Showing up is half the battle.

“Wow, 500! How did you do it, Nico?”

Seems a lot of folks had this question on their mind as the date drew nearer to hit this milestone on the pod.

And, when I asked you listeners “what can I do that’s special for Episode 500?”, time and time again I got a common reply, “Have someone interview you, Nico! We want to know what you’ve learned!”

The answer to “How I got here” is really boring and simple. One foot in front of the other, following my intuition, and reaching out to every hero, founder, leader who inspired me in the solar industry.

It’s the tried and true formula for consistent progress that Most (all?) of the over 400 entrepreneurs & Executives interviewed on SunCast have “revealed” over the years.

Only ONE thing trumps (or compliments) Luck in the formula for success, and that is CONSISTENCY!

Persistence. Sweat. Late Nights. Stretching what you believe you can do. And, for me, deciding each and every week to Press Record (and so, so much more that actually goes into bringing these episodes to life)! Consistency is a muscle and you have to decide you will do whatever “it” is, just like exercise, every single day.

But the truth is, I have not always had this character trait of consistent action towards a goal. In fact, I was told I would fail in the beginning by people who, well-meaning, recognized that I had never been this consistent in anything. Little did they know, they motivated me to do the one thing that they believed I was incapable of, publish a podcast every single week. Now, we publish 2. Soon, it will be even more. As they say, Hug your haters…let them inspire you.

All along, this quote inspired me:

“Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.”

— James Cook

I set my sights on 500 episodes…7 years later, here we are.

And now, WHO should be that trusted guide in an interview meant to tease out my lessons learned (and origin story) along the way? Afterall, in Episode 100, I already brought in the Mega-connector and solar industry maven, Scott “Sully” Sullivan to help me tell my origin story.

So, this time, I decided to turn to the all-time most-listened-to SunCast guest (and an excellent & insightful solar industry CEO), Andy Klump, founder/CEO of Clean Energy Associates.

In today’s episode, Andy turns the mic, and the interview draws out some of my most deeply held beliefs, most strongly anchored memories, and stories I have never told before on this or any other stage.

Tune in to hear more about my origin story (skip the first 30min if you don’t care about that! haha), what I’ve learned from 500 episodes, and where we go from here.

I hope SunCast has inspired you thus far.

I’d love to hear what were some of your favorite stories? Who did you meet or come to admire/appreciate #BecauseOfSunCast??

We are on this journey together. This show has become my life, my livelihood, and my community.

Thank you for showing up, each and every time #SolarWarrior.

Because, truly, showing up is half the battle.

You’ll find links to connect with me and Andy and reference links to the things we discussed in the episode in the show notes over on the blog.

I’d also really love if you would Comment on today’s Linkedin post about the episode!

What were some of your favorite stories? Who did you meet or come to admire & appreciate #BecauseOfSunCast??

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

TIL 405: Counseling Unteachable Counselees (feat. Omri Miles)