SMP 61: Guest Episode - Start-Up Accelerator, Investing, Solar & Podcasting with Benoy Thanjan on The Formula

  Episode Summary On this special episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy is a guest on The Formula with Timothy Roman.  Benoy divulges his criteria for investing in different ventures, how he interacts with the companies he’s invested into, and how the movie Back to the Future influenced one of the companies he’s currently working with.  Also discussed is the importance of networking, podcasting, and personal branding and Benoy reveals his favorite television show.  Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions.  Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity, which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity, to move into the east coast markets. Benoy also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.   Timothy Roman Timothy Roman is the founder and CEO of Roman Media Group, a passionate team of young entrepreneurs with a proven track record for helping businesses get from zero to 7 figures 100% on the backbone of digital marketing.  He was featured in Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk. Tim recently began his podcast The Formula where everyone from real estate titans to self-made entrepreneurs share their formula for success.   Insights from this episode: Details of Benoy’s progression into entrepreneurship and his interest in renewable energy. Strategies on how Benoy chooses what projects to invest in and the various roles he plays in each investment. How to determine if an investment is right for you and how to develop the ability to say no. Benefits yielded from networking, how that leads to new opportunities, and the synergy created between different investments. How to employ personal branding for product development and the impact video marketing can make. Quotes from the show: On what it takes for Benoy to invest: “If you can trust the person, you can see their vision, you can see examples of that (vision) and them having a track record of success.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 “I see so many business opportunities now because I have invested in several businesses and I would say 97% I say no to because it’s not the right opportunity.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 “The restaurant industry is a lot harder than I ever imagined it to be.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 On technology and Reneu Energy: “We are probably very tech-savvy for a solar energy company.  We take a lot of things that we’ve learned from other industries and incorporate it.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 “The network of people is important.  It’s all about who you know.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 “I learn from the entrepreneurs that I’m working with.  I’m learning about other industries and I’m incorporating some of the things I see into my own business.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 The question Benoy starts his day with: “What are the things that are going to move the needle?” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 “If I’m investing money into a business, I’m already accepting that I might not get that money back.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 On determining a good opportunity: “I’m all about being direct, transparent, honest.  There are certain values I’m trying to look for.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 On accelerator programs: “I’ve always been extremely curious about the atmosphere … it sounds like it not only creates amazing network opportunities, it’s also educated a lot [of people].” – Timothy Roman, Episode #61 On evolving marketing techniques: “Written word has obviously taken the back seat a little bit, which is Search Engine Optimization ("SEO"), blogs, and things like that, but video and audio [formats] are the dominant ones.”   – Timothy Roman, Episode #61 “I think everything is about building the personal brand.  People want to see a face that they trust.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #61 Resources Mentioned: Startup Leadership Program   Podcasts mentioned: Create Your Life Series by Kevin Y. Brown  The School of Greatness by Lewis Howe SMP 32: The New Jersey Solar Market with Benoy Thanjan and Suzanne Waters   Sponsor: We would like to thank Schwerd Consulting for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast. Schwerd Consulting is a leading solar consulting firm dedicated to design, engineering, and owner representation in all areas of solar photovoltaics (PV) for the Commercial & Industrial and Utility markets. At Schwerd Consulting they like to say that We Know Solar. We don’t just Do Solar. What sets them apart is their 100% focus on solar and understanding the business of their clients. In its 5 years of business, Schwerd Consulting has provided services for approximately 450 MW of PV across over 330 sites and 15 states plus the Caribbean. That total includes 300MW of completed designs and engineering, and 150MW of consulting and owner rep services. Let Schwerd Consulting take the burden off you and bring ease and expertise in all areas of Engineering & Design or help you navigate the technical world of solar. If you are interested in learning more about Schwerd Consulting, you can call 215-219-6718 or email at admin@schwerdconsulting. Schwerd Consulting’s website is www.schwerdconsulting.com. Steve Schwerd who is the Owner of Schwerd Consulting was interviewed on Episode 17 and Episode 48 of the Solar Maverick Podcast and Episode 42 of which he was on panel discussion on How Solar Technology is Changing the World. Stay Connected:   Benoy Thanjan  Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @bthanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Timothy Roman LinkedIn: Timothy Roman Website:  Roman Media Group Podcast: The Formula   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean and youtube. This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)