Saturday, February 21, 2009

Village Energy Inc.

I'm sorry I have not been posting much lately. I have been working very hard on the new company that Ryan and I are trying to launch, Village Energy Inc.. For the last two weeks, since he got back in town, we have been really working hard to get our business plans in order and begin the process of seeking investors.

One of the tasks I have been doing is to create a new website for the company. Please take a look and tell me what you think. I need feedback. As you view it, think about what a potential investor would think of it. Does it communicate professionalism? Does it seem like we know what we're doing? Do we seem fake, pretentious, or overconfident? Are we confident enough?

Here it is: www.VillageEnergyInc.com.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Nicely divided - an interested reader can go where they want to. A bit wordy in a few areas - but not sure how to change that as much of the info is needed! I just know the "short attention-span" generation. I love it! Can't wait to see Ryan down here! Let us know if we can help out from down here!

Thistlerose said...

Fantastic:
- Navigation/site organization
- Search feature
- Emphasis in bios on experience
- Clear mission statement

I just have a few suggestions:

Design:
- I have a screen that is 12" wide, and the text from the main text box stretches across 10 inches of it. Narrowing that box a couple inches would make it easier to read.
- Principals Page: It might inspire confidence in investors to see you guys both in your grubbies in the tropics, and in business attire/environment.
- You need a memorable logo that can be printed on letterhead and in black-and-white.
- If "People, profit, planet - a triple bottom line." is a main take-away message, you might put it in the heading with the logo/company name.
- Nothing in the website world says "modern and professional" these days more than Flash.

Misc:
- More info on the business-in-a-box would help would-be investors see how this will give them returns.
- A case study/success story would be awesome.

ORANGEHOUSE said...

Thanks for your feedback! Good suggestions. We'll be updating and refining more soon.

Chaos-Jamie said...

The main thing I see is lack of where the return is for the investors (as thistlerose said). If they are what you are currently after, make that obvious. They get shares off the electricity produced?

Can the local people afford the electricity? I'm assuming so, but if what you're used to using is free wood, paying for power could be painful. I'm sure you plan well to make that an unrealistic question.

My husband is a perpetual business starter by breed and ChemE by training. This company fascinates me. If only one of our companies was over-the-top successful I'd be trying to invest! Right now we just keep food on the table. ;) Here's to success for the both of us!