Greetings and welcome to Sargosis.com, a website devoted toward educating people about solar-power and renewable energy. Here, I provide various tools to help those of us interested in “going green” along their installation and maintenance process. For those of you interested in learning more, I have created a series of helpful articles focused on teaching how solar arrays work, as well as how the purchase and installation process goes. In addition, there are charts and calculator tools to help people with specific and common questions get quick and easily understood answers tailored to their situation. For those who are already educated in solar technology and more interested in finding a job, I provide a jobs-posting board, updated regularly.
In terms of services, my specialty is centered on design, repair, and maintenance. I have had a wide array of solar-related jobs throughout my career, and as a result, I’ve found some niche services that I can offer to customers, such as array-cleaning and maintenance, performance measuring and analysis, even diagnosing problems and repair. For those who are looking to get a second opinion on design and installation process advice, I also offer consultation and design review services as well. I have designed solar arrays for small off-grid houses as well as large utility sites, so I’m well versed in many of the techniques used for various methods of installation. Check out my services page where I go into more detail about what I do exactly.
As for my business stance, I am employing a radically different approach. Here are my main rules for how I operate:
1. Don’t be evil.
I am admittedly stealing this one from Google, but I agree with it whole-heartedly and stand behind the statement. My goal is to make money, but it’s also to better the environment, my community, help others live a happier and more fulfilling life through technology, and improve people’s knowledge of my field. These beliefs aren’t just a part of my business…they’re a part of me, and a part of everything I make, which leads me to my next rule…
2. Always be “net positive.”
What I mean by that is: no matter what my situation, no matter what the circumstances, always try my best to improve my surroundings with my presence. A similar concept is “always leave a place cleaner than how you arrived.” However, I prefer to expand the theme to a more generalized one of, “leave a positive impact on the world with your statements, decisions and creations.”
3. Be open and honest with customers.
I actually like the idea of transparency. I don’t see a problem with people understanding where my prices come from and how I calculate them. I see only beneficial things coming from sharing knowledge and informing others about solar technology. I offer honest services at prices that are not meant to gouge my customers, but merely to provide me with the ability to live and continue business, and therefore have nothing to hide. I am setting an example of open and honest business that stands for quality products/services and excellent customer service in the hopes that it catches on and others follow as well.
4. Never Acquire Investors
As it currently stands, Sargosis Solar is a “mom and pop shop,” consisting literally only of me and my wife. If I ever get enough demand for maintaining solar arrays that I need to hire other employees, then I’m happy with that, but I really have no desires to become an enormous corporation with thousands of people under me. I’m somewhat of an introverted person and I don’t do well in large groups, and have crippling fear from public speaking, so I really don’t see myself as some ruthless CEO spearheading some new business market. In addition, I personally feel as though investors are at the root of what’s wrong with America’s economy, so I have simply taken the stance of not having any investors…ever. If I need someone to come along and give me a huge sum of money in order to stay in business…I’m doing something wrong and probably deserve to go out of business.
