Rainwater can be used for more than watering plants.
Store rainwater and make a living out of it. Whenever it rains, that water can be collected and converted to drinking water, used for livestock, used to irrigate farms and even used to flush toilets. A rainwater harvesting business is a sustainable concept you can turn into a lucrative business with some training, equipment and planning.
Instructions
1. Plan first. Choose the path with which you will take for your business. In "Green Business Practices for Dummies" Lisa Swallow writes "Recycled rainwater can be used for functions such as watering landscaping and flushing toilets." Install roof drainage systems for business and residential accounts or build complete rainwater systems for sustainable home builders.
2. Get training. Attend sustainable building classes. The National Sustainable Building Advisor Program has training courses that last for 9-months. Sign up. Network with other sustainable builders who you may be able to outsource work to once your business gets off the ground. Become an apprentice of a sustainable building forum.
3. Find funding. Hire a professional business plan writer from an online freelance job board to help you put together a professional presentation. Apply for grants through your state's environmental protection agency. They may offer grants specifically for rainwater harvesting. Download and follow their application guidelines.
4. Find a location to build your storage facilities. If you plan to use big tanks and large filtration systems, you need a lot of arable land.
5. Buy water storage tanks, filters, direct pump systems, heater tanks and treatment equipment. The City of Austin, Texas offers rebates for rainwater harvest equipment. Contact your city hall to see if they have rebates, discounts or tax incentives for any particular type of equipment.
6. Hire employees to help with installation. Call on your contacts that you made while training and use them as subcontractors. Post help wanted ads in the classified section of widely read newspapers. Procure worker's compensation insurance.
7. Initiate a cold calling campaign. Introduce yourself to farmers in the state. Tell them about your business. Contact local business and explain to them how you can use their rainwater to cut back on heating and cooling costs. Explain to them the benefits of telling the press that they are an environmentally-friendly company.
8. Educate your customers on what rainwater harvesting is. Put together a video presentation. Lydia Dishman interviewed video production company CEO, Bobby Rettew, in an Entrepreneur Magazine article who says that "rich media and videos provide depth and can supplement the basic information about a company on its website." Dishman says "DIY content gives you an edge, especially as you battle for audiences in this era of short attention spans."
Tags: rainwater harvesting, your business