Behind the Funnel

Is the solar industry built on hype… or hard work? In this no-filter episode of Off the Grid on the Record, we sit down with Shawn Young — a true solar warrior who’s led teams, knocked doors, built businesses, and weathered every storm this industry could throw at him.

If you're in solar sales (or thinking about it), this is the real talk you need.

Shawn pulls back the curtain on:

• Why most new reps burn out
• How to build a solar team that actually performs
• What’s really coming for solar in 2025
• The mindset that separates survivors from solar bros
• How to thrive after the tax credits fade

Forget the fluff. This episode is for the builders, the closers, and the ones still standing after the smoke clears.

🎧 Don’t miss this if you care about: #SolarSales #CleanEnergy #Leadership #DoorToDoor #SalesMindset

🔗 More episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

📝 Show Notes:

0:00 – Intro: Who is Shawn Young? 2:10 – His early days: how Shawn got into solar 4:45 – “The grind nobody talks about” — door-to-door lessons 7:30 – Scaling teams without losing your sanity 9:50 – Most reps don’t fail because of training — here’s why they do 12:20 – When to fire fast and when to coach 15:15 – Why chasing tax credits is a broken business model 17:45 – The difference between closers and posers 21:10 – The next big threat to solar (it’s not what you think) 23:00 – Building something that lasts: Shawn’s blueprint 26:30 – Advice for new reps: get your head right 29:00 – Wrap-up: how to stay grounded in a hype-filled industry

Guest: Michael Janzen, aka Mr. Sunshine — industry veteran, consumer advocate, and founder of Mr. Sunshine Saves

Topics Covered: 00:00 – Intro: Who is Mr. Sunshine? 02:00 – From wannabe rockstar to solar disruptor 04:00 – Why most reps are trained wrong 06:00 – Shutting down 50+ shady solar companies 08:30 – How policy changes impact real homeowners 10:00 – Net metering myths and the future of incentives 13:00 – What 90% of reps never tell their clients 17:00 – The #1 red flag in a solar pitch 19:30 – How his free book is helping homeowners get smarter 22:00 – Why walking away from a deal is sometimes the best sale 25:00 – Redline models, commissions, and how reps really get paid 28:00 – The difference between selling solar and knowing solar 30:00 – Final thoughts + where to learn more

Resources Mentioned: 🔗 MrSunshineSaves.com 📘 Free Homeowner Guide: “Solar for Smarties” 🎙️ Follow Off the Grid On the Record for more: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

Episode Title: From Solar Hustle to Nuclear Playbooks: How Adeel Malik is Reinventing Energy Deals

Guest: Adeel Malik – Vice President, IntelliSun Host: Yarek Matacz – Off the Grid on the Record

Description: What does it take to go from knocking doors to winning government contracts? In this raw and revealing episode, Adeel Malik, VP at IntelliSun, breaks down the real behind-the-scenes challenges of growing a solar company in today’s volatile energy market.

He opens up about:

• The “solar coaster” of growth, cashflow, and ops
• Why customer education & trust is the only moat
• Strategic pivots into battery storage, AI grids & nuclear energy
• How the government’s minority/veteran incentives opened major doors

This one’s for solar pros, clean energy leaders, and anyone navigating fast-moving industries.

Links & Resources: 🌐 Adeel’s Company: https://intellisun.net

📸 Adeel on IG: @diladil_malik_2 🎧 More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

Tags: solar energy, clean tech, nuclear power, entrepreneurship, smart grid, commercial solar, solar sales, clean energy transition, podcast

What happens when you install solar panels the wrong way? Bill Clinton (not that one), VP of Operations at EcoGen Services, has seen it all—from catastrophic fires to near-grid failures.

In this episode of Off The Grid On The Record, Bill shares:

• The solar wiring mistake that burned a home to the ground
• Why most solar companies shouldn't be touching electrical work
• The "generator vs. solar" nightmare scenario
• How EcoGen wins business without marketing—and why their 5-star reviews keep coming

👉 This is a must-listen for anyone in solar, home improvement, or just trying to understand what actually goes into a safe, ethical solar install.

📍 Learn more at www.ecogen.com 📈 Marketing by JPM Media → www.jpmmedia.ca

#solarinstallations #cleanenergy #masterelectrician #ecogen #offthegrid

Peter Roth started in cigars. Now he runs a lead gen machine that fuels solar companies in 30+ states—and he's just getting started.

