In this episode of The Founder Podcast, host Chris Lee and his guest, Levi Ringo, sit down to discuss the early days of building Solgen from the ground up. They share colorful stories from the company's origins in Chris's home garage in rural Washington. Listeners get a first-hand look at the challenges of bootstrapping a solar installation business with no outside funding.
Chris and Levi reminisce about crazy experiences like taking on an ill-advised tree removal job and facing down a potential $1 million fine in their first year. They also celebrate the divine interventions that helped the fledgling company grow, from recruiting key early employees to securing a pivotal lease. Listeners learn how the founders' relentless vision and grit kept Solgen powered through adversity.
Fans of the show will enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at entrepreneurial grit in action. Business owners will gain valuable lessons in problem-solving, pivoting and building a successful startup culture from the ground floor.
With humor and honesty, Chris and Levi take listeners on the wild ride of the early days that established Solgen as an industry leader in solar energy.
Highlights:
"Your level of belief is the biggest limiting factor that's keeping you from networking to the top."
"I was just miserable. I just gotten out of like a failed sales venture. I was down I was living in my car for like six months at this time trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my life."
"I think it's really the power of living in the moment, right? Like, let me just take this thing, one bite at a time, because I'm gonna keep biting, right?"
Timestamps:
00:00: Introduction
08:45: Importance Of Culture
16:40: Energy Crisis
26:04: Early Mistakes
36:14: Solar Business Day To Day
41:39: Tree Removal
50:24: Managing Stress
1:10:16: Personal Growth
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