Anyone involved in the electricity industry is well aware of the transformation ahead of them. An operating model that has worked the same way for over a hundred years is being disrupted by consumer adoption of behind the meter technologies. It’s one thing knowing this disruption is coming; it’s another knowing what to do about it. Should utilities act like a start-up and find the right partners to help them on their journey? Utilities thinking they can carry on doing everything themselves may be in for a nasty surprise.
Earlier this year, after having worked for Utilities for over fifteen years, I co-founded a start-up of my own. In the last few months, our focus has been on writing and publishing our first book. Despite having a great deal of experience in the Utility domain, we were entering a world that was new to us; we were going through our own transformation.
In the early months, my temptation was to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in, similar to Utilities who historically try to do everything themselves. There were so many outcomes that Phil, my business partner, and I had to deliver, most of which we knew nothing about so doing it ourselves was a high risk strategy. We opted to partner, connecting with talented people that were passionate, trustworthy and could deliver within our budget and to our deadlines.
When I look back at the experts I have surrounded myself with, I have a great business partner who provides mentoring and a brilliant coach who helps me focus on what’s important. We have subscription services to deal with tax, IT, accounting, and customer services. We use marketplace services to select people who can design our book cover and proofread its contents, and we use print-on-demand for book publishing and delivery services.
When you look at the front cover of our book, you would be forgiven for thinking this was the result of two people, who have leveraged their industry knowledge. The reality is, this book came about due to a transformation we have had to go through and embracing an extensive partner ecosystem. When it comes to Utilities, who are also going through a transformation, should they be acting like a start-up?
Contact me to find out how we can help you get the most from smart metering and demand response.
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