We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacy Savage. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacy below.
Stacy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
It all started while I was in a zoned-out trance, sitting at a stop light in south Austin. That’s when the biggest epiphany of my life struck me like the ultimate “I should’ve had a V8” head-smack moment. (Big reveal at the end! Wait for it…)
Now, I grew up in the “Golden Triangle” along the Gulf Coast of Texas near the Louisiana border. Not only is this the epicenter of America’s oil and gas industries, but my own parents also worked at the local oil refineries for a collective 75 years. Brownish, hazy skies and rotten egg smells wafting through the air were just part of life, so we didn’t really think anything of it. There was this sort of silent agreement between industry, government, and plant workers to not rock the boat when it came to job creation and security vs. public health and safety.
Once I moved away for college at UT Arlington (Go Mavs!), my horizons expanded greatly. I gained new perspectives and appreciation for my freedoms to work, go to school, and make my own decisions (some admittedly not so great). I finally gained the breakout independence I had been craving since I was a young and stubborn kid from a wild Cajun family. When I was finished with college, I made the move to Austin and things got, well…weird…but awesome.
For nine years, I was a grassroots community organizer working for a nonpartisan, environmental organization. I knocked on tens of thousands of doors across Texas, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and New Jersey to educate everyday residents on fighting pollution and mobilizing them in active participation in the democratic process. I developed the skills to engage folks from all walks of life to join our “strength in numbers” strategy, which allowed us to take on corporate polluters and hold government officials accountable.
In Texas, the legislative session occurs once every odd-numbered year and last for only five months. Our group worked feverishly to organize our statewide members so we could build a formidable lobbying defense against the continuous onslaught of bad environmental bills. Chipping away at clean air and water rights, responsible waste management programs, local environmental ordinances, and many other critical policies seemed to be the norm. From 2003-2012, I helped lead the legislative efforts for our group focused on “Producer TakeBack” bills to secure the free and responsible recycling of electronic waste (e-waste), such as computers and televisions.
WE WON!! In 2007, we worked with Dell Technologies and other computers manufacturers to pass the Texas Computer TakeBack Law (HB 2714, Bonnen – R), which passed with a unanimous vote in the House and the Senate.
WE WON, AGAIN! In 2011, we worked with Panasonic and other television manufacturers to pass the Texas TV TakeBack Law (SB 329, Watson-D) with only twelve “no” votes in the House and six in the Senate. Since then, over 400 million pounds of toxic e-waste have been diverted from Texas landfills with the financial onus assumed by the manufacturers, not Texas taxpayers.
Our group went on to help develop and lobby for local policies in Austin for residential curbside recycling and composting, business recycling and food waste reduction, and construction and demolition recycling. After that, I was appointed by the Austin City Council to represent my local district on the Zero Waste Advisory Commission. I served on this all-volunteer board for two years vetting waste management policies before they were to be voted on by the Council.
This is when I came to a fork in the road, or better yet, that zoned out stop light moment in the road, regarding my career path. I knew I wanted to do more for my community and be even more involved. I also knew there was no upward mobility available to me at my nonprofit job because the next position above mine in the organization was Executive Director’s spot. And let me tell you, she wasn’t going anywhere!
As I was waiting for the light to turn green, that’s when it hit me!! I said to myself, “Stacy, you know all the local elected officials and their aides. You know tons of state lawmakers. You know the owners of all the local trash, recycling, and compost hauling companies. You know all the heavy hitters in the environmental and social justice realm. You know lots of like-minded activists, too! Soooo…why aren’t you the hub for all these spokes? You need to start your own business!”
And that is exactly what I did. The very next day, I went down to my County office with a $20 bill in my purse and filed for a DBA certificate to start my company, Zero Waste Strategies. Before this, I NEVER envisioned myself as a solo entrepreneur. I always thought I would just have a J. O. B. and follow someone else’s rules. But starting my business and becoming by own boss was the absolute best decision I have ever made for myself and for my family.
