-
-
Green Light Distrikt
Green Light Distrikt is about entrepreneurship focused on the cleantech sector. Edited by Chris Williams with frequent guest posts from friends, experts and industry insiders from clusters across the globe. Our goal is to provide a place where cleantech entrepreneurs in various clusters across the globe can learn from one another. Green Light Distrikt is creating the "Hitchikers Guide to Clentech" to provide a resource for cleantech entrepreneurs. Read more
Subscribe
Entrepreneurship
April 18th, 2012
WORKSHOP: How to Make Money in Renewable Energy LIVE in Boston May 25th
TOPICS: BOSTON, Entrepreneurship
The seminar is for 4 specific groups
- Companies that are or want to be selling energy services to property owners and learn best practices for creating a rockstar sales machine.
- Companies that are developing new B2B products for renewable energy EPC contractors and need to get specific customer feedback, first sales, and access to distribution.
- Companies that need to build cleantech prototypes for investors or beta customers
- Companies that feel their future is in selling their services to the federal government
Here is who will be at the seminar and what they will be discussing.
Chris Williams – That’s me! I’ll be discussing best EPC best practices for creating new business, establish a referral business and making sure projects are profitable. The materials will be based from best practice research completed at HeatSpring. I’ll also be discussing what EPC contractors are looking for in terms of new products and service to help them with their business. This will be useful for companies looking to build products or services and sell directly to EPC contractors.
Ethan Labowitz – Ethan is the founder of the Boston Institute for Clean Energy Prototyping. He’s held workshops in the past and specializes in getting products built fast and much cheaper then private shops. If you need to build an actual physical product, Ethan is your man.
Ben Dunway - Ben is a former Air Force acquisition officer, and he has worked in the defense industry for ten years. Ben now runs bootcampus.com and teaches a course on selling clean energy to the government. He knows exactly how the Defense Department works and what cleantech companies need to do to be successful in the industry.
You can register here through HeatSpring for the event on May 25th.
Background and Demand for the Event
6 Months ago, I created a free HeatSpring course called “How to Make Money in the Renewable Energy Industry”. It’s been a huge success with over 400 attendees.
The basics of the course were 1) technology overview 2) industry dynamics and 3) where the opportunities are.
The training was made for two main groups 1) career changers looking to quickly understand the new market and who want to jumpstart their learning and 2) new and existing contracting companies looking to expand into renewable energy but that need help learning the skills they needed, certifications, licenses, and typical installed costs and profits for solar and geothermal projects.
The reason I’ve decided to do a live seminar is that the level of interaction and ability to answer more specific questions in detail is difficult. Also, a lot of the advice is very nuanced and depends on the situation of the specific person and company, which again is not suited for online material well.
Here’s what’s expected from attendees
We do not want attendee that are going to sit and listen the whole time. We want you to tell us about your business and product in details, and ask good questions so we can help you. We need questions to be asked, products to be displayed. The reason I chose the other instructors along with myself is that a lot of these areas overlap.
- We want a lot of questions to be asked
- We want to hear about the projects or products you’ve already created
- We want to help you make introductions and establish relationships with other participants and people in the industry that can help grow your company.
Here is specifically we all of us (me, Ethan and Ben) want to share with you.
- A technology overview. How solar PV, solar thermal and geothermal systems work. What is the basic design and installation concepts
- The skills a company needs to design and install these projects.
- Typical installed costs for these projects in New England and where you can buy equipment.
- The profile of the best customers for these services and best practices for profitable sales machines.
- Where is the opportunity for new products, tools and services for EPC contractors. What will EPC contractors PAY FOR that will help them with their business
- The most common mistakes companies make when prototyping cleantech products
- Best practices for prototyping
- The most common mistakes companies make when selling products to the federal government
- Why the federal government is the LARGEST customer in the US for renewable energy services
- What a company needs to do to successfully and profitable sell to the government
- An overview of the govt’ RFP process
If you have any questions about the event, please leave a comment below, or feel free to call me at 617 702 2676. And yes, I prefer phone over email.
You can register here through HeatSpring for the event on May 25th.
Leave a comment or question
December 8th, 2011
NYC GLD Meetup: How can we Create Profitable, Easy to Test, and Cash Flow Positive Businesses Focused on Cleantech?
TOPICS: Entrepreneurship, NEW YORK
The renewable energy and cleantech industries need to be making more money. This might seem like a simple observation, but I don’t think it’s talked about as much as it should be within our industry. I certainly do not hear it enough.
In order to help facilitate this process, I’m creating a meetup in NYC for entrepreneurs looking to build companies and make money in the renewable energy industry. Read below for the backstory, meetup details, types of opportunities we’re look at and the types of individuals who will be at the meetup.
November 28th, 2011
Reincarnating “Skunk Works” approach in Cleantech
TOPICS: Business Insights, Entrepreneurship, London
1943, is the year in which the antecedents of Lockheed Martin’s “Skunkworks” can be found. Since those early days the famous division has produced famous planes such as the U2 and the Blackbird. These tremendously innovative projects were all founded upon the idea of small, unconventional teams of engineers and innovators operating in a large corporation.
The ground breaking innovators in the “Skunkworks” were shielded as if working in start-up firm, isolating them from bureaucratic interference. Considering their main customer was the government, this was a huge and extremely effective achievement.
July 25th, 2011
Stop Marketing the “Good for the Environment” Benefit
TOPICS: Business Insights, Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Last week I had the pleasure to drive the Chevy Volt for the first time (and let me tell you, it’s fun to drive). The owner was an early adopter, but doesn’t have the psychographic profile that you would assume: he’s not an environmentalist, he’s not particularly concerned with escalating gas prices, and he’s not typically an early adopter. He simply hates the inconvenience of going to the gas station. In fact, he hasn’t been to the gas station in eight weeks, or 1,500 miles. Not bad considering that the Volt (MSRP $37,780 before rebates) battery can only take you 50 miles on battery-only range or 375-miles with the gas generator. In contrast, the Toyota Prius (MSRP $23,050 before rebates), the most fuel-efficient sedan available, can take you 571 miles on a tank of gas, but you eventually have to go to a gas station.
This scenario offers insight into what marketers have known forever but that businesses have generally failed to convey when selling green products and services: that consumers buy things that benefit them directly, such as cost effectiveness, convenience, health and safety. Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more. + Continue Reading
June 28th, 2011
Kickstarter: The New Way to Innovate and Produce Clean Energy Products
NEW YORK -As Michael Shimazu boasted at “The Value of a Negawatt” panel in May, the number of VC deals in energy efficiency in the US is projected to double to more than 70 in 2011, continuing an upward trend that began in 2008. This is cause for optimism for businesses – yet what happens to individuals that want to make a clean energy product but don’t have the start-up capital or marketing power to do so? Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.
