Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Solano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Exiting from a previous business partnership that wasn’t going as planned was incredibly scary. More on that journey a little later – let’s kick it off on a positive note.

I was left wondering how I’d begin to rebuild on my own. However, I was touched when four of the top talent from Old Co. decided to step out with me, also encouraged to build a company based off of the moral high ground. It was at that moment that I knew I wasn’t alone. With the help of innovative thinkers and a new business partner, Gustavo Panosso, with whom I aligned whole-heartedly in our want to create a company that was based on love, truth and shining a light on best practices, Solcium Solar was created in my living room with a core team of six.

Partnerships are a key element in Solcium Solar’s success, so it is no surprise that we leaned into our relationship equity to bring on two additional members to the core leadership team. We wanted to create a culture that mirrored a family unit, so recruiting those who we already trusted and could both personally and professionally vouch for came naturally. The hiring of those we held dear is unconventional and can be risky – but so is starting a business. By entrusting our success to those who are genuinely invested in our success, Solcium Solar took off running and was quickly on the path to become a rising star in the solar industry.

Since the development of the core advisory board and leadership team, our recruitment efforts have relied heavily on personality versus professional knowledge. You can teach an honest person about solar sales but you can’t always teach an industry saturated person honesty. Unfortunately, the industry has gained the “used car salesman” reputation for a reason. Solcium Solar is dedicated to undoing the stereotype and building our success on our standing as the “good guys” in solar.

Knowing the importance of developing a team that is invested in your mission of becoming the solar company known for empowering their clients, partners and employees, we made our resources available to strengthen the local workforce through partnerships with local technical schools, colleges, and nonprofits that focus on career guidance and professional development.

Within the first year of development, we took it upon ourselves to seek out partnerships that would support the hiring of veterans. Now an approved employer for the United States Chamber of Commerce, Solcium participates in hiring programs such as Solar Ready Vets and Hiring Our Heroes.

Workforce recruitment and team building is always the toughest part of building a business because you can’t predict the outcomes. It is the part of the process that requires you to lean in with love and hope. We want Solcium Solar to be a place where all of our family members feel appreciated and believed in as an individual and professional. Solcium offers their team members responsible time off, full benefits, professional coaches and development opportunities as well as financial planning consultation.

We believe the culture at Solcium Solar attracts the industry’s top-notch talent, which in turn raises Solcium Solar to our bright standards.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After a successful tenure in higher education, the passing of an environmental bill caught my eye and prompted a path change. I started my career in renewable energy with a fruitful stint at Tesla followed by a promising stint at the largest solar company in the nation, quickly rising to be a top producer in both positions. The opportunity to weave throughout the inner workings of both organizations allowed me an intimate understanding of what worked well and what had room for improvement.

We built Solcium Solar off of this knowledge – sculpting the organization to be different from our competitors in that we focus on partnerships and empowerment. As a customer, are you going to feel more confident in aligning with a company that offers you choices and knowledge or would you choose to go with a company that tells you what you should do with a side of bias?

At Solcium Solar, we are committed to offering our clients unbiased education so they are empowered to make the decisions based on their own needs, not ours. We take the time to get to know each other, individual goals and needs, and concerns – talking through the process together and encouraging further exploration. We leave the aggressive sales tactics behind and focus on building a partnership to nurture throughout their solar journey.

I’m so incredibly proud of the work that Solcium is doing to supersede their competitors so early in our history. Recently, Solcium Solar was named a GrowFL’s Companies to Watch in 2022, as well as being awarded Best Large Business in Seminole County, and placing on Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractor Nationwide and Statewide (FL) list for 2022.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

After an empowering career change from education to energy, my entrepreneurship candle was emblazoned by my vision to build something based on truth and integrity, leading me to launch a solar company that quickly rose to be one of the top in Florida; however, a mis-aligned business partnership impeded what could’ve been and I parted ways with the organization.

Two months after dissolving my share in what we collectively call “Old Co.”, I sat in my living room with a core team of people who believed in me as much as I believed in sticking to the higher ground, and it was then that Solcium Solar was born.

It was incredibly intimidating having that many people’s futures on your shoulders; however, looking around the table, I knew that this was it… this was the destination that the entire journey pointed me to. By remaining steadfast in my vision, morals and standards, I gained the confidence to know when to walk away from just a profit in exchange for genuine prosperity in the form of truth, love and peace.

I love the Winston Churchill quote, “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” My advice would be: don’t settle and don’t lose yourself in the process. Staying true to yourself will bring people and opportunities that will be true to you.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A year in, Solcium faced legislation that would crush the solar industry in Florida. Solcium knew the importance of advocacy and offered their services to a national advocacy group. Solcium stepped into the opportunity to advocate at the State Capitol, speaking on behalf of entrepreneurs and consumers.
While the fight for renewable energy started, Solcium began looking at pivoting, should the legislation pass, including new markets and battery backup solutions. This led to Solcium becoming a certified Tesla Solar Installer – an accreditation reserved for a select group of installers – an incredible milestone for a young company.

Solcium also brought on a Business Intelligence and Market Research Department from start-up in order to properly build a fully integrated infrastructure right from the start, constructing processes with scalability and growth in mind. Teams of this magnitude are typically developed in more mature organizations but Solcium recognized the importance of focusing on automation and scale-up from the ground up. This team is responsible for automation, analytics and other crucial platforms that allow the entire organization to succeed.

In the midst of start up, Solcium found themselves entering the commercial sector much faster than most solar companies would dare. In less than a year into business, Solcium signed three large-scale commercial projects – all secured through relational equity and community relations. Community was woven into every stitch of Solcium’s corporate seams. Where most companies wait until there is a huge operating margin to get involved with sponsorships, Solcium supported their community from day one.

Within their first year, Solcium supported local nonprofit Sanford Porchfest, which funds youth art programming and college scholarships, with more than $5,000 in donations to date. Solcium has been the presenting sponsor for the Sanford Porchfest 2021 and 2022 fundraising gala as well as a main sponsor for the 2022 festival.

Solcium has also volunteered their time and resources to lead an eco-initiatives committee alongside the City of Sanford, developed a community panel presentation focused on the importance of preserving historic buildings while protecting the future generations, as well as taken supporting various fundraising events such as the Historic Trust Tour of Homes, Sofa N’ Suds Race, and Pints N’ Paws.

The largest support of the community came from their launch of the Small Business Partnership Program which offered a small free solar system to their fellow entrepreneurs, as a show of appreciation for the small business owners who shaped the small town of Sanford, FL.This extension of gratitude led to several prominent partnerships.

By focusing on being the change we wish to see in the industry, Solcium Solar continues to funnel their energy into the change makers, staying aligned with the betterment and enhancement of our organization. I think that is the key to Solcium Solar’s resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.solciumsolar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solciumsolar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solciumsolar/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solciumsolar