In this episode, we talk:

• The psychology behind effective cold outreach
• Why most solar lead gen models are broken by design
• The real reason Facebook ads don’t work (especially for solar)
• What makes a high-performance sales system scalable

This isn’t your average founder story. Peter’s building the engine behind the clean energy transition—and proving that the most valuable part of your business isn’t the panels… it’s the pipeline.

Brought to you by Off the Grid on the Record.

🎯 More from Peter: https://letscalify.com

JPM Media: www.jpmmedia.ca

What do Fortune 500 call centers, paintball, and 20MW solar installs have in common?

Daniel Wier.

In this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Daniel Wier, founder and CEO of Commonwealth Solar, to unpack how a Kentucky-based installer is reshaping the clean energy conversation with ethics, transparency, and a whole lot of grit.

We dive into:

• Daniel’s journey from high-paid tech roles to off-grid solar
• Why most solar companies fail their customers (and what to do instead)
• His unique apprenticeship model and local-first hiring strategy
• Navigating rapid business growth without compromising values
• How policy, education, and community investment all intersect in clean energy

Daniel’s not just building a business—he’s setting a new standard for what clean energy leadership can look like.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.cwsolarllc.com 🎙 Brought to you by: www.jpmmedia.ca

Follow the show for more real stories from the builders of tomorrow’s energy economy.

#SolarLeadership #CleanEnergy #CommunitySolar #SolarBusiness #SolarEthics #OffGridLiving #EntrepreneurJourney #TechToSolar #RenewableEnergy #SolarPodcast

Solar panels don’t clean themselves — and neglect is killing system performance. But nobody talks about it.

In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, Yarek sits down with Paul West, founder of Peak Solar Pro, to explore the other half of the solar industry: maintenance, prevention, and keeping systems alive.

We cover:

✅ The unexpected causes of performance loss (bird waste, oil soot, mold) ✅ Why maintenance is the most overlooked part of clean energy ✅ How Paul scaled across New England with robotic tech + new safety gear ✅ What he’s building next for the solar cleaning industry ✅ How to think about the ROI of O&M in solar, long-term

Whether you're in the trenches or managing the assets — this episode will change how you think about clean energy infrastructure.

🔗 Resources:

• peaksolarpro.com
• jpmmedia.ca

From laboring on job sites to managing multimillion-dollar projects, Ryan Van Der Woude has done it all. But in 2021, he walked away from traditional property development to create Futureland — a firm committed to sustainable, solar-ready, community-driven housing across Australia.

In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, we dive into:

• What most developers get wrong about sustainability
• Why Australia’s outdated planning systems are slowing progress
• How to build homes that LAST — not just sell
• The truth behind affordable housing, build-to-rent, and market scalability
• What Canada and Australia can learn from each other’s energy policies

This is a crash course in ethical development, smart planning, and future-ready real estate.

📲 Learn more at futureland-developments.com

Corey McDonald isn’t here to sell you solar. He’s here to protect you from it.

With over two decades in the industry — from building the first utility-scale solar farms in Missouri to advising federal energy policy — Corey has seen the good, the bad, and the brutally dishonest. Now, through MC Solar Consultants, he’s working directly with homeowners, schools, and businesses to cut through the noise and avoid predatory pitches.

In this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, we dive into:

• His founding story: from snowstorm to solar farm
• What solar sales reps won’t tell you about dealer fees
• The real ROI of solar when it's done right
• How he saved a school district $1M+ per year — and added solar curriculum to classrooms

This is the solar education no installer wants you to hear.

🎙 Subscribe for more clean energy conversations, unfiltered.

📍 Guest site: mcsolarkc.com

When Bryan Villano was managing nearly 20 renewable projects, he hit a wall: contract overload. That wall turned into his startup, Contract Power—an AI-powered SaaS tool built for the energy sector’s most ignored pain point: documents.

In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, we dive into:

• The exact moment that made Bryan say “I need to build this”
• Why general-purpose AI fails energy companies
• How Contract Power’s ClauseSense tool redefines compliance tracking
• What makes it industry-first, not just “AI-enhanced”
• Why missing a single sentence nearly killed a $300M deal
• What AI agents and SaaS 2.0 will mean for the future of clean tech
• Their SOC 2, Techstars-backed growth path, and where they’re headed next

📍Whether you're in asset management, M&A, legal, or project dev—this episode is your cheat code to reclaim your week.

🔗 Learn more → contractpower.ai

💼 Book a demo or connect with Bryan on LinkedIn

🎙 Follow the show for weekly episodes from the people powering the clean energy revolution