In early 2011 I had emigrated to Canada in order to ride out the recession back in Ireland. As a recent graduate of carbon management, I took on a number of different roles (interning, temping etc) before working in sustainability. One of them was as a freelance copywriter, where I found myself writing ads for Canada's version of Groupon (I've already lost those under the age of 30!).

I had the luxury of anonymity then, but times must change, as they have since then.

This is the first blog post for Ecotell, the micro-agency I just founded. I had been mulling over what the first topic would be for quite some time, conveniently over analysing and focusing on other tasks to avoid first post anxiety. So enough waffling and I'll cut to the chase.

Below are some of the reasons why I set up Ecotell.

1. A focused voice
It's understandable to offer generalist agency services to every industry, especially in a country as small as Ireland. After all, I'm currently working on a freelance project in an entirely different industry as I pay the bills while setting up my agency! In the long run, however, I believe that I'll serve my customers better by going all in on a particular vertical: I'll understand their problems and needs better, and hopefully it's easier for them to discover and trust me.

2. It's an Industry of Interest and one I have a broader connection to
As I was weighing up some of the big hitting industries in Ireland, such as life sciences and fintech - both of which are doing great, I felt I needed to work in an area I have a connection to, both in terms of my professional background, skills and interest.

3. Its an industry that's thriving and critical at the same time
Growing up, solar seemed like something that was only viable in places like California or Spain, but despite our rainy and cloudy image, Ireland has the same solar irradiance levels as countries with a sunnier perception such as France and Germany. We have the potential to really shine (no pun intended) in this area, and while this country come a long way in the past 15 years, there is much more to do. Problems such as grid connectivity and capital costs still exist, but the momentum and need for energy independence is there.

And so it begins. I'll be in attendance at the the SEAI Energy Show this April where I hope to connect with Irish businesses to see what Ecotell might have to offer them.

Thank you for reading.

James