PURPOSE Traditional thinking suggests that environmentalism has little to do with entrepreneurship and that economic profits are

anathema to environmental conservation. However, environmental entrepreneurs, or enviropreneurs, are increasingly solving environmental conflicts using contracts, price signals, and markets. PERCs Enviropreneur Institute and Enviropreneurs in Residence are at the forefront of this transition.

The Enviropreneur Institute is a ten-day program for mid-career conservation professionals seeking to combine environmental stewardship with financial returns. The Institute gives Fellows the opportunity to learn from a diverse faculty of scholars and practitioners, to collaborate with other conservation leaders, and to develop conservation-focused business plans to guide their efforts after the Institute. Now entering its thirteenth year, with 200 alumni spread around the world, PERCs Enviropreneur Institute has become the premier place for environmental entrepreneurs to develop, refine, and pursue market-based solutions to environmental conflicts.

HISTORY In 2001, PERC embarked on a journey that would indelibly impact the lives of many environmentalists, as well as the face and direction of our organization. The idea was borne out of PERCs passion to bring management principles, economics, property rights, and markets to the environmental field. PERCs Enviropreneur Institute, formerly known as the Kinship Conservation Institute, is the embodiment of that vision and is now entering its thirteenth year. The variety of interests, people, and organizations that have contributed to the Institute show a dedication and purpose to environmental conservation not likely equaled anywhere else in the world.

CURRICULUM The first half of the curriculum is comprised of lectures, Socratic discussions, and case studies focusing on the application of property rights, contracts, and markets to environmental decisionmaking. The first week also features several enviropreneurs in action and field trips to nearby properties and businesses demonstrating key principles of profitable environmental stewardship. The primary goal of this first week is to introduce Fellows to the theory and application of free market environmentalism. The second half of the curriculum focuses on skills and professional development with classroom sessions on business planning and execution, marketing, project management, communication,

capital acquisition and fundraising, to name a few. Project development by the Fellows is a priority of the Institute, so we devote significant time in the second week to mentoring sessions with faculty. The Enviropreneur Institute concludes with Fellow presentations and graduation ceremonies. Click here to see the 2013 curriculum. Note: This curriculum changes from year to year.

FACULTY The PEI faculty is comprised of leading scholars in environmental economics and policy, conservationists, business experts, and alumni of the program. Because mentoring is a core component of the program, faculty members are chosen not only for their ability to conceive and execute successful business ventures, but for their commitment to sharing their knowledge with others.

TRAVEL & LODGING Participants receive a stipend, from which they pay their own travel. Housing on the Montana State University campus is provided at no charge. Participants are expected to stay in the dorm during the Enviropreneur Institute; each fellow will have a private bedroom. A communal kitchen and dining area in the dorm provide an ideal setting for professional and personal bonding. Two nights are spent in cabins at a secluded ranch outside Bozeman.

How to Write a Better Proposal Introduction

A blank page can be intimidating. You have a blank page at the start of each proposal. And then another at the start of each section. Most people go through a "warm up" process while they try to figure out what to say. They start off with something traditional and easy. Here are some examples:

Our company is pleased to submit this proposal to Founded in 1901, our company is an industry-leading firm that Our company is located in Somewhere, USA and specializes in Our company provides

It's easy to describe yourself, but it's the wrong way to start your proposal. Proposal writing is very much like having a dialogue with the reader. You are a salesperson and the reader is the customer. How would you like it if you visited a store, and after you told him what you are interested in, he started his response with one of the openers above? What if a competing salesperson approached you and instead started off by talking about how he could deliver something that fulfills your needs and has a number of other benefits? Who would get your attention? Your introduction should be about the customer not about you. The customer has two crucial questions:

How you are going to fulfill their needs? What benefits they will derive from doing business with you?

So when you are faced with a blank page, you should start by telling them how you can fulfill their needs. Even better is to say what benefits you will deliver while fulfilling their needs. And even better still is to deliver benefits while fulfilling their needs in a way that discriminates you from the competition. Here is the formula:

Tell them that you will fulfill their needs or deliver what they want. Tell then that you will do it in a way that will provide benefits that are important to them. Introduce yourself by showing that you have the right qualifications to fulfill their needs.

Then, explain why you are better positioned than anyone else to deliver the benefits you described.

How you continue from this point depends on what is most important to the customer. You can discuss:

Fulfilling individual requirements Features of your solution Anticipated results Implementation process Project schedule

For every item you discuss, be sure to describe:

How it relates to their needs How it will benefit the customer How capable or qualified you are in that area How it relates to their evaluation criteria The answers to any questions the customer might have

If you have a written RFP, be sure to follow any instructions regarding the outline for the proposal, and to tailor your proposal to any evaluation criteria presented in the RFP. Once your dialogue has the reader's attention, then you get a chance to tell your story. The story is what makes them want to select you. The formula above will work only if your story is compelling. If there is a formal evaluation process, then you must score well to win. It is much easier to do that when the customer wants you. That is why it is important to tell a story that makes the customer want you. It is not sufficient to merely fulfill their requirements or respond with what they asked for. In a competitive environment with a written RFP, you should assume that everyone will do that. It is not even sufficient to merely describe the benefits that you will bring to the customer. The benefits must add up to something that matters to the client. How you articulate this is your story. The question is: Can you articulate it? So going back to the blank page in front of you... Instead of writing until you stumble across your story, take a few moments to articulate the main points to yourself. Then follow the formula above, making sure the elements add up to your story. While most of your competitors will deliver a traditional descriptive proposal that puts the reader to sleep, yours will engage them in a dialog about the thing that matters most to them &mdash themselves.