Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Solarpreneur Podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level.
Speaker: My name is Taylor Armstrong.
Speaker: I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in a year and cracking the code on why sales reps fell.
Speaker: I teach you how to avoid the mistakes I made and bring in the top solar dogs of the industry to let you in on the secrets of generating more leads, falling up like a pro and closing more deals.
Speaker: What is a solopreneur, you might ask?
Speaker: A solopreneur is a new breed of solopro that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve mastery, and you are about to become one.
Speaker: Yo, what's going on, solopreneurs?
Speaker: Today, we're going to be talking about why you should think like an entrepreneur in solar cells.
Speaker: You probably get the idea that we're going to talk about that occasionally because the podcast is called Solarpreneur.
Speaker: I think it's been a minute since we've talked about why we need to be solarpreneurs.
Speaker: So we're going to talk about it again.
Speaker: I'm actually having a guest on the next episode who is quite the entrepreneur.
Speaker: He is in solar still, but he also runs a construction company.
Speaker: He started a successful supplement company.
Speaker: His name is Dan Cranford.
Speaker: We're going to be hearing from him on the next podcast.
Speaker: So I thought, what a good time to bring up the topic of being a solopreneur, an entrepreneur again.
Speaker: So welcome to the podcast.
Speaker: If you're new, we give you a warm welcome.
Speaker: If you're returning, you get a warm welcome too.
Speaker: As usual, we are bringing you the heat every Tuesday and Friday.
Speaker: We are free and available on Apple, Spotify, iTunes, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker: And we are here to help you close more deals, generate more leads and referrals, and have a much better time in the solar industry.
Speaker: Hopefully you don't get sick of hearing that at the beginning of every episode.
Speaker: But hey, I like it.
Speaker: Remind you why we're here.
Speaker: Hey.
Speaker: Before we jump into the topic today, I wanted to give a quick shout out, quick thank you to a couple of recent reviews we've had on the podcast.
Speaker: And if you have not had the chance to leave us a review, you can do so.
Speaker: I think Spotify lets you now rate the podcast.
Speaker: As far as I know, Apple is the only platform where you can actually leave reviews.
Speaker: But we had one recently.
Speaker: This came from Joseph W. Crawford.
Speaker: It says, Solid boots on the ground advice.
Speaker: As a 10-year solar veteran, I've listened to a lot of podcasts, YouTube videos, read blogs, etc.
Speaker: Solar printers is one of the best I've come across.
Speaker: Whether you're brand new to solar like we all were once, or if you're a seasoned pro who's gotten a little disillusioned and needs a shot in the arm, or you're already knocking it out and just want to get to the next level, you'll get a solid real-time advice from individuals who are walking the talk every day.
Speaker: That's awesome.
Speaker: Love it.
Speaker: Joseph Crawford, thank you so much.
Speaker: Appreciate the kind words.
Speaker: Then we also had one from this Prezo Solar.
Speaker: He says, so worth a listen.
Speaker: I started in solar recently and have a one and a half hour drive to our weekly meetings.
Speaker: This podcast fills that time.
Speaker: Whether you want to work on your approach, pitch, handling the nose, close, start a solar business, or get perspective, this podcast provides great information.
Speaker: An inspiration at every step, I recommend it to anyone looking to jumpstart their new career.
Speaker: And Veterans for a Breath of Fresh Air, rock on Taylor.
Speaker: I will do that.
Speaker: Prezo Solar, thank you so much.
Speaker: That's truly what keeps the podcast going.
Speaker: I've heard a lot of comments.
Speaker: A lot of people listen to it on their drives, commutes.
Speaker: Some people that say they listen to it daily.
Speaker: I know we got a lot of episodes now.
Speaker: I don't know if I could listen to myself daily, so I appreciate you guys.
Speaker: That's what makes this podcast continue to go is from kind words like that's interviews.
Speaker: And I know there's some people that have critiques and all that, so I'll take those too.
Speaker: But whatever you think, would love to hear a review or, you know, comments or shoot me a DM or even sharing the podcast helps us grow.
Speaker: And yeah, that's what keeps the show going too.
Speaker: So let's jump into the topic today.
Speaker: We're going to be talking about why you should start thinking like an entrepreneur.
Speaker: Three things you can do.
Speaker: I like to break things down into just usually three, four points.
