{"id":13178,"date":"2025-06-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opensolar.com\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=13178"},"modified":"2025-06-24T15:30:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:30:41","slug":"s01e2-the-solar-switch-from-pro-to-opener","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/www.opensolar.com\/hi\/podcast\/s01e2-the-solar-switch-from-pro-to-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"S01E2: The Solar Switch: From Pro to Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"hero-block_f02b66eec950aa2f1501d84c42902162\" class=\"hero  light-mode background-none\" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-block-hero\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"intro-text default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"motion-hero-headline blue-gradient light-mode\"style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\"><p>S01E2: The Solar Switch: From Pro to Opener<\/p>\n<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\n<section id=\"one-column-block_b23393c7e004c48217213ce4e3365f6d\" class=\"one-column bs-h-regular bs-tp-none bs-sp-regular bs-bp-regular light-mode  background-none\" style=\" padding-top: 0;\">\n\t<div class=\"block-style-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"center-column no-top-padding\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text-space left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text light-mode\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this episode of<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0oxM37B9uZ3bpGAb6joV7m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The OpenSolar Podcast<\/a>,<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0host Melissa speaks with Sophie and Jimi \u2014 two seasoned solar professionals who\u2019ve recently made the leap from rooftop to remote, joining the OpenSolar team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their conversation covers the reality of life in the solar industry, what it takes to grow a solar business, the challenges women face on the job, and how building better software can make the work of solar professionals dramatically easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"video light-mode\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sg_u1WsVF0M\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text-space left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text light-mode\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also available to stream on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-opensolar-podcast\/id1821123904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0oxM37B9uZ3bpGAb6joV7m?si=dfe95663c8614b3a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What no one tells you about working in solar<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For newcomers, the solar industry can be a surprise. Sophie entered the field expecting to sell panels, only to find herself navigating portals, paperwork and complex compliance processes before anything even went on the roof. \u201cI was pretty naive,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it was a delight to find how much complexity and challenge there was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jimi\u2019s biggest learning curve came from the industry\u2019s unpredictable cycles. \u201cI\u2019d never heard the term \u2018solar coaster\u2019 before I joined. The whole industry rises and falls with subsidies and policy shifts. If you\u2019re not prepared, it can catch you out quickly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Gender bias in the solar industry<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sophie also spoke candidly about working in a male-dominated industry. \u201cI remember my first conference, hundreds of men and just a handful of women,\u201d she recalls. \u201cEven more challenging were the customer reactions. I\u2019d call to confirm a site visit, and they\u2019d ask if it was really <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">me<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> coming out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That response, often from other women, led her to gain formal solar and battery design accreditation \u2014 not out of necessity, but to be taken seriously. \u201cI wanted to be able to say, yes, I am accredited. I do know what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She now helps lead Australian Women in Solar Energy, a community supporting gender equity in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Why Sophie and Jimi made the leap to OpenSolar<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Sophie and Jimi used OpenSolar extensively before joining the company. For Jimi, now Director of Pro Experience, the platform transformed how he ran his solar business. \u201cIt took over the office workflow and automated everything. I was a fan from day one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sophie, now GM for Australia and New Zealand, says the move felt natural. \u201cWe say OpenSolar is built by pros for pros and it really is. The team listens. You see your feedback show up in the product.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>The small product wins that matter<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While big feature launches often steal the spotlight, it\u2019s the small enhancements that can make the biggest difference day to day. Jimi shared how even tiny improvements to the platform changed the way he worked as a solar pro, and now, he gets to help shape those changes from the inside.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At OpenSolar, feedback from former pros isn\u2019t just heard, it\u2019s implemented. That sense of agency and responsiveness is something both Jimi and Sophie value deeply. Being able to influence the tools they once used in the field is part of what makes their work so rewarding.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What makes OpenSolar different<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Sophie, it\u2019s the people and the culture. Working remotely was a new experience, but the sense of connection, collaboration and support quickly stood out. \u201cThis is one of the most talented, thoughtful teams I\u2019ve ever worked with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Features like Open Day, a monthly, company-wide day off to rest and recharge, reinforce that culture and keep energy high across time zones.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Advice for new solar professionals<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sophie\u2019s advice is simple: \u201cBack yourself. Learn everything you can, and don\u2019t let imposter syndrome hold you back. There are people in this industry who will help you, just reach out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jimi recommends a focus on quality. \u201cWe stopped chasing volume, chose high-end gear, and let word of mouth drive the business. It worked \u2014 no marketing budget needed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their shared takeaway: solar is a tough but rewarding industry. And when the right tools are in place, the job gets easier and the impact bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two former solar installers turned Openers share the reality of the solar industry, from gender bias to day-to-day challenges, and why they traded installs for software, in Epiosde Two of The OpenSolar Podcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13184,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13178","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Rooftops to Software: What It\u2019s Really Like to Work in Solar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two former solar installers turned Openers share 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