For Helen Joronen, her ‘lightbulb’ moment which led to the development of her business Greenkeeper Systems, came after the birth of her daughter in 2007 “I’m actually from a family of ‘Greenies’ and I’ve been getting the climate change message for the last 30 years, but until I held my princess in my arms the whole issue didn’t have real meaning to me, I had a need to do something to protect her future”.
After looking around for a business to buy, franchise or a product to distribute and having found nothing appealing, Helen went back to work after the Christmas holidays in 2008, and realised that all PCs, Laptops and Servers had been running since they’d gone to the pub on December 22nd. “And that was my ‘lightbulb’ moment. A little bit of research and I’d worked out we’d chewed through 157kg of carbon over the holidays, then I started to realise the global scale of the problem, and off we went” says Helen.
After spending five months working on an initial concept Helen then brought in the first architect who worked on the application, and wanted to focus very heavily on user acceptance of the product. “There’s research out there to say that 39% of people who have used a power management application have asked for it to be removed because it’s interfering with their work flow. So we took a completely different approach to all our competitors and instead of giving one big ‘On/Off’ switch we give the user complete control of the application” Helen says. And it’s not just businesses Greenkeeper Systems can help “the average home PC is using at least $100 of power when you are not sitting at it, so why not put that extra $100 back in your pocket.”
Helens first contact with Grow Wellington was 18 months ago when she met the Clean Technology
Centre of Excellence Manager, Steven Finlay, “From that point on I’ve had the full support of Grow Wellington on every aspect of developing the business, from market research and growth, development, to networking and business development opportunities. It’s like having a corporate services department and generally it’s my first port of call when I have a question” says Helen.
Greenkeeper Systems then joined the
Clean Technology Centre in Otaki which was established by Grow Wellington in 2010. “The Centre gives us a network of peers who ‘get it’ - and whilst that doesn’t put dollars in the bank, there is something reassuring about a group of trusted allies, with complementary businesses all of whom have the same goal” Helen says, “Within the Clean Tech Centre we’re all battling to change behaviours, all introducing new and in some cases disruptive technologies, and it’s not an easy thing to do. This is a business transformation group where we are all actively looking at ways to safeguard the planet. Some of New Zealand’s major success stories will come from this team of crazy Ggeen entrepreneurs!” says Helen.
Helen entered the 2011 Bright Ideas Challenge and in November walked away with $25,000 seed capital having been recognised as the overall brightest idea from the challenge.
“Winning Bright Ideas - well that’s like a dream come true. The seed capital will have a dramatic impact on the bottom line, and we’re looking forward to returning next year to challenge the entrants to do better than we have!”
Greenkeeper Systems have also been a finalist in the Global Entrepreneurship Week Clean Tech Open, the Westpac/Chamber Business Awards for both Sustainability and Innovation, and have partnered with Genesis Energy in the
Smart Savers advertising campaign.
Helen is now starting to expand Greenkeeper Systems overseas with distributors in 14 countries but says “Starting any new venture is difficult but growing in the green space is undoubtedly more difficult. People are still not ‘getting it’ - the global financial crisis moved people’s focus from the environment to the bottom line. And in many cases people are waiting for changes in legislation or consumer behaviour. But you can’t just do that, you’ve got to get out there and shake people up with your message”.
What’s next for Helen and Greenkeeper Systems? “At this point in our life cycle, speed to market is our number one priority. Investment in smart social media campaigns, PR and marketing to our current prospects - these are all activities which will turn into revenue and accelerate growth. Our technology is ready after four years of hard work - now the focus is to sell, sell, sell!” says Helen.