Don’t Let the Unicorn Go By: Interview with Jayson Waller, Founder of Powerhome Solar

I recently went one on one with with Jayson Waller, founding CEO of Powerhome Solar.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Jayson: My path to success definitely hasn’t been an easy one, but it’s one I’m grateful for, because I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way. I didn’t graduate from traditional high school and never attended college, I had my first kid at 17, and I don’t have the conventional accolades you associate with a successful business leader. I know that every challenge that I experienced in my life helped me build resilience and determination. I could have told myself “people who don’t graduate high school never become anything worthwhile,” and I would be working a dead-end job right now. But I always pushed myself, always believed in myself, and did whatever I needed to succeed. 

One of the most important setbacks or challenges I ever experienced was having to sell my house and pour that money back into my business. I remember my kids asking me why we had to live in a smaller house, which was difficult at times, but I knew that in order to ensure their futures and the future of my company, I needed to take that step. Luckily, it ended up working out, and my company, POWERHOME SOLAR, is now tracking toward $1 billion in annual revenue.  

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?

Jayson: I saw another home security CEO, Vivint's Todd Pedersen, pivot to solar, and I thought I could make the same leap. His success convinced me that solar was the future. Turns out, we were onto something. But there were others involved in my decision to pivot. Any good leader knows they’re only as good as the team they surround themselves with. You’re not always going to have the right answers. But collectively, as a group, you can come much closer to the right answer. In the movies, “The Avengers” must assemble to defeat the biggest bad guys. I’d suggest a similar tactic is needed in business. A strong team will come up with the ideas necessary to overcome the biggest challenges.

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?

Jayson: I could see that solar and clean, green energy were the future. Reducing the need for fossil fuels and reducing our carbon footprint, while giving customers a chance to generate their own electricity, seemed like a win-win-win to me. Solar technology is advancing fast. We learned that early on because we started small. You can’t start at the top. In my book, there’s a chapter called “There’s No Elevator in Life—You’ve Gotta Take the Stairs.” You have to stack small wins on top of each other to build something great. Look at me now – I’ve built a company that could go public, and my team and I are very excited by that. 

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level? 

Jayson: Nothing in life is worth doing without some element of risk. Taking your business to the next level is always going to involve some kind of risk—and without this risk, there’s no reward. Do what you feel passionate about, take chances, and don’t be afraid to fail big while you dream big. I don’t think there is one person who has achieved their big dream by playing it safe. I took my company and made it a success because I wasn’t afraid to take risks. You can’t take your business to the next level by doing what you’ve always done. You have to continually evolve, ask yourself what is working and what isn’t, and adjust accordingly. 

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?

Jayson: You have to focus on the play-by-play. Massive goals are important, but divide your goals into steps. Huge projects and goals are rarely, if ever, achieved all at once. Stay the course and focus on small milestones only. Incremental progress is the way to major success, and consistency in these small steps will build your resiliency as a leader. 

Remember that everyone has superpowers. Everyone has the ability to overcome any barrier standing in the way of what they want. All they need is training. It doesn’t matter what hand you have been dealt in life or how bad it is—with the right skills, you can get where you want to be. Remember that when you’re building your dream team. Someone may look perfect on paper—might have the fancy degree from the elite universities—but if they are not a hard worker, if they aren’t adaptable, and if they aren’t 100% determined to see the company succeed, they aren’t going to be the best employee. Your employees, your team, are vital to your business’ success. Never forget it. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Jayson: Life and business are a puzzle, and you are only as good as the pieces you are playing with. If they don’t fit together, it won’t work. Having a good team, especially a good executive on your side, makes all the difference. Having a team of people you can delegate to makes you a bigger force than if you are just doing things on your own. You don’t win the battle and take your company public by doing everything yourself. Surround yourself with great people, great leaders, and always try to hire people who are better than you are. Iron sharpens iron and hiring better people will only sharpen your own skills. An effective leader knows how to hire the best and delegate tasks to the most well-suited team members. Be humble enough to recognize this, and you’ll open your business up to a world of possibilities. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Jayson: When you are developing people, ask yourself what each individual brings to the table that is intrinsically different from what you bring. You don’t want to build a team that can only do one thing. Back to “The Avengers”—the reason that they are so successful is because each person has specific strengths and serves a specific purpose. You need to look at your team the same way. Ask yourself what each person’s superpower is and utilize that. We don’t want the same. We want different. Work for the sake of your team and your company, not for the sake of your own accolades, and you’ll be a successful leader who is developing strong teams.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders? 

Jayson: Scared Money Don’t Make Money - In business, if you don’t invest money to grow, it simply won’t grow. The same is true across every profession, and in all of life. You’ve got to go all in and be willing to bet on yourself to get what you want. Getting what you want in any area of life requires taking risks. You have to swallow your fear and act anyway. Lots of people get stuck at that point and never take things to the next level. 

Turn Failure into Fuel - Failure leads you closer to success. It makes you a more resilient, wiser person. Failure is part of success—embrace it! This principle trains you to celebrate failure because it just means you’re getting closer to what you want (that is, if you’re smart about it). Mindset is such a huge part of success. Every extremely successful person I’ve ever met knew how to look at failure and see it as an opportunity to grow, change, and pivot toward something amazing.

Love Your Haters - If you’re living an awesome life, haters will be part of the game. Use their hate as your fuel. Teach them by being an example of excellence. Success is the ultimate revenge. And as a byproduct, you can teach them how to live with more class, empathy, and an “everybody wins” attitude. I’m not saying to engage with every person who leaves a negative comment on your social media, but just know that everyone who did something worthwhile had naysayers telling them they were wrong. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Jayson: Don’t let the unicorn go by -- they don’t come often, so make sure you act on it. I saw my mom and dad have the chance to open their own businesses, but they decided to play it safe for the sake of their kids’ needs. I always told myself that I was never going to let fear keep me from doing what I want to do. I’ve been bankrupt, had a business on the brink of failure, but I’ve always had the mindset that I can turn things around. Have a positive mindset, surround yourself with positive people and there’s nowhere to go but up. 

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Jayson: I just want to tell people to be positive and surround yourself with positivity. You have the power to improve your life or your business… own that power! There’s no reason to wait on your dreams, start making them a reality today.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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