The best marketers are not always the ones trained in marketing. In this episode of the Business Legacy Podcast, Paul Dio sits down with Aaron Nichols of Exact Solar, host of This Week in Solar and a rising public voice in the clean energy industry. Aaron makes the case that the most effective marketing is really education, and that former teachers may be the most underrated hires a business owner can make.

Aaron's path into solar was anything but linear. Seven weeks into a two year Peace Corps commitment in Nepal, he was evacuated along with thousands of volunteers when COVID hit. After a difficult, isolated year teaching in western Colorado, he traveled through South America, sat down to think about the legacy he wanted to leave, and landed on clean energy. A chance meeting in Ecuador led to his first door knocking trip, a solar installer certification through GRID Alternatives followed, and freelance copywriting for solar clients eventually led Exact Solar to bring him on full time.

Aaron explains why his education background has given Exact a real advantage. Educators are rewarded for simplifying complex ideas, while traditional marketing training often rewards sounding sophisticated. In a technical industry that constantly needs explaining, simplicity wins. He also shares how Exact uses AI in unseen ways, from faster commercial bids and homeowner proposals to an internal knowledge base, while keeping it out of the brand's public face. For commercial building owners, he outlines the benefits still available, including demand charge reduction, accelerated depreciation, and the commercial solar tax credit, along with the local permitting hurdles that slow projects down.

On legacy, Aaron draws on Stoic philosophy with striking honesty. He knows that one day no one living will remember him, and that is exactly why he chose clean energy. Having seen rivers clogged with plastic across Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia, he wants to spend his limited time deploying as much clean energy as possible and protecting wild places, and he explains why a clear villain can create a powerful sense of purpose.

00:00 Welcome and introduction to Aaron Nichols

00:45 The Peace Corps, Nepal, and the COVID evacuation

02:00 A difficult year teaching in western Colorado

02:30 Travel, reflection, and choosing clean energy

03:30 Meeting the circus girls who sold solar

04:30 Solar installer certification and freelance copywriting

05:30 The Upwork message that started it all

07:00 Learning the technical side of solar

08:00 The educator to marketer pipeline

09:30 Why simplicity beats sounding sophisticated

10:30 Aaron's leadership style and public presence

12:00 Hobbies and de-optimizing personal time

14:00 Using AI in unseen ways

15:30 Benefits for commercial building owners

17:00 Demand charges, depreciation, and tax credits

18:30 Permitting hurdles and local regulations

20:00 What Aaron would do differently

21:00 Stoicism and Aaron's view of legacy

23:00 Purpose and the villain of plastic waste

24:00 Where to connect with Aaron

Learn how Exact Solar helps homeowners and commercial building owners in Pennsylvania and New Jersey cut energy costs and invest in clean energy that lasts: https://exactsolar.com

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