Weekends afford the time to catch up on important reading and this weekend it was Climate Capitalism, a business title that did what few business books do: it addressed the needs of small businesses. (True, you can read about small business needs in small business titles, but it is rare that you find a general business book intended for a broad audience that considers small businesses, despite the fact that they account for most employment.) One section on page 39 was particularly relevant to Prisere LLC as we are undertaking an energy efficiency project:
Small businesses are the economic engine of any country, in North America generating more than half of non-farm private gross domestic product. They represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms, employing nearly 60 million workers, or about half of all private-sector employees. For the past decade they have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs each year. They confront correspondingly promising opportunities and bear significant responsibility for global sustainability. Energy efficiency remains one of the best investments that a small business owner can make.
The sections that follow present example of small businesses that have achieved returns of 20 to 30 percent or greater on their investments in energy efficiency. The authors address a timely topic with pragmatic, action-oriented steps. If you have not yet read Climate Capitalism, consider putting it on our reading list.