Imagine a beauty vlogger running a scrap metal recycling business. Does it make sense? Does the idea solicit raised eyebrows?
Fortunately, entrepreneurship nowadays sees no gender. Anybody can do anything and defy stereotypes established over the decades or centuries. You can be a beautiful beauty guru with a successful business recycling junk if you put your heart and mind to it.
Entrepreneurship for empowered women
What do you need to start a metal recycling business? First, it is essential to have a feasibility study for the specific area where you want to operate. Next, develop a business plan that includes all the details on how you will run the business. Then, acquire the necessary equipment and tools, hire your staff, and set up shop.
None of these require you to be a man or some other gender. You only need the commitment to learn the trade and do whatever is necessary to sustain the business. The business can start small. Some successful recycling businesses started as scrappers that sell the scrap metals they collect to more established recycling companies.
The business does not need a significant amount for its startup capital. Langley Recycling in Kansas, for example, is a family-owned recycling operation that started small and eventually became an established name in recycling over the years.
Success defying business size
Scrap metal recycling’s success as an entrepreneurial endeavor cannot be tied to its size. Langley Recycling, for example, is now in its fourth generation as a family business. Still, it operates in its original location in Kansas City, Missouri. It has not expanded to other areas, but it is undoubtedly successful.
The fact that the business contributes to addressing the local solid waste management needs already makes it successful.
There are businesses whose existence is considered necessary in an area, and recycling is one of them. It yields profits to its operator, and at the same time, it helps solve a local community problem when it comes to junk. It is not necessarily a nonprofit operation, but it impacts the area where it operates.
However, anyone interested in scrap metal recycling should be mindful of possible unintended issues it can create in neighborhoods. For one, if the business does not have access to ample enough space that will serve as storage for the collected scraps, it is better to find some other location. In addition, some recyclers inconvenience locals as they stack scrap metals along sidewalks and passageways. Some also keep their stacks in open vacant lots, creating an unsightly view in neighborhoods. There is also the possibility of bringing toxic substances, especially when dealing with automotive junk. It is essential to be mindful of these potential issues.
Again, the things mentioned here do not make women unqualified to run a recycling business. On the contrary, women can plan, initiate, and operate virtually the same kinds of enterprises other genders can handle. Profitability does not vary, and the existing rules or laws, especially environmental protection, do not change because a woman is in charge.
