Verde Lifestyles spotlights green ethos in Metro Detroit

metromode, 10/8/2009

Danielle Brycz was bored at her day job when she decided she wanted something more. To her, more equals Verde Lifestyles, a new Metro Detroit-based start-up.

"It's more of a creative outlet," says Brycz, the co-owner and director of sales and marketing for Verde Lifestyles.

Verde Lifestyles (verde is Spanish for the color green) focuses on advising people on how to live a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle. That can mean shrinking carbon footprints by purchasing green products made of recycled or renewable materials.

Brycz, a recent Michigan State University graduate, and her friend Ryan Forrest, who is about to graduate from Oakland University, started the website last year. Even though the business has a post office box in Royal Oak, Bryce lives in Dearborn and Forrest in Rochester Hills. They run the business virtually from wherever their laptops happen to be in Metro Detroit.

"We wanted something that could be somewhat automated, something that isn't attached to one location," Brycz says.

Right now the pair is concentrating on building up their brand name in Metro Detroit. The long-term plan is to create a national brand.

"I want this to be something that can replace or supplement my income," Brycz says. "I'd like to make it a part of my career."

Source: Danielle Brycz, the co-owner and director of sales and marketing for Verde Lifestyles
Writer: Jon Zemke

Rochester , Royal Oak , Dearborn