Start-up: Taking the leap

“Start-up renewable energy in town?” I heard, and in the blink of an eye, I rose my hand. Too many questions in mind. How? Where? When? How do you start a brand-new renewable energy company from scratch in this era? It turns out that Portland has a healthy ecosystem of renewable energy companies. It is easier than in other cities for new energy companies to establish new business relationships, procure O&M services, and get the right expertise when the market exists. And yes, friendly tax policies provide a much-needed boost.   

Due to Percipio’s vast network, we were able to quickly move our salesforce, present the firm’s service offerings, and lay out how we could support this new organization. Several months later I found myself with my colleague, Matt Waldman, leading the client through their 3-year IT Strategy Roadmap. The audience; the company’s C-suite leadership team. Filled with excitement, and confident yet nervous, we walked them step-by-step on how an IT Roadmap is developed. From documenting the company’s vision and business strategy to mapping their most relevant business capabilities. In 10 weeks, we created the 3-year IT Roadmap and their Enterprise cloud-based systems architecture.   

This was the first engagement where I had the chance to support a start-up company develop its vision on how to grow its nonexistent capabilities. A blank canvas was waiting for our brush. We took the leap to show that by effectively and efficiently using their current resources, scalable growth is achievable. We debated how simplicity can drive organic growth and allow for adaptability as the company scale augments. Our solution focused on:

  • Business capabilities that require a system to satisfy the growing business needs
  • Processes necessary to support these needs  
  • People required to enable these business areas 

Our focus on these three pillars offered a holistic view of the business and how systems can release the workload. Consequently, company resources can concentrate on how to continue to have sustainable growth in the main business areas.

Gerardo Torres-Castellano Manager | Percipio Consulting Group, Inc.