Being true to a core strength is the biggest lesson entrepreneur Tom Szaky has learned in his business life and that’s the advice he offers others who are eager to dive into the world of social enterprise.

Focusing on his strengths and gifts helped drive his passion to build a business with a social conscience.

“A social business needs to work as a business first and foremost,” he says. “Really focus on what makes you special, and hold onto that. Outsource everything else around you, other than what makes you exceptionally special.”

When you stay true to the core principles of a green business, “karma is on your side,” Tom says, and in a world that demands green choices, success is totally attainable.

Tom founded TerraCycle in 2001 based on cycling waste into plant fertilizer, and the company has grown steadily since. It is considered by many today to be a leading example of a business that lives and breathes environmental and social sustainability.

The company now offers a range of affordable, eco-friendly products created from waste.

At 30, Tom represents a new generation of social entrepreneurs that is keenly aware of the public’s demand for consumer choices that allow them to feel good about the companies they support through their spending.

TerraCycle’s dedication to environmental stewardship is generating loyal customers and supporters.

“For us it’s very simple,” Tom says. “We have very strong customer service in-house, we have very strong social media, and things like that really help foster a relationship with the consumer.”

His company and his team are committed to the core principles of sustainable development and growth, he says, and this creates loyalty among consumers. 

There’s no question in Tom’s mind that the shift to a more socially-conscious approach to business is a movement whose time has come, and he points to the fact that media and consumers are making green issues a central topic as cornerstones of this growing momentum.

“Media has picked up that ‘green’ is an issue that people care about and resonate with, and because of that it’s made it much easier for social businesses to get credit to be seen as an important aspect of the economy,” he says.

Governments are now making green jobs a priority and investing in an ecology of sustainable business enterprise, Tom points out, and that’s because society now demands it.

“The topic has gone out there and become mainstream, and I think when you mainstream a topic, that’s when things get very exciting for a movement.”

Axiom News provides Stakeholder News services to SVN. A version of this article first appeared on their website. If you are interested in our stakeholder news service, please email peter(at)axiomnews.ca, or call 800-294-0051 ext. 28.