I’ve just made a modest investment in Triodos Renewables via the TrillionFund. This follows a smaller peer-to-peer loan to another renewables project I made earlier in the summer. My reasons are:

• I want to build an income stream in addition to my consultancy and invest for my and my family’s medium to long term future;
• I want to make that investment to be environmentally- and ethically-sound (or as sound as it reasonably could be);
• I want to do my bit for the renewables industry;
• If I don’t invest in green energy, how can I expect anybody else to do so?
• I now have some ‘skin in the game’. As with anything I have a monetary stake in, I will now take a lot more rigorous and objective interest in the topic – it’s no longer an academic subject to dip into as and when I feel like it.

This last point is very important for all of us. I often ask clients or potential clients the killer question “what’s your budget?” and usually get some stammering in reply.

No budget = no commitment.

When Sir Stuart Rose created Plan A at Marks & Spencer he gave it £200 million to get going – and didn’t expect to see a direct financial return on that investment. That is commitment.

Do you have skin in the game?