#158: My 9-Figure Blue Collar Journey Part 3 // Chris Lee // Next Level Pros Podcast

The Founder Podcast

Chris Lee

Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to a new episode of Next Level Pros! In this episode, Chris Lee takes us on a candid journey through his entrepreneurial highs and lows, sharing the real story behind building Sol Gen Power and the lessons learned along the way. If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or anyone interested in the realities of building and scaling a business—especially in the trades or home service space—this episode is for you!

Highlights:

“Throughout my life, I’ve had a very divisive personality. It’s either you love me or you friggin hate me.”

“There’s not a playbook for doing it. You’re literally just learning as you go, until you get slapped on the hand, and then you change your behavior.”

“The goal isn’t to produce the fruit. The goal is to become the tree that has the ability to continue to produce the fruit.”

“Life was meant to be hard, but when it’s hard with a positive mindset, it becomes bearable and joyful.”

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:19 Various Business Ventures and Experiences

04:56 Transition to Employment and Learning from Entrepreneurs

8:57 Vivint Solar and IPO Experience

25:48 Starting Sol Gen Power and Early Challenges

32:59 Growth and Expansion of Sol Gen Power

Building a Strong Team and Culture

42: 28 Overcoming Financial and Operational Challenges

57:11 Expansion and Acquisition

58:44 Personal Reflections and Future Plans

Want me to teach you how to grow your business? Text me! 509-374-7554

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https://linktr.ee/nextlevelpros

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Watch my latest PodcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-level-pros/id1687030281

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/1e0cL2vI1JAtQrojSOA7D2?si=95980cd4e55a437a

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@NextLevelPros

Transcript

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0:00.0	Real quick, before we dive in, I want to give you some context on this episode.
0:03.5	This conversation was originally quoted back when I was running my first podcast,
0:07.5	The Founder Podcast. It was before Next Level Pros even existed. I sat down with some serious,
0:12.7	heavy hitters, entrepreneurs, operators, leaders, and we unpack real tactical stuff
0:17.8	that still holds up today. So instead of letting these episodes collect
0:21.0	dust, we're bringing them back here on the next level pros channel. You'll notice
0:24.3	the branding's a little different, maybe the style too, but the lessons still gold.
0:28.5	Especially if you're in the trades or home service space and trying to build
0:31.5	something real. Let's get into it.
0:33.3	Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, welcome to another incredible podcast.
0:45.6	Let's go.
0:46.5	Man, if you're still with me, if you listen to episode one, two, and now number three, thank you.
0:53.5	First of all, I mean, the fact that you are somewhat interested in my life, that's cool.
0:58.5	That's cool.
0:59.1	You know, it's interesting throughout my life.
1:01.6	I've had a very divisive personality.
1:03.9	It's either you love me or you friggin hate me.
1:09.1	And, you know, for whatever reason, I just have one of those personalities, right?
1:12.8	It creates a divide and, you know, people either think I'm like a lying, cheat, and scum,
1:18.8	or they think I'm one of the coolest human beings that they know.
1:22.3	So, first of all, thank you for being with me, listening to my life story and kind of listening to what really created me as a founder of multiple businesses, but more importantly, as a family man and a son of God.
1:37.4	And so, anyways, thank you for listening up until this point.
	...

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