Speaker: Helps me keep clear on what I'm talking about.
Speaker: and keep organized.
Speaker: So if you notice, that's actually the format for a lot of the shows, especially the solo episodes I do where it's just me.
Speaker: So I try to organize it into like three takeaways, three things we're talking about.
Speaker: That's just how my brain works.
Speaker: So hopefully if you're listening, hopefully you like that format because that's what works for me.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: But the first thing you should do, okay, thinking like a solopreneur, thinking like an entrepreneur,
Speaker: What entrepreneurs do?
Speaker: They are constantly solving problems.
Speaker: You think any great entrepreneur, they're solving problems, right?
Speaker: sometimes problems we didn't even know we had.
Speaker: You think of Ford, right?
Speaker: You think of the guys who made cars, entrepreneurs who rolled out cars.
Speaker: Everyone was saying we need faster horses, but they brought a problem.
Speaker: I think it was Henry Ford who said, if I would have solved the problem people wanted, then I would have gotten a faster horse.
Speaker: I think I butchered that quote, but something along those lines, right?
Speaker: Should have looked up that quote before.
Speaker: Just came to the top of my head.
Speaker: But the point is we need to be solving problems constantly.
Speaker: Sometimes there's problems that people don't even know they have.
Speaker: And in solar, obviously we're solving the problem.
Speaker: of rising utility rates.
Speaker: We're solving the problem that people sometimes don't know they have with utilities.
Speaker: I'm surprised even in San Diego where I'm at, where the rates are extremely high, it's really surprising to me sometimes how many people don't know the major problems with the grid, with the infrastructure, with the rates constantly increasing.
Speaker: so i'm sure if it's a problem here in san diego it's probably a a big problem in other markets as well okay but on top of solving problems like that thinking like a solopreneur like an entrepreneur you need to think outside the box a lot of deals that i've closed looking back i would not have been able to close them without some creativity without some problem solving
Speaker: Hey, I had a deal last week where she called me to cancel it.
Speaker: I went back and this is topic for another day too about how to decrease cancels and save cancels.
Speaker: But she's asked, she's saying, oh, I've seen so many negative reviews.
Speaker: looked up your company, saw some review, and it's just the standard.
Speaker: We don't have more negative reviews than other companies.
Speaker: Times like that, you got to think, okay, what's she looking at?
Speaker: She's not looking at real people.
Speaker: So I start telling her, hey, if we can get you real people to talk to,
Speaker: Would you agree that that might be more beneficial, that might be more helpful talking to real people that have actually been on the program than just going off a few reviews?
Speaker: She agrees, and I'm sending her the reviews.
Speaker: Actually, just barely sent her one.
Speaker: Hey, that's not a major problem.
Speaker: You should be able to think like that, but any problem that comes up,
Speaker: Thinking like an entrepreneur, you got to think, how can I solve the problems?
Speaker: How can I prevent the cancellations?
Speaker: How can I increase referrals?
Speaker: Definitely a huge factor in being more like an entrepreneur.
Speaker: And so the second factor, the second thing you can do to think more like an entrepreneur is to truly value your time.
Speaker: And this is something that we have done podcasts on before.
Speaker: But the best thing I can suggest for this, for valuing your time, is to figure out what is your hourly worth.
Speaker: So many people I talk to, they don't know what their hourly worth is in solar.
Speaker: They make these huge commission checks, but they have no idea how long they actually worked to make that commission check.
Speaker: So if you have not done this already, you should track your time for a week, two weeks, however long you want to do it.
Speaker: But figure out how many deals did I close?
Speaker: What am I making on that?
Speaker: How many hours did I work?
Speaker: How many hours was I knocking?
Speaker: How many hours was I...
Speaker: in appointments.
Speaker: And by doing that, you can figure out your hourly worth.
Speaker: So giving you example, yeah, here in San Diego, it takes me typically, if I'm knocking by myself, I'll say 15 to 20 hours of knocking to get a cell.
Speaker: Not the world's greatest knocker door knocker.
Speaker: I'm sure some of you can go out and 10 hours get a cell.
Speaker: But for me, typically around 20 hours is I'm getting a cell, sometimes 15.
Speaker: And out here, average commission on a cell, I'd say it's about seven grand.
Speaker: Give or take average commission.
