Back in 2015, I introduced a concept to turn business byproducts into growth opportunities that I dubbed, “The Sawdust Principle.”
At the time, I was mentoring Tuckerman & Company, whose mission is to create high-quality, environmentally sustainable clothing and fight back against the wastefulness of fast fashion. This got me thinking about how to be more sustainable in my own digital consultancy business. It’s easy to think about recycling things, but it’s a more interesting exercise to focus on recycling intangibles.
Lots of industries have realized that byproducts can be bounty. The name “sawdust” is inspired by lumberyard owners, who, when faced with rising costs and competition, realized that their most significant “waste product” — sawdust — could be used to make all sorts of things, from kitty litter to particle board.
Today, thanks to digital culture, we’re seeing more and more opportunistic ways to earn revenue by recycling, reusing, and remixing what you already own. It’s common to see people turn their cars into a food delivery or taxi service (Uber), convert their homes into hotels (Airbnb), and upcycle their old clothes for charity or profit (Thredup).
This is why I’m remixing the Sawdust Principle and reintroducing it to today’s businesses. Your “trash”…
