Jay Ballenberger is a Market Research Specialist at Bandana Research LLC, specializing in training, consulting, and coaching small business owners in conducting strategic market research.  With over a dozen years teaching people how to research better he has developed a deep understanding in collaborative research education.  A graduate of Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management, he holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Science and has since trained hundreds of Colorado small businesses to conduct market research.

Known for dynamic and engaging workshop sessions and one-on-one consulting, he has facilitated programs on industry research, customer research, competitor research, and conducting customer discovery interviews.  He most recently coordinated a team of market researchers through the Colorado Accelerated Growth Program for Market Research which guided over 80 growth-oriented small businesses through a 6-week intensive market research program dedicated to developing robust and actionable market strategies.  

Coming to market research work from the world of libraries, Jay takes a service-oriented and collaborative approach to his teaching and consulting.  As a fledgling small business owner himself, he understands how imperative it is to have a well thought out strategy for bringing a business idea to fruition.  He has worked for years to help researchers find the answers they need to make important decisions, and he especially enjoys working with bootstrapped small business owners in strategizing their best path forward.  

In addition to his professional pursuits, Jay loves dusty Western Slope mountain bike trails, glacial lakes above timberline, shows at Red Rocks, y le encanta aprender español.