Speaker: Hey, so if you break it down like that, 20 hours, one cell.
Speaker: And then right now I'm getting about 75% will go to install.
Speaker: Hey, I'd say that's what it's for me.
Speaker: And I'm doing this right.
Speaker: I'm going sort off the numbers for the past couple months.
Speaker: So if you really want to be exact, you could go...
Speaker: break it down to the extreme.
Speaker: You go off a whole year of data.
Speaker: So I'm not going off like a whole year of data, but I'm going off just, you know, ballpark numbers for the past couple months.
Speaker: Hey, and then so if you think 20 hours, one sell.
Speaker: So in a month,
Speaker: If I want to get four sales, I need to be working 20 hours or working 80 hours, right?
Speaker: Because 80 divided by 4, 20, okay?
Speaker: And then if 75% is actually getting fulfilled, is actually going to install, then that means I am making, let's see, doing the math here.
Speaker: So 7,000 times 3, that's 21,000 a month.
Speaker: Divide that by 80 hours that it took me.
Speaker: That comes down to about $262.
Speaker: Call it $250.
Speaker: That means my hourly rate is about $250 an hour.
Speaker: Which is pretty astonishing if you look at that.
Speaker: Some guys are doing way better than this, right?
Speaker: But you look at that, you go type in jobs for 250 bucks an hour.
Speaker: I did this just to see what came up.
Speaker: But the first like six jobs I see on here, it's anesthesiology physician, orthopedic adult reconstruction surgeon, physician radiology, maternal fetal medicine physician, otarlaginologist, I don't even know how to say that, physician.
Speaker: Okay, neurology physician, general surgery, reproductive endocrinologist.
Speaker: So those are jobs that you're making $250 an hour.
Speaker: How does it feel that we're in the same classes, surgeons, doctors, people that have been to school like eight years, 10 years plus, you know, all the debt they got to go in?
Speaker: Pretty cool.
Speaker: Okay, so that's a good exercise to take your teams through.
Speaker: If you're running a team, break the math down for them.
Speaker: Cause I think that's really inspiring, really motivating for me to think, okay, every time I'm out there knocking doors, get my teeth kicked in, I'm getting paid for notes.
Speaker: Now I'm making 250 bucks an hour as I'm out here.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So pretty cool.
Speaker: And maybe yours is less, but anyone knocking doors, you should not be making less than at least a hundred, 150 bucks an hour.
Speaker: Everyone should be doing that.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So that's number two and just something to consider as you're valuing your time.
Speaker: What can you outsource?
Speaker: The tasks you're doing, are you doing tasks that someone else can do that doesn't make $250 an hour?
Speaker: Remember, you're a high-value person.
Speaker: So one of my mentors told me, one of my coaches that I'm working with, he says, never do a task yourself that you can delegate.
Speaker: Never delegate a task that you can automate.
Speaker: And never automate a task that you can eliminate altogether.
Speaker: I'm going to say that one more time.
Speaker: Pretty cool.
Speaker: Never do a task yourself that you can delegate.
Speaker: Never delegate a task that you can automate and never automate a task that you can eliminate altogether.
Speaker: So for you and your business, okay, what can you delegate?
Speaker: And before you even delegate, what can you automate?
Speaker: Can you set up systems?
Speaker: Do you have a CRM?
Speaker: Can you automate emails?
Speaker: Can you automate follow-up?
Speaker: Can you delegate a lot of that stuff?
Speaker: The top guys, they are delegating, they're automating things.
Speaker: So you should be a top guy.
Speaker: You should be doing it as well.
Speaker: And you should be valuing your time and knowing what you're worth.
Speaker: That's point number two.
Speaker: And then last but not least, make sure you fully commit to your purpose.
Speaker: As I was doing some research for this podcast, I found a good article on Forbes.
Speaker: They're just talking about being an entrepreneur and things you should think about if you want to be an entrepreneur.
Speaker: And so I stole a little bit of this from that article.
Speaker: But I thought they said it pretty well here.
Speaker: The Forbes article, it says the most effective entrepreneurs don't flit around.
Speaker: They're not overlooking their calling because they've gotten tangled up in a side project.
Speaker: They're not making quick bucks or random opportunism.
Speaker: They're committed and tunnel visioned and they're in it for the long haul.
