Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Wilson.
Hi Jake, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Denver. Yes the actual city of Denver. I was in Jewish day school through high school, graduating with a class of 15, the biggest in my school’s history at that time. The blessing of that was that I learned to make friends doing things outside of school. From working at my first job at Rialto Cafe, to starting nightclub, concert and rave promoting at the age of 16. This gave me the opportunity to develop the skillset of creating new friendships and connections in a multitude of environments. After graduating from CU-Boulder with a degree in Architecture and working for an architect after school, I realized I wanted to do more than sit in front of a computer and do AutoCAD and wanted to be more engaged with people. This led me to eventually taking a job with Landmark Worldwide, a global leader in personal and professional training and development. Working there for five years under amazing mentors and training gave me the skills and confidence that still influence and drive me on a daily basis still to this day. In 2013 I started with Apex Energy Solutions as a sales specialist.
In the five years there I helped build the Denver office into the leading office in the country, and built the largest and highest performing team in the company by any sales person. I left in 2018 to create my own company which eventually led to the creation of Conscious Energy Consultants in January of 2019, a residential solar installation and energy efficiency installation company. Having studied solar back in college and believing in the necessity of renewable energy and design for the sustainability of our future as a species, this became a calling that I am extremely passionate about. Having created relationships with philanthropic and social organizations such as DenverGents and The University Club of Denver I’ve been given the opportunity to step into leadership roles, public speaking, and mentorship opportunities allowing me to give back to others and paying forward all the lessons and knowledge that I’ve been given over the years. At the beginning of COVID however, I was challenged in a way I never had been. I had a large team for my solar company and had a great plan that was growing and moving forward ready to have a great year. The shutdown literally closed every lead generation and marketing plan I had.
Overnight, I had lost essentially my entire business. Instead of watching Netflix, I decided to get my mortgage license in March of 2020. Because this gave homeowners the ability to do a refinance of their home and use the equity to purchase solar, which provides massive financial benefits, tax benefits, and the chance to make a difference in the world and our carbon footprint all at the same time. Now I have combined the businesses creating a full service solution for homeowners for anything they may need for upgrading their home to be the most energy efficient domicile, as well as helping people purchase homes. By owning my own company I’ve been afforded the ability to also spend time in my communities and finding ways to give back and helping others at every chance I can creating win-win scenarios. When we all win, we all win.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think anyone ever has a smooth road. It just depends how we look at it. Having been a bit of an outcast from school as a kid, I learned to be confident in myself and the type of person I want to be. And it took years even decades to see that truly come to fruition. From losing my business overnight during COVID, to quitting a very well-paying job at Apex Energy Solutions to start something from scratch, I’ve definitely embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of being a big risk taker. I’ve always known there is fear there, but instead chosen to stubbornly believe that if I trust in myself, acted with integrity, honored my word, and did the work that I can do anything and that it will eventually turn out.
We’ve been impressed with Conscious Energy Consultants and Mortgages, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Conscious Energy Consultants was originally formed because of my disgust of how the solar industry as a whole operates and the lack of transparency they provide to the customers. I formed CEC to put education at the forefront. Having bought solar myself previously I firsthand knew how companies word their proposals to make it seem better than they actually were. I wrote the Homeowner’s Guide to Buying Solar in Colorado, which gave the education and information away for free to anyone who wants to know how solar actually works and what they need to know. Which also includes how doing one’s roof at the same time as solar providing an extra tax benefit for doing so. The main goal of CEC is providing the best solution for the customer, which sometimes means referring them to another company or competitor who can do a better job. We’d rather them trust our expert opinion more than getting a singular sale.
Rather than pushing the traditional sales push/one meeting close, I opted for the giving the information, educating the homeowner and letting them know all the pieces to make a comfortable decision that will impact them for the next 30 years. What my company specializes in isn’t just solar, but a multitude of energy efficient upgrades which includes one of the most energy efficient windows in the country at a fraction of the cost of any comparable window, roofs, efficiency upgrades that reduce a home’s energy consumption allowing solar to provide a larger energy offset, and now we also provide wholesale refi and purchase mortgage solutions. Our values are Integrity, Education, and Community, and Making a Difference. And we ask everyone to hold us to those standards in every interaction they have with us.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was raised at a Chassidic Jew on the East side of Denver. I was orthodox until about the age of 14, and although I continued at a Jewish day school because the education was spectacular I no longer followed or observed the orthodox habits. Another something… I am very good at drawing real life images in almost any medium. Something I learned during architecture was to be able to draw anything in 1-point and 2-point perspective in anything from pencil to acrylic, to watercolor, to marker. Another…. Theater was my first love in life and was a theater minor in college. I have seen almost every Broadway show that has come through Denver, and will never turn down seeing a live performance on stage. Another… I have been to, put on, managed over 1500 events in my life from concerts, club nights, seminars, or other social events.
Contact Info:
- Email: JakeW@ConsciousEC.com
- Website: www.ConsciousEC.com
- Instagram: @suitedsolarsalesman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonvakyn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWxp2AFaf6v30xRiFHVDFQ
Image Credits
Jay Bird Photography
