Profit for Purpose - How to build a Long Term Sustainability Business!

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 21 January 2020

The future, sustainability and social enterprise go hand in hand but what is often missing from this equation when starting a business is long term profitability. You can’t sustain a business on goodwill alone and even if you are able to tap into all the kindness out there you’ll eventually run out of customers or steam. So how can you find that perfect balance and Profit for Purpose?

Sure, it’s easy to put sustainability in the too-hard, the I-don’t-know-how or I-don’t-know-how baskets - but can we really afford to do that now?

Today you listeners are in for a treat. You’ll learn that through hard work, perseverance and a passion this balance can be found. We are joined on Small Biz Matters by Paul Frasca - a giant in the sustainability world. In 2015 he and his partner Ewelina Soroko founded Sustainable Salons dedicated to reducing waste in hair salons - the industry where he first started. He’s an international speaker; who remarkably never uses notes on stage and listening to him inspires.

He’s not afraid to speak his mind on the future of not only his industry but all of small business and is passionate about sustainability being the non-negotiable driving force.

Welcome to the show Paul.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• How did you start this 'hairy' business :)
• In your experience as a leader in the small business world; why do you think there is such a huge movement towards sustainability and social enterprise? Where do you believe this momentum is coming from?
• How does Sustainable Salons work and what practical tips can you give other small business to become more sustainable?
• In general, why do you think it’s important that small businesses join a professional association and collaborate together within an industry?
• How can everyday people support the sustainable salons movement?

To find out more go to their website: https://sustainablesalons.org/

PAUL FRASCA

CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Paul Frasca started his hairdressing career at the age of 11. He was a salon owner by the age of 19. Winning a prestigious Hairdressing Award took him to Europe where he styled an elite clientele for the next decade.

His passion for sustainability started when he lived in Amsterdam where he met his partner Ewelina Soroko, a passionate environmentalist.

Their travels brought them to Australia where they researched salon waste and discovered that hairdressers send one million kilos of aluminium foils to landfill every year. That was the catalyst to start Refoil, the industry’s first sustainably-minded foiling concept and recycled foil product. But their commitment to making salon waste history was only just beginning.

In 2015 the pair started an innovative resource recovery program called Sustainable Salons. Designed especially for the salon environment, Sustainable Salons collects up to 95% of the salon’s waste bin and repurposes it for environmental and community benefit, while rewarding the salon. The program has been awarded Best Business Service of the year in 2016 at the Australian Hair Industry Awards and Best Business Performance of the year at the Hair Expo Awards. Sustainable Salons was also presented with the Special Recognition Award at the 2017 Australian Hair Industry Awards and became finalist at the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards the same year.

Paul’s role as Managing Director takes him all around Australia and New Zealand speaking to audiences in the waste management, hair, beauty, fashion, hospitality, medical and education industries, all interested in learning how to adopt a more sustainable approach in their everyday lives and businesses.

Paul also volunteers his time as a board director for The Australian Hairdressing Council where he is responsible for improving the industry’s environmental practices.