Address: 1703 Chestnut St., Dallas, TX 75226
Host: Eddie
http://www.recyclerevolutiondallas.com/
Our second stop of the day was Recycle Revolution in Dallas. Recycle Revolution is a small business owned by the passionate and sneakily business-savvy Eddie. Recycle Revolution is a labor-of-love dedicated to reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills while building awareness of the 'Recycle Revolution' brand and ideal that we should produce less waste. They will recycle almost anything they possibly can, including items such as styrofoam that probably actually cost the business money to process. Recycle Revolution is competing against much bigger competitors in the industry but they seem to be carving out a unique nitch and have been in business since 2007. 
Recycling is something I believe in whenever it is possible and economically feasible, however there weren't a lot of direct correlations between the recycling business and what I hope to accomplish in the real estate industry. The trip was still valuable from a professional development perspective because of our conversations with Eddie. Eddie is a passionate guy who is focused on improving our environment, but he is also a good small business owner for a lot of reasons. He is a good long-term focused, visionary leader who understands what he would like to accomplish for his business. He also understands that ideas are only as good as how well you implement them, which is a basic principle that often gets forgotten I enjoyed seeing his roundtable white-board approach to creativity and brainstorming. I can honestly say that I ordered a new whiteboard as a result of our trip. Seeing all of these effective leadership principles in action at a small business was impressive.
Eddie's passion for his business was contagious. Spending time with him made me excited about their future plans and growth opportunities. In my career, I frequently reference The Hedgehog Concept that is introduced my Jim Collins in Good to Great. Collins argues that in order to reach your full business potential, you must understand the merger of the three circles: what drives your economic engine, what you can be the best in the world at, and what you are deeply passionate. I can't really comment on Recycle Revolution's economics or skills at their trade, but I know without a doubt that Eddie has started a business in an area where he is deeply passionate. It was inspiring to me to see the Hedgehog Concept in action and to interact with someone who took the leap of faith by starting a business within his area of passion.
I could spout off some interesting recycling facts that I jotted down (styrofoam is the worst product by far, glass fetches $10 per TON, hard stock paper is the gold of recycling, etc. etc.), but the more important lessons were related to leadership and faith in your skills and passions. I have no doubts that Edie will be successful in his business pursuits because he is following the path of the Hedgehog.
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