r/Solarbusiness

Sup boys I’m selling in Florida, no team just a lone soldier ( I like it more this way) since 2024 & 2025 I’ve been using lead gen through some different providers mainly CEE.
2025 was incredible did over 60 installs and made a little under $500k all self-gen deals for 2025. Ever since CEE stopped selling leads my income and deals has slowed down TREMENDOUSLY to the point where I’m at 50k in commissions only year to date. I mainly sell 90% of my deals through leases & the other 10% finance - cash so the tax credit going away isn’t the main reason for lack of volume . The real reason is because I cannot find a reputable lead source even though I’ve tried over 7-8 different ones since the end of CEE, can anyone help me guide me or refer to me to anyone they used ? I sell in Florida in person and Cali virtually . Both states I can fully operate in. Appreciate any insight and thank you

I keep seeing totally different approaches to this in solar.

Some teams pay on close.
Some wait until install.
Some split it between both.

And honestly every setup seems to create a different headache.

Paying on close feels faster for reps, but riskier if deals fall through.

Waiting until install feels cleaner, but reps usually don’t love waiting that long.

Then split structures seem easier in theory, but end up adding more tracking and back-and-forth.

Curious what’s actually been working best for people lately.

I'm sure there's been hundreds of posts just like this on this subreddit, so I apologize if this is a broken record haha.

TLDR; Got laid off by my previous company, and I'm looking for more work. Hopefully with a focus on Aurora Solar/PV design.

I have ~4 years of experience in the industry now, doing proposals and design work in Aurora and CAD. I really, really enjoyed building designs in Aurora, and ended up being the go-to in my previous department when it came to complex Aurora designs specifically. So if there are any businesses that use Aurora's software, I could just crank out PV designs all day and be a happy camper. I have less experience in CAD unfortunately, since a majority of my career was spent working on the 3D models and not the DXFs. I picked up the software fairly quickly though, and enjoyed the work I did. I'm just more proficient in one than the other. Anyway.

I imagine the industry as a whole is struggling given the state of things, but with the experience I've gained, I'd like to stay within it to keep building my career and experience. At least ideally.

If anyone here knows if any businesses are either hiring in Utah County, or are hiring remotely, I'm interested. Thanks!

Each appointment goes live on a market and you have the option to buy it or let someone else grab it. Volume isn’t crazy since they’re all inbound, but close rates are solid.
No upfront costs, no bulk orders. DM me if interested.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I usually resell fast-moving off-grid necessities and FMCG items such as rechargeable LED lanterns, solar lamps, power banks, torchlights, phone charging cables, batteries, portable gas stoves, and basic household essentials for areas with limited electricity access. I’m now considering expanding into solar panels and have seen some very affordable options on Chinese marketplaces like Alibaba. I’m looking for guidance on supplier reliability, quality certifications (IEC/CE), shipping and import duties, and whether the margins are realistically good for small-scale entry. Also keen to understand common pitfalls when starting in this space. Any advice appreciated.

For the past 8 months, I’ve been building a website plug and play tool that lets homeowners get instant solar estimates without waiting for a callback similar to one in heatable. It’s powered by an AI chat that qualifies visitors on the spot, then feeds everything into a lightweight CRM that scores leads based on what they actually do clicks, time on page, and engagement not just form fills.

I started this because I kept seeing great installers lose website traffic to “Request a Quote” friction.

But before I pour more months (and funding) into the next phase, I need to know: Is this actually your bottleneck?

Specifically:

Would an instant estimate widget on your site bring you more qualified leads?
Is Ai lead scoring useful to you, or is it just another dashboard you’d ignore?

If the answer is “my current setup is fine,” I genuinely want to hear that. No pitch, no follow-up sales script just trying to build the right thing.

Drop a comment or DM. I’ll read every one