Owner
Varna Energy Solutions
I founded a start-up green consulting company for residential homeowners and managed all aspects of running this business, from running the online marketing campaign via Google Ads to making sales calls, hiring and training staff, book keeping and filing quarterly sales taxes. When I first started Varna, I had several misconceptions about the market. I'd learned about heat pumps in college and believed there was a huge market opportunity to start installing those in homes. At the time, Air Source Heat Pumps weren't yet efficient enough for cold climates, so I was focused on Ground Source Heat Pumps (this is no longer the case), which are expensive, but within the price range of many homeowners in Westchester County, an affluent suburb of NYC. I quickly learned after sizing some these systems, however, that that their installation cost would cheaper overall by doing shell improvements (insulation / air sealing). So, I started putting together a network of other contractors and, over time, I developed and implemented a new business model to streamline the project management aspects of these sorts of retrofits via web-based information-sharing tools that draw from the data collected during energy audits (along with pictures / video) to expedite quoting and work scope design, while eliminating the need for multiple site visits with subcontractors. I became a general contractor, and my time became completely consumed with project management at the expense of what I'd originally envisioned as the core business. My hours skyrocketed, and my revenue became limited by the hours in my day. I started hiring, but ultimately I had a difficult time scaling the business and didn't really see a way to grow the business to a national brand. If I could go back in time with what I know now, I think I could, but needed the benefit of my subsequent experience.I ultimately closed the company to join CSG. I was profitable and debt free when I closed the business.
