What a year it's been

Well what a year it’s been. And how much has changed for me: I’m no longer a journalist, I’m a CEO and research director; Greenbang is a research and advisory company on smart grid and sustainability; and we’ve got a few more faces on the team.

We’ve run projects with Cisco, Siemens, IBM, Kyocera and some other big brands I’m not allowed to mention yet. We’ve helped investment companies and smaller companies reach their next goals. And we now know the company that makes the best-tasting coffee and which takes sustainability to heart. (They aren’t the same brands 😉 )

In the sustainability market a lot more has changed. We’ve seen a real shift in focus from worry over carbon markets to investments in much more tangible projects such as smart metering, city infrastructure and resource cycles.

The payback on these projects is fairly easy to predict, especially with the number of carbon-reduction and energy-efficiency mandates in place in large cities now.

To be honest, I had no idea (as no one else did) about how 2010 was going to pan out. As the guys over at 37 Signals say, “Planning is guessing.”

When I started Greenbang it was to be my notepad to track as much activity in green business (as it was called then) as I could. Not many people know, but at the same time companies have hired me as a primary consultant to help them to achieve their goals in messaging, media strategy, sustainability, marketing, market position and product communication.

Everything I earned on Greenbang went back into the business until it was ready serve up properly. I had to wait until I’d tested the consulting methodologies and research ideas so they were effective and brought ROI to our customers.

And today they are.

So if you go to the site, you’ll now see we have three areas of business:

1 – Advisory. If you operate in any sustainability market, our Greenbang Message program can help to improve your market position.

2 – Research. In the summer we launched our e-commerce area that sells our reports. This year, we’ve been busy on smart grid, sustainable business plans and attitudes towards carbon. Next year, we’ll also be breaking up future reports into smaller chunks you can buy — and our range of reports will delve into more niche markets.

3 – Greenbang Insight. Our award-winning blog that we’ve worked on day and night to make one of the world’s best knowledge resources on sustainability. From this we have made friends with readers, customers and people who come to our amazing parties.

So from now on, you’ll be hearing more from me and the team on what we’re seeing in markets. You’ll be hearing about leading business strategies and how to deal with economic problems. And if you’re a Greenbang reader, you’re already a thought leader — so give yourself a Christmas pat on the back for being so fast to the punch.

All the best,
Dan