Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in sustainability but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Creighton Hooper, President of Recycle Coach, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Recycling is a popular activity that most people support; unfortunately, as much as 40% of what people put in their recycling bin doesn’t belong. The industry calls it contamination, and it costs North American municipalities hundreds of millions of dollars a year in extra processing fees.

Recycle Coach was the first of its kind digital tool for local waste & recycling programs. Each year over 5.5M residents use our technology to get pick-up reminders, search for recycling & disposal information and learn how to be better recyclers. Local governments pay to use our platform to improve their communications with residents and to teach them about issues such as contamination. Our technology is proven to reduce contamination in recycling programs, which in turn saves cities money in processing fees.

We make our technology affordable so as many cities as possible can participate and drive true value to their residents. We now call over 1,400 cities in North America and Australia our partners.

Tell us about yourself

I always wanted to work for myself – in truth; I wasn’t particularly thrilled with having a boss. And I have always been a bit of a risk-taker.

In 2001 my wife worked in the newspaper business. She sold advertising in some of the largest papers in the country, and I was amazed by what they were able to charge. Around that time, the City of Toronto delivered an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper – containing 16 languages – about the City’s recycling program. I have always been a strong supporter of recycling, and I started wondering if advertisers would support enhanced recycling materials, and it turns out they did! We began creating and distributing advertising-supported recycling calendars in municipalities across Canada, which is how our company got its start. Later, we transitioned to a digital solution.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Back in 2009, ‘digital’ was just a word. It encompassed online, social media, apps, and more. We decided then that it would be the new frontier for recycling education, so we launched the world’s first mobile app for local waste & recycling programs. And we were right!

Today, with over 1,400 cities as partners – nothing is more rewarding than after all the sweat equity and sacrifice, Recycle Coach is the #1 recycling education platform in North America (and possibly the world). Ascending to this position means other organizations – including giant corporations – now come to us wondering if we have a solution that can help them accomplish their sustainability objectives, which provides a nice buzz.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

It is really difficult not to take things personally, like when you lose a client or identify a situation where you dropped the ball (of which there are a lot – there are only so many hours in the day). Learning to address the issue and moving on is a skill not everyone is good at.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Identify a problem you think you can solve or address, then find out as quickly as you can if people are willing to pay for that solution – if not, move on. That said, make sure you’ve properly articulated the problem and your solution before giving up on it.
  2. Be creative to grow your business – often, there are opportunities or solutions that you’re not seeing, or maybe you are philosophically against. Look for them and avoid being pig-headed.
  3. Stick to the knitting. Early on, we expanded to other countries, but our best opportunities remained at home (North America), so that’s where we devoted our resources.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I think one of the things I’ve learned is to think long-term. Forget about tech companies that are worth $1Billion in three years – it happens, but it’s not the norm. Building a business is more often about finding where you add value and enhancing it day after day. Have an idea about what the business might look like in five or ten years, but stay flexible and adapt or pivot as necessary.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://recyclecoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecycleCoachApp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recyclecoachapp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creighton-hooper-a8392026/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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