If you’ve searched for information within the maze Federal Government Web sites, you know how time consuming and frustrating it can be. Next time you need government info, start your search at Business.gov.

Managed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Business.gov site serves as a web portal to all other federal agencies. Important business information is organized and explained in a way that makes it easy to locate and easy to understand. There you will find:

• Information on starting, managing, and marketing a business. This includes information regarding home based, women owned, minority owned and green businesses.
• Resources for capital and credit including small business grants and loans.
• Federal and state tax resources, forms and assistance.
• Laws, regulations and other resources that affect business.
• Government forms that enable you to register, organize and conduct business
• And much, much more.

I’ve added a Business.gov widget to the right hand column of my blog to use whenever you need it, but here’s a list of sites for Business.gov:

Business.gov Web site
Blog
@businessdotgov on Twitter

PS – @businessdotgov shared a great link with us on Twitter this morning. You’ll want to bookmark or subscribe to this blog too!
Small Business Brief – Fetching the Best Small Business News

If you ask someone why they don’t recycle, most of the time the answer is because it takes more work to clean and sort an item for recycling than it is to throw it in the garbage can. I wonder though, if we were paid to recycle, would more homes and businesses do it? I may get an answer to that question thanks to Recycle Bank, a company that encourages people to recycle by rewarding for them doing so. In fact, for every one pound of material recycled using Recycle Bank’s curb side pick up or Kiosks, participants will earn 2.5 Recycle Bank Points which translate into cash at local retailers such as CVS Pharmacy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Petco and more. Currently, Recycle Bank is only operating in a handful of States, but they continue to expand their operations all over the country. If you’d like to participate in Recycle Bank’s program, visit their Web site for more information.

The first piece of news I found on Twitter was posted by Saponifier Magazine whose tweet revealed that OnlineLabels.com just released their Maestro labeling software for soapmakers. —> (Follow Saponifier Magazine on Twitter!)

An ealier Tweet made by OnlineLabels.com also announced their new 100% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) recycled labels.  —> (Follow OnlineLabels.com on Twitter)

While Twitter isn’t for everyone, I personally find it a very useful tool and a great way to keep in touch with other people in the soaping biz. You can follow me on Twitter here!

Last week, I picked up 30 old books at a garage sale. I chose very thick books that are in great condition. Some are already leather bound and beautiful and will be perfect for my Men’s line, but others will need to be covered with fabric. Using the following tutorial, I will glue and then cut the pages of the books to make compartments that are the perfect size and shape for my products. Preliminary testing and further research has me thinking two coats of glue for this step where the video shows only one.

You Tube – Make a Book with a Secret Department

Then using yet another tutorial, I will to cover the less aesthetically perfect books with gorgeous recycled fabric I have stacking up all over the place.

How to Make a Fabric Book Cover

I’m not sure how this will all work out, but I am going to give it a go. I love the concept, and think it will be particularly appealing to men and teens, but I’m still uncertain if the finished product will be gift worthy. We shall see! I’ll share my results with you next week. Wish me luck!

The Crafting a Green World blog article Printer-Friendly Grocery Shopping: Brown Paper Seed Packet Business Cards Tutorial takes you step by step through the process. By re-purposing brown paper grocery bags and printing them yourself, you’re not only contributing to the green business movement, but you’ll save money and have much more creative freedom too. These gems will make great promotional items to use at farmers markets and craft fairs this summer.

I have often wondered how I could upcycle my grocery bags in ways beyond simply reusing them, but the creases have always been an issue for me. The Seed packet Biz Card tutorial brilliantly suggests using an iron to flatten the bags before using. DUH! Why didn’t I think of that? Now that I am thinking in those terms, I find myself looking at my brown paper bags in a whole new light. Now I see that they could be used for cigar bands, hang tags, and labels etc. Hmm…

Crafting a Green World: Seed Packet Business Card Tutorial

You can buy these reasonably priced peanuts online. Google results show several online suppliers. You may also be able to purchase them locally at UHaul Package supply stores at a higher price.

This month I had a birthday. Not one of my gifts came in recycled packaging. Not even the gift my husband, Ryan, picked out for me. Had my children gone with him I truly believe it would have at least been considered. I pointed it out to Ryan who at least once a week wonders aloud where our recycled items go and whether or not it does any good. The best he could muster was a blank stare. Busted. Big duh moment there honey.

The moral of the story? There are a few actually. Yes, our children are very accepting of the fact that our planet is in peril and their lives are being shaped in a manner that will make a difference. But no, we cannot wait for them to fix it. There may not be time for that.

Secondly, these children will be consumers one day. Their older siblings already are and little things like recycled packaging and minimal packaging is important to them. When these young consumers judge your products, will they pass the test and compel them to purchase? Whether you believe that our planet is in peril or not is irrelevant. The next generation of shoppers do.

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