Speaker: They take pride in their longevity and leave at exactly the right time.
Speaker: Perhaps they took years to decide, but when they do, they're all in.
Speaker: No job offer could tempt them and there's nowhere else they'd rather be.
Speaker: They can spot fleeting distractions a mile off and they steer well clear.
Speaker: Think like an entrepreneur by getting in deep.
Speaker: No hedging bets.
Speaker: No second guesses.
Speaker: Just focused and intentional commitment to a cause.
Speaker: But for you, are you fully bought in?
Speaker: Hey, the two best books that I always recommend to people are Grant Cardone.
Speaker: I think he's, I mean, he's all about this.
Speaker: You know, Grant Cardone.
Speaker: But 10X rule by Grant Cardone, be obsessed or be average.
Speaker: Really, the people that crush it in solar and whatever doing, they're obsessed.
Speaker: They eat, sleep, and breathe solar.
Speaker: I look at some guys in my own office here in San Diego, and they're literally, it's solar 24-7.
Speaker: When they're not knocking doors, they're thinking about it nonstop.
Speaker: They're thinking, how can they improve their processes?
Speaker: How can they be in front of their customers more?
Speaker: Even when they're driving, I had Jack Pastrana, one of her, I'm going to get him on the podcast soon, but Jack that I work with down here, Jack Pastrana in San Diego, 100 installs on the year, really solid dude, making over a million a year.
Speaker: But he says even as he's driving, you know, on Sundays, taking his wife on dates, hanging with the family, he's constantly looking for areas to canvas to go to hockey, he'll drive by some
Speaker: Good group of houses he's never hit before.
Speaker: Like, oh, that looks good.
Speaker: Napoleon, hey, baby, hold on a second.
Speaker: Let me go check out these homes.
Speaker: So I thought that was cool.
Speaker: It's like he is obsessed with this job and you should be too if you want to make the money you deserve.
Speaker: We are in the golden era.
Speaker: Hey, you don't want to be the person looking back three years from now, four years from now saying, I wish I would have pushed harder.
Speaker: I wish I would have been obsessed back then.
Speaker: Because trust me, commissions aren't going to be this great forever.
Speaker: Solar is not going to be as good as good as it is right now.
Speaker: So you should go all in.
Speaker: Okay, so that's the podcast today.
Speaker: Number one, I'm already forgetting my points.
Speaker: Number one, constantly solve problems, look for constant for problems to solve.
Speaker: Number two, value your time, figure out your net worth, figure out ways you can delegate and outsource.
Speaker: And number three, fully commit to your purpose, be 100% bought in, be obsessed, or be average.
Speaker: So I hope you crushed it this week.
Speaker: I hope you get yourself bought in to solar, to the solar opportunity.
Speaker: And next podcast, we're going to hear from someone that is doing incredible things, great entrepreneur, started a supplement business, has his own solar dealer, construction company.
Speaker: just dominating in so many different areas of life.
Speaker: So Dan Cranford, he's coming on the next one.
Speaker: Don't miss out.
Speaker: We'll see you guys soon.
Speaker: Much love.
Speaker: Go kill it this week.
Speaker: What's up, solarpreneurs?
Speaker: Hope you enjoyed the episode.
Speaker: Before you run out and start selling more solar yourself, wanted to let you know about an exciting new cheat sheet we created specifically for you in mind.
Speaker: One of the top questions I get asked on Instagram, on Facebook, by our listeners is, Taylor, where should I start?
Speaker: What episodes should I listen to in the podcast?
Speaker: You got too many podcasts, man, because now we have over 200 episodes.
Speaker: So what we've done, we created the top 10 most downloaded, most listened to, and I would say widely accepted, most useful podcasts that we've done here on Solopreneur.
Speaker: We put them together all in one sheet so you can go, you can hit the ground running, especially if you're new, you do not want to not have this sheet.
Speaker: So go download it right now.
Speaker: It's going to be at top10.solarpreneurs.com.
Speaker: Again, that's top10, the number 10,.solarpreneurs.com.
Speaker: Don't forget the S on solarpreneurs.
Speaker: We will have that in the show notes.
Speaker: Go download it right now.
Speaker: And especially if you have not listened to them, go listen to them and you can re-listen to them.
Speaker: That's going to show you how.
Speaker: So go download it and we'll see you on the other side.
