We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast
Spencer Oberan is a husband, father, college football fan, and outdoor enthusiast who said he's passionate about the positive changes solar brings to families and the environment.
Spencer — aka "a solar guy" — and Pat Bennett — "a tech guy" — discovered cumbersome and disjointed processes were slowing the growth of solar businesses.
In 2018, they decided to solve the problem by creating Enerflo, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform purpose-built for the solar industry. The Huntington Beach, California-based company promises solar installers and sales dealers "a seamless experience start to finish."
Enerflo offers robust APIs, webhooks and a growing number of integrations, which enable clients to connect the tools and apps they already use to the platform's homegrown technology.
By automating tasks and bringing everything together in a cohesive sales and installation platform, Spencer said Enerflo helps people work smarter, faster and more efficiently.
Spencer shared Enerflo's success with us in Suncast Episode 470. He's back today to share more about his journey as a serial entrepreneur — from selling candy door-to-door with his sister as a kid to deciding to "make a difference" as an adult.
"Having money is a byproduct of what you're passionate about, and your success is a byproduct of those passions. I'm blessed, humbled and grateful I get to do something I'm incredibly passionate about. I don't chase money. I chase making a difference," he said.
Spencer traces his interest in renewables to his modest childhood in the Pacific Northwest. He was fascinated with a book that discussed photovoltaics and creating energy from wind. "It was pretty eye-opening," he said.
He toyed with being a biologist in college but ended dropping all his science classes to take things he enjoyed: acting, singing, history, football coaching — "all kinds of stuff."
"I realized, 'I'm a conservationist, and I care about the environment and animals and ensuring the planet is clean and usable for my kids. And that it's, you know, and we can even make it better," he said.
Spencer talks about the seven startups he’s been involved with, from one that harvested safflower from the side of freeways for biodiesel to one that made a smart sprinkler controller. "I kept going with these startups. Man, I have such a great education on what not to do," he said.
But mistakes are no match for persistence, Spencer said. So he's persevered, with passion as his North Star. He defines passion as something you think about as you fall asleep, so you can dream about it and all you think about when you're awake.
“How does someone know what they're passionate about? "What do you always think about? What is the thing that you would do for free? Better yet, what is the thing that you would pay someone else to let you do? That's passion," he said.
He said he's always been passionate about energy "and how we consume it, produce it, and interact with it." He named the company for it: "Enerflo" stands for "energy-flow" of anything that touches the production or consumption of home energy.
Where does he want to take the company? What's the one thing he sees happening in the market that nobody else is tracking? What's in his entrepreneurial crystal ball? And what's his favorite book? (Spoiler: It's Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.)
I invite you to listen to the podcast and find the answers to those and many other questions. Spencer is a genuine human being, and our conversation was fun, enjoyable and insightful.
Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
SUNGROW focuses on integrated energy storage system solutions, including PCS, lithium-ion batteries and energy management system. Pleae visit https://www.mysuncast.com/sungrow
Hey Sunshine! Clouds got you down? SolarAnywhere® is the leading commercial solar data solution for planning, operating and forecasting solar power production. Learn more at mysuncast.com/solaranywhere.
ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.