During my time at Trinity Solar, I have had the privilege of guiding the development of thousands of young professionals at various stages in their careers.

In 2016, I dove headfirst into a pilot lead generation project with just one other person. This experience allowed me to build and lead a team that grew to 600 representatives across 27 offices, generating $600 million annually and reshaping the solar industry. Our management team started from the ground up and evolved organically over time. The program quickly became a national leader, shattered longstanding assumptions, and laid the groundwork for private equity entry in 2023.

Despite having no direct experience in such a program—I had backgrounds in consulting, entrepreneurship, remodeling, sales, and digital transformation—my marketing experience was primarily limited to online media. Though I knocked on doors for campaigns during my early years and sold newspapers door-to-door as a kid, I had never worked with or managed a dedicated door-to-door team.

I questioned why engaging homeowners couldn’t be a professional experience for everyone involved. Did others simply not invest enough time and effort into changing perceptions? We set out to find answers.

The industry I entered was known for high turnover rates and questionable practices; its rough culture often drew negative public perception. A glance at films like American Honey highlights this stigma around canvassing. To counter this image, we decided to start our office by dressing in a suit and tie every day. The team’s dedication to a professional appearance and preparation rose. Once our results began to speak for themselves, any giggles or pointing ceased.

Thanks to the leadership and resources provided by our organization, I flourished—and passed that same tone of culture onto my team. We all pulled together toward common goals.

Focusing on mutual respect, appreciation for differences, and inclusion allowed us to create a nearly equal gender representation within our door-to-door lead generation team—a feat previously deemed unreasonable or unrealistic. Our leaders embodied positive representation from diverse walks of life; this diversity fostered an environment where everyone could be their authentic selves without fear of judgment. What mattered most was teamwork—we operated under the principle that sales were secondary; consistency and culture were our priorities.

I recall one top performer whose presence became stifling for the team. After several documented conversations aimed at coaching him toward better integration into our culture failed, I ultimately had to let him go. Following this difficult meeting, one natural leader—who had overcome his stutter through pitch practice with me—expressed gratitude for my decision.

He didn’t voice joy but rather an understanding of how necessary it was; it marked one of the first times our values faced scrutiny but ultimately legitimized our commitment to maintaining a healthy culture.

To this day, after my departure from Trinity Solar’s program continues thriving under leaders who started from scratch alongside me. In fact, they have gone on to expand it by another 50% and became the leading partner in the northeast for one of the largest retailers in the country.

The program’s history is filled with inspiring success stories: immigrants mastering English by memorizing scripts; first-generation Americans retiring their parents; neurodivergent individuals celebrated for their contributions, as full equals; displaced people achieving homeownership—the list goes on.

However, I must confess: The diversity emerging from our program wasn’t born solely from intentional efforts but rather stemmed from cultivating an inclusive atmosphere focused on meritocracy driven by results.

In simple terms: A level playing field combined with core values creates transparency that brings out everyone’s best potential—including ours as leaders.

Throughout this journey, I’ve learned that talent doesn’t conform to appearances or stereotypes—it’s defined more by attributes like student mentality, self-awareness, personal discipline, self love and intentionality.

Our unwavering commitment to excellence guided every decision we made. Becoming an industry leader requires demanding more from ourselves, which involves sharing a unified vision rooted in excellence.