From legal issues and contracting agreements to bookkeeping and marketing, I had to learn everything about running a business very quickly or else my vision and mission could flop. But I knew that if I kept pushing, kept learning, kept my ego and fears in check, I would soar as a leader because I had already developed the skills, knowledge, and passion to make it all work. Sure, it’s been a long, crazy ride, but it has made me the professional I am today and has allowed me to make the biggest impact of my career, so far.
Let’s face it, my job is to literally “talk trash”. For most people, this topic ain’t fun or sexy. When it comes to trash, it’s all “out of sight, out of mind” when it’s tossed into a bin and it goes “away” somewhere. But, on a circular planet with finite resources, where exactly is “away”? Taking part in changing the dynamics around our vicious consumption and dumping cycle is what makes owning my business, and all those struggles that come with it each day, worth the effort.
Now, Zero Waste Strategies is a 6-figure business working with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Dell, AT&T, Nestle Purina, Kohler, Belden, and the City of Austin, among many others. We help our clients reduce waste for increased revenue, employee empowerment, deeper customer loyalty, and a competitive, green marketing edge.
To service our clients, we use a variety of techniques, such as onsite waste audits, employee training with fun recycling games, and interviews with key personnel to gauge perspectives to create recycling engagement. We also customize Zero Waste Master Plans at client facilities for the management team to implement.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Zero Waste Strategies is amplifying its message and broadening its capacity to help more businesses by launching our new online training system! We offer 3 tiers of consulting perfect for executives, sustainability professionals, food-permitted business owners, commercial property managers, and facility maintenance teams, among others:
- Tier I – An online “Done By You” course to learn Zero Waste best practices for optimized operations, cost savings, employee training, and more
- Tier II – An online “Done With You” course for advanced business training protocols to deep dive waste issues, right-size hauler contracts, and drive a green marketing edge over the competition
- Tier III – An in-person consulting visit to the business property for on-site consulting, staff training, waste audit, and development of a customized Zero Waste Master Plan for facility-wide implementation
Those who enroll in either tier before March 1, 2023, receive a 20% discount on their respective program package!
To find out more, please contact:
[email protected]
512-693-7677
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A very hard lesson for me to unlearn was my view around money. As previously mentioned, I worked for a nonprofit organization for 9 years, which is not typically known as the most lucrative career path. Although I didn’t need a whole lot of money to survive back then, my passion for activism kept me in a scarcity mindset. I felt guilt and shame as a community servant who made money doing what she loved. This feeling of unworthiness helped me justify in my own mind why an unstable, paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle was meant for me.
As a new business owner, this mentality also led to me giving my time and hard-earned expertise away for free. Even though a client would come to me for help, I still felt guilty charging clients for even the slightest amount of money. I would do things pro bono for them because I couldn’t get over my own shame and hangups around money. I felt that if I charged what I would be able to personally pay based on what was in my own bank account, that must be a good enough amount to charge them to say yes in working with me. I was so scared of my services being rejected that I unknowingly projected my financial fears on to them.
I have since read several books on shifting your “money mindset” and I now celebrate the income I receive from my clients. I charge what I know my time, efforts, and 20 years of experience are worth, so I never sell myself short. If a prospective client is not willing to pay my service fees, then they are not the client for me. So as to not burn bridges, I always try to connect them with another company that may be able to help them within their set budget.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I believe I was able to master my resilience when I was a environmental campaign canvasser where I knocked on tens of thousands of doors in different states all across the country. About 50% of those doors were non-supporters who slammed the door in my face. But, I was trained to peacefully walk away and always get to the next door because, statistically, the next person WAS a supporter I was looking for!
That mindset helped me deal with rejection when I lost business contracts and professional relationships fizzled, or I just felt too defeated to continue because nothing came very easily. In my first 3 years of business ownership, I had to work part-time jobs to help make ends meet, but I never took my eyes off the prize!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://0waste.org/
- Instagram: @zerowastestrategies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZeroWasteStrategies
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/stacysavage AND https://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-zero-waste-strategies/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/txzerowaste
- Other: TikTok @texastrashtalker
Image Credits
Logo credits to their respective companies. All other photos are owned by Zero Waste Strategies