How to avoid greenwashing with Melissa Hobson

In this episode we hear from Melissa Hobson, a self-employed specialist copywriter and PR consultant working with for-purpose organisations.  Driven by her passion for marine conservation, Melissa pursued self-employment in February 2021 to support organisations that are making a positive difference to the oceans, the planet and people’s lives. 

Melissa shares with us her advice for founders seeking to avoid greenwashing and authentically implement environmentally-friendly processes within their businesses. 

Melissa’s advice:

• Putting your own needs first will often lead to the best results for your business and clients 
• Never mislead or exaggerate
• Think about sustainability from a consumer perspective; check the Green Claims Code to ensure none of your claims could be misinterpreted
• Setting stringent standards will encourage potential clients to raise their own
• Have a purpose/mission-led business to really enjoy your work
• In the interests of work/life balance, create boundaries for yourself; for example I always have an ‘out of office’ on to limit the amount of time I spend on email and to filter out unnecessary communications
• Connect with other sole traders when you need inspiration or advice
• Charge a fee for people who would like to ‘pick your brains’ as your time is valuable
• Utilise Zoom to manage your time and only attend face to face events that truly add value to your business
• Immediately set tax aside when you receive an invoice to avoid hassle further down the line
• Don’t be afraid to be honest about parts of your business you wish were more successful 
• Keep a log of all the small green things you do that make a difference; you’d be surprised by how they add up

If you’d like to contact Melissa you can reach her on melliehobson@gmail.com
Head over to Speakpipe to leave your voice note for future guests too.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2022 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.

FF&M recommends: 

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.
• For contracts check out Law Depot.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

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