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ethicalDeal Gives Group-Buying a Whole New Purpose

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Annalea Krebs harnesses the power of group-buying to support the green movement.

By: The Arb Team

Social entrepreneurship is a company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems, so says Annalea Krebs, Chief Ambassador of ethicalDeal. By harnessing the power of online group buying, Ms. Krebs developed a social venture to make green living accessible. The venture, ethicalDeal, empowers people with information and tools to switch from conventional products to healthy, green alternatives.

When you buy an ethicalDeal… you’re making a difference with your dollar and are supporting the green movement.

Before ethicalDeal, there was TheChange.com. While studying a Bachelor of Commerce at Royal Roads University, Annalea developed a business plan for connecting people with local green businesses. With her platform, users could browse through company profiles, follow their green initiatives, and get updates on news, events and jobs.

Annalea launched TheChange.com in the spring of 2010 but soon she was re-evaluating her business plan. ethicalDeal evolved in response to the demand for e-commerce, and she selected the group-buying model with the purpose of making green mainstream.

Chief Ambassador of ethicalDeal

Annalea Krebs, Chief Ambassador of ethicalDeal

“There are three things which prevent consumers from living a green lifestyle,” Annalea explains.  “They think that green products/services are too expensive, they don’t know where to find them and they don’t know what to trust.”

ethicalDeal makes it easy for people to go green. The site identifies local companies that offer green products/services that meet a defined standard. Then members get exclusive discounts on these green products/services using the collective power of group buying. For many, these limited time offers are the excuse they need to try something new, like a green cleaning product, vegan food or chemical free make-up.

logo and slogan

ethicalDeal logo

“The group buying model allows us to introduce people to green alternatives – making it easy and fun for people to discover their green city!”

Adamant about having a meaningful impact, Annalea describes ethicalDeal as a mission based company that helps facilitate positive change. “When you buy an ethicalDeal, you’re not just buying a deal. You’re making a difference with your dollar and are supporting the green movement.”


Launched in November 2010, ethicalDeal offers daily local green deals in Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto, and weekly online green deals across North America. Annalea plans to be in 10 cities in the next year and is currently fund raising for this expansion.

She advises entrepreneurs to “listen to your customers – because what they want is your top priority” and to “focus, focus, focus” instead of trying to be all things to all people. She also advises entrepreneurs to have a purpose that goes beyond profit. “The future of anything includes something good.”

 

ARB Team
Arbitrage Magazine
Business News with BITE.

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  • http://twitter.com/InnovateM Innovate M

    My company, Innovate M, offers a turnkey, customizable group buying platform that can be implemented inexpensively and quickly. We are based in the US and the platform is already in use for over a year by a top ten player in the group buying space. You can check out some of the features at http://www.groupbuy-m.com.

    We have a number of differentiating features from other solutions based on our experience in the space and can help you with many of the hurdles of getting started including contracts, agreements, obtaining users, etc. Our model is a one time set up fee, optional monthly maintenance, and annual licensing fee. The first two months of maintenance are included in the set up to ensure that you are up and running seamlessly.

    Please contact me at rezac@innovate-m.com to find out more.

  • Marionne (Mac) Lugay

    Thanks so much for the great feature on ethicalDeal! You’ve captured our mission and values so well!

    -Mac at ethicalDeal
    @ethicalDeal

    • http://twitter.com/Arbitrage_Mag Arbitrage Magazine

      We’re happy to help where we can. You guys are doing a great job with this venture!

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