For anyone who’s new in the business space, the next hardest thing after kick-starting a business is attaining profitability. As an entrepreneur with an extensive, successful sales background, Alexander Smith has smashed all the success metrics in business in less than a year of establishing his solar energy company, Spartan Solar LLC.
Alexander, who credits his success in business to his focus, never shies away from the process to becoming a leader and his background story. While dealing with life and its unexpected curveballs, Alexander first found himself in the business world as a door-to-door salesperson. It was never a part of his plan, but he settled in, adapted, and molded into the astute businessman he is today.
Holding a degree from Florida State University with a triple major in finance, professional sales, and marketing prepared him for many things- but knocking on doors to sell solar power was not one of them. Through hard work and self-discipline, between 2016 and 2021, Alexander built his reputation as a salesman “worth his salt” and held key leadership roles in various companies including Sungrade Solar and Kota Energy Group.
After many years in the business, Alexander made the bold decision to branch out and start his own solar company, Spartan Solar. In less than a year, the company has done $17.5 million in sales. Now, the company is projecting $30 million in sales for the remaining months in 2021. Alexander, who credits his success as a salesman to practising and learning on the job, recalls all he had to do to get to where he is.
After graduating from FSU, Alexander shared, “To start my new career, I borrowed $4,000 from my grandmother so I could ship my car to California and pay the security deposit at my apartment. With no money in the bank to cover next month’s rent and having locked into a 12 month lease, I definitely burned my ships and had to put my head down and focus. I deleted all distractions from my life and blitzed the next 90 days. Eat, sleep, and breathe solar and sales.” And his intense focus and discipline paid off: by the fourth month, Alexander became a Manager and continued to work his way up to Director of Sales shortly after.
Although wildly successful today, Spartan Solar had very humble beginnings, with Alexander running team meetings from his own living room for the first three months with co-founder and FSU colleague Matthew Lent. In June 2021 the company moved to an office space in Winter Park, Florida. Alexander credits his success with Spartan Solar to his guiding principle of being a leader that his team can look up to, both in and out of the office, as well as working with individuals who have the same mission and vision.
Alexander was able to promote three such individuals that have been key players in the company’s growth and success; Zach Crotty, Julian Gomez, and Will Donovan recently became Spartan Solar Assistant District Managers for their exceptional leadership skills and expertise in solar sales. They have quickly risen to become six-figure earners in their first few months at Spartan Solar.
“Everyone wants to get better and help each other win, so we’ve continued to recruit friends and family to join the mission. It’s not what you make; it’s what you become in the process. Luckily, we’re also able to make a lot of money helping families make the switch to solar energy,” Alexander explains.
The company’s success within the first few months of operations is unprecedented, and that has placed Alexander as one of the top entrepreneurs to watch in the energy industry. With his evolution as a businessman and salesperson over the years, Alexander sees nothing less than progress in the next few years. Zach Crotty & Will Donovan will be opening Spartan Solar’s next office in Tampa in March of 2022, as Julian Gomez & Matthew Lent continue to grow the Orlando office. With the sales goal for 2021 very much on course, Spartan Solar is set to continue being the talk of the solar energy industry for many months to come.Learn more about Alexander Smith on his official Instagram page and Spartan Solar on the company’s website.
