How did you get into the industry?
In 2016 I purchased solar for my home. I found it was one of the best purchases I had ever made, both financially and environmentally; it just felt good. So that’s when the journey began. I started looking more into the business of solar. My original partner had been in the industry for a while and was able to secure me a position with the very same company that sold me solar for my home. Long story short, we learned a lot from this experience and decided to start our own solar company in January of 2018.
What’s New in the Business or in the Franchise Model?
We have introduced so many different innovations just in the last 6 months. The most exciting include our recruiting efforts, online marketing, our online university, our CRM upgrade, as well our consistent upgrading and industry-leading products.
First and foremost is the topic of recruiting. We have teamed up with an organization that feeds us, qualified candidates, each and every week. As most know, the labor market is extremely competitive right now, so one of our challenges for growth has always been hiring. This team has made that a non-issue. We have essentially doubled in size in the last 6 months. This will be great for new franchisees to hit the ground running! Second, is our internet marketing company. This collaboration is recent, and the result is a sensational ROI. For every $1 we have spent, we have gotten more than $10 in profit! Insane numbers! This is also crucial for our new franchisees since leads can start flowing the day they open the doors! Third, is our online university. We are currently in the process of establishing an online university that will be available to all our current team, as well as all franchisees. It will cover everything! This will ensure that everyone is ready to sell solar quicker and more seamlessly than ever before. Fourth, is our CRM upgrade. We recently switched to a new CRM that greatly enhances our sales process and follow-up. It is essential for any good sales team to have a great follow-up, and that’s what this new system allows us to do. Lastly is our upgraded panels and inverters. We use an industry-leading 400 watt, black-on-black panel with emphasis on iq7+ inverters. This allows us to compete with anyone on the market and win! We also boast industry-leading financing options that are as low as .99% for 25 years with $0 out of pocket! These aforementioned changes have ushered us into our best year to date, and it’s not even close! We can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Where do you See Opportunities or Challenges for the Franchise/Business Moving Forward?
Exponential growth! The solar industry has grown an average of 42% per year for 2 decades, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing. That is why franchising, we believe, is the best way to expand as quickly as the market is expanding! Keeping us with this growth is the greatest opportunity but could also be the hardest challenge. We are dedicated to and excited about the challenge. I believe we have the best team we could possibly have and are ready to hit the ground running!
What is your Goal for the Business Moving Forward?
My goal is to have a large enough national footprint to generate leads by brand recognition alone. We expect to continue our stellar reputation in the solar business; our 5-star rankings on all review platforms. This will make us the household name for solar!
Talk to us About Training and Support, How Do You Deliver?
The training and support will start on day one and continue through franchisee maturity! To start, training will take place at our corporate headquarters in Millersville, Maryland. From there, the franchisee will have access to our online training. Both resources will ensure new franchisees are well versed enough to start selling solar by themselves. In addition, we will also be sending out members of our team for on-site training at the new office location to guarantee the new franchisee is ready and able to close deals from day one. Lastly, we will have consistent contact to make sure every franchisee is confident, and always has the support they need to be successful.
Your most difficult moment in the Franchise Business?
The most difficult moment I can recall is splitting from my original partner. It was extremely difficult since we had been good friends for a long time. The reason for the split was due to personal matters that were affecting our team and the business as a whole. It was by far the most difficult moment in this business, and probably in my professional career. I know for a fact that it was the right decision for the company, and we have since been growing faster than ever. Unfortunately, that didn’t make the moment or decision any less difficult at the time.
Define your Franchise Model:
A. Training and Support Model?
At corporate live training, online university and on-site. Franchisees’ success is our success, so our support of your business will be the same as the support we give to our own!
B. What is the Fee Structure?
$50k franchise fee 10% royalty from total sales commissions
D. Day in the life of a Franchisee?
As an owner/operator you will of course wear many hats. The larger the team you have, the more your day-to-day will change. For example, when I started this business, I was knocking on doors and lead-generating myself. I was also closing sales, running the back office, helping manage our installing partner, handling payroll, managing QuickBooks, and anything else you can think of. Today, my day to day is very different. I have team members that do all these daily activities for me. What my day consists of are big picture items. How to hire more staff, CRMs, digital advertising, and over-seeing my management team. That is my goal for every franchisee; to build their business to be self-sustaining so they can focus on the big picture. How do we really grow and blow last year’s numbers out of the water?!
Who is the Ideal Franchise Candidate?
The ideal franchisee would be someone with a strong sales background and good organizational skills. Either possess one of these skills or find a partner that does, but those skills must exist within your organization.
Success Stories and Failures with Franchisees?
None yet as we are just getting started with franchising.
What Goals Do You Have for the Franchise Model in the Future?
As I stated earlier. Our goal is to have a national footprint and be in all major markets. We will continue our exceptional ratings and make ourselves the household name for solar. As for franchising, I want it to be the best opportunity for franchising in the country! Best ROI and best overall experience! We take our guys on trips multiple times a year. We believe having fun is what makes this not feel so much like work. I want our franchisees to have that same experience.
For more information on the Solar-Verse franchise system, visit the corporate site: https://www.solar–versefranchise.com/