The Untold, Ugly Truth Of How A 19 Year Old College Dropout Made Over $1 Million In Solar Commissions In Less Than 2 Years
I've never shared this before...
Yes, youβve seen the highlight reel of my success as a 23-year-old solar entrepreneur and coach to hundreds of solar pros, and yes my career has been an inspiration for many in the industry...
But what you havenβt seen is the raw, unfiltered, and real story of whatβs made me what I am today.
Why?
Itβs simple...
What Iβm about to share with you are some of the single most difficult moments of my life and itβs taken years for me to work up the courage to publicly share this with the solar community or anyone for that matter.
And the truth is, Iβve been telling a BIG lie...
Iβve been lying to myself, to members of my team, my family, and to the solar community.
Why?
Short answer: Ego
Long answer, I wanted to think that I was different, that I didn't have to go through what everyone else goes through, that I was βspecialβ, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The simple truth of my story is this...
Successful solar careers arenβt built upon highlight reels.
Theyβre built on sleepless nights, 60-hour workweeks, trips to the ER, panic attacks, going into debt, criticism from loved ones, going 6 months without a sale, and feeling hopeless at times.
In an industry and world thatβs constantly selling the βdreamβ and painting the picture of βIβm my own bossβ and βfreedomβ junkies, todayβs solar professional needs a wake-up call!
To have his/her expectations set straight by someone whoβs made almost every mistake you possibly can make and has continued to push past the pain until the only option remaining was success.
Itβs time YOU hear the truth on what it really takes to reach high levels of success in this industry.
NOT the highlight reel version meant to sell you the dream.
I hope as you listen to my full story that it helps, inspires, and gives hope to you or other solar pros that are going through the same things that I went through.
And I want you to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. That there's hope and a way out.
That you don't have to live a life of quiet desperation and suffer alone like I had to.
This video is completely uncensored, filled with the good, but more of the bad and ugly of my journey in solar sales. It's emotional, raw and real.
Here's a quick outline of my story in the video:
Why I dropped out of a prestigious college, left my dreams of becoming a professional jazz musician to begin selling solar at 19
The detailed story of my first 6 excruciating months of not being able to close a single deal in solar while living in my parents' basement
What it was like to be chastized, ridiculed and criticized daily by those closest to me (including my parents and family) and told to give up.
Why and how I ended up in the ER because of solar
And how I escaped, turned my entire life around, became what others deem a "success", and began closing 30+ deals a month
If you don't watch the video, I just want to let you know to keep pushing, keep fighting and that there is hope, even if everyone around you doesn't think so.
You aren't here to be accepted, but the exception. You can't lose if you never give up.
You've got this.
- James
P.S. If any of this resonated with you, all I ask is that you share this podcast with another solar pro and let me know in the comments what specific part did.
Iβll be happy to answer any questions you might have too.
The SOLARPRENEUR podcast is here to help you close more deals in the solar industry, generate more leads and referrals, and hopefully, have a much better time and situation.