Behind the Funnel

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, mol...

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 nois...

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 com...

What if hiring wasn’t about checking boxes—but matching energy ? In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , we sit down with Carol Ann Wentworth , the founder of Wentworth Executive Recruiting and author of A Mindful Career . With 25+ years of experience and a 94% retention rate , Carol Ann is on a mission to humanize hiring—especially in clean energy, construction, and mission-driven tech....

Bruce Plant is the co-founder of Wallop Water — a hydration company turning heads in the global events and construction industries by eliminating plastic bottles entirely . In this episode, we dive into how a side hustle born from festival waste became a scalable, IoT-powered solution delivering chilled, branded, and solar-powered water stations to events from Melbourne to Mandalay Bay. 🚨 You’ll...

Lee Faisal didn’t just start a solar company—he rewired how clean energy is sold, delivered, and trusted in Australia. As the founder of Amazon Energy, Lee took his background at a multinational panel manufacturer and flipped the playbook—focusing on face-to-face installs, transparent pricing, and long-term client relationships in a time when everyone else chased quick wins. In this no-BS episode,...

He was set to become a lawyer. Now he’s building one of the most trusted solar companies in Florida. Luke Makar, founder of Aspire Solar, joins me to talk about what it really takes to launch a solar company in one of the most volatile markets in North America. No shortcuts. No bloated sales decks. Just clarity, honesty, and a relentless focus on delivering quality. In this episode: The mindset sh...

Michelle Knox, founder of Wind Solar USA, shares how a single question over drinks sparked a 16-year journey into clean energy—and led her to take on utility monopolies, author a statewide Solar Bill of Rights, and build a customer-first solar company in rural Illinois. In this episode: Building a solar business with NO ads and 100% education-driven growth Creating 27-page solar proposals that sel...

Before a single solar panel gets installed or a battery storage site breaks ground, there's one critical factor that can quietly kill the entire deal: title work . In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , Yarek sits down with Monroe Jett — real estate veteran and founder of Title Leader — to unpack the title and land rights challenges slowing down utility-scale energy development. From man...

This is how you scale renewable energy with zero fluff. Shane Bartel runs Climate Capital — a 4-person team managing a $200M pipeline of solar + battery projects across Australia. No hype. Just ruthless execution. In this episode, he breaks down: Why <5MW solar projects are the secret weapon The real reason big solar developers move too slow How to structure 10+ year PPAs that cash flow from Da...

How do you scale a solar company without cold calls, pressure tactics, or generic pitches? Freddy Petkus figured it out — and built Critical Mass Solar into one of New England’s most trusted local solar providers. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Freddy to understand how his no-BS, education-first philosophy changed the game in a crowded, skeptical market. You’ll learn how he wins res...

How This Roofer Hit 7 Figures & Took Over a Local Market with Solar Shingles – Dakota Weddle (Big Lick Roofing) 📌 YouTube Description (and Podcast Show Notes) Most roofing companies play it safe. Dakota Weddle did the opposite. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , Yarek Matacz sits down with the founder of Big Lick Roofing — a Virginia-based company that’s quietly dominating its m...

Solar companies don’t fail because the tech isn’t good — they fail because the message doesn’t land. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , Yarek sits down with Nathan Zale, founder of Zale Media and OutScale.com , to unpack how small solar businesses can overcome the biggest growth killer: bad marketing. From using AI voice tech and CRM automations to smart content strategies and scalab...

Today on Off the Grid, On the Record , we’re diving into a corner of clean energy that’s growing fast but often overlooked — solar for RVs and off-grid adventurers. Our guest, Kenson , is the founder of Monument Solar — a Utah-based company designing high-performance solar systems for full-time travelers and remote workers. With systems delivering over 5,000W of power, integrated Victron electroni...

In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , host Yarek Matacz chats with Samuel Bendek , co-founder and CEO of Elastic Energy , a revolutionary cleantech startup using tree sap to rethink how we store energy. Samuel shares how growing up in Colombia, bouncing soccer balls at 15, sparked an idea that eventually became a patented elastic energy storage system . Unlike lithium-ion batteries, Ela...

What does it take to build smarter caravans and a stronger trades culture? In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record , we sit down with Jacqueline Bold , founder of Bold Trailer & Caravan Repair Centre , to talk: The rise of off-grid solar and battery setups in caravans Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for mobile solar The overlooked power of leadership and diversity in trades How Austr...