and stump us. (we reserve the right …read more

I’ve mentioned Ray Anderson here on Greener Assets as a model of an inspiring business success story. After an environmental legacy wake-up call, Anderson took to transforming his carpet tile company into a “a sustainable operation that takes nothing out of the earth that cannot be recycled or quickly regenerated, and that does no harm to the biosphere.” He has become one of the nation’s leading spokespersons and advocates for sustainability.
He is also an author, which brings us to our Mid-Course Correction Contest. This week, readers have the chance to win a copy of Ray Anderson’s Book Mid-Course …read more

This is it! The final week of the b5media Apprentice Challenge, and from over 30 blogs on the b5 Business Channel there are just four left: Accounting Solver, Home Biz Notes, Successful Blog and Greener Assets! You get a say in the final decision, vote for your favorite final Apprentice Challenge post from these four blogs by leaving a comment! Your comment is a vote for that blog!
The final challenge is: Why do you blog? In my mind, the challenge question and answer are one in the same:
What Can One Person Do?
To be honest, I used to think that blogs …read more

Happy New Year!
The new year has arrived and promises to be exciting here at b5media. Looking back, 2007 was definitely a newsworthy year for businesses and the b5media Business Channel had it covered. Some businesses experienced record profits, some businesses spiraled into bankruptcy and some just kept getting greener.
Here as promised, in one convenient package, are the top business stories of 2007 from across the b5media Business Channel:
If you read Behind the Buzz even a little, you knew that Barbie Girl would make the list of the top posts in 2007. Find out what else did.
Brandcurve offers a …read more

As 2007 comes to a close soon, I’d thought a look back at some of the stories that made their way to Greener Assets this year would be a good way to round up and head into 2008. Around the b5 business channel, other bloggers will be doing the same and I’ll keep you posted with links to some of the best business posts of the year. Until then, here are my favorites from Greener Assets 2007…
Wal-Mart: Green, greener or greenwashing?: While the mega store wasn’t founded on sustainable principles, other than sustaining the Walton’s, the corporation responsible for moving …read more

If you are a business owner, or dream of becoming one, you need to find good sources for advice. Today, on b5media’s Business Channel, the biz bloggers are digging up the best business advice they’ve ever received and posting it – it’s a wealth of knowledge from an experienced group of professionals.
The posts are actually part of our ongoing channel challenge, an “apprentice” type challenge, where two teams have been brainstorming for solutions in one small business, a marketing endeavor for children’s aprons and hats.
If you haven’t been following along, you can catch up on the full, ongoing challenge by …read more

This post is part of an ongoing team effort from a collective of b5media business bloggers that started here. You can also follow along here.

One of the major concerns for many parents right now is lead in children’s products. This is a real-world health and environmental problem similar to one that your business may encounter.
Kay just found out that the novelty buttons that she sews onto her children’s aprons and chef’s hats are manufactured by the same company in China that has been associated with selling toys coated with lead paint. She has received confirmation from the distributor that …read more

Did you know that there are over 30 blogs on the business channel here at b5media? While Greener Assets is quite new, some of the other blogs have several years under their belt. So in the spirit of successful launch YOU can help Greener Assets make a great first impression!
First, the Business Channel is currently running an “apprentice challenge” between two teams, all business blogs. I’m on the ACES, who by the way have just won the first challenge – see the post here at Yielding Wealth. The PROS were just as clever in their post here at Startup Spark, …read more

I’ve been tagged by Kelly at b5media’s TaxGirl for a ‘meme’ – fun! This meme’s theme is 7 random things about myself that you might not now…
1. I got my first job when I was 9-years-old. Even though I’m pretty sure it was illegal (since I’m not that old) a local farmer hired kids to pick strawberries and do other ‘chores’ like weed flowers, sell pumpkins, press cider and help bring in the hay. My favorite task was driving the truck for the hay harvest. Yup, I said driving.