A brief guide to starting your own solar installation company

A few weeks ago, we hosted an engaging and dynamic webinar on how to start a solar installation business or take your first steps toward scaling. Throughout, our CEO Lennie – who himself bootstrapped a successful solar installation company – offered valuable insights about building solid solar relationships, developing structured processes and building a powerful brand.

As an added perk for our webinar attendees, we fleshed out a 3-part whitepaper stock-full of actionable advice, additional reading and clear dos and don’ts. Here are some of the broader themes that popped up in that whitepaper, and some of the clever tips you can put into action today.

People and partnerships

• Building a team: solar growth attracts people of all stripes and sizes, so aim to build a team that aligns with your vision and has industry-recognized certifications under their belt.
• Key partnerships: for things to run smoothly, you need to build solid relationships with your entire supply chain – from supplier to financing partner.
• Flexible financing: picking the right financing partner requires meticulous research and comparison so you can find the rates, conditions and payout methods that suit your process best.

Processes and tools

• Numbers game: to get more work, you need to get more quotes out there – put more metaphorical lines in the water. Finding ways to automate and speed up the initial quoting process without compromising on quality and accuracy can have an important impact on your bottom line.
• Standardized efficiency: by testing and experiment with new, innovative ways of completing every step of your sales cycle, you’re constantly improving your process and keeping ahead of the curve. Aim for efficiency at every touchpoint to make a professional impression and leave extra time for growth.
• Strategic automation and accuracy: human error and forgetfulness are a real thing, and it can have a big impact on your resource allocation and cost per acquisition. By automating things like quote calculations and BOMs, you’re ensuring 100% accuracy and minimizing unnecessary delays.

Brand and identity

• Inform and empower: beyond selling homeowners a solar system, your job is to make them feel confident about their decision to go solar, and to go solar with you. Create and share helpful, informative content and aim for as much transparency as you can.
• Invest proper time, tools and thought: elements like name, logo, vision, marketing strategy and digital presence can make or break a new or small solar company. Before prospecting, leverage tools like Canva to create an attractive, engaging brand.
• Always aim for consistency: the best way to build trust is through consistency and reliability, so try to use the same language and aesthetic across every touchpoint.