CYLS 134: Making an Impact While Saving the World - How Renewable Energy Drove a CEO to Success with Benoy Thanjan

Summary: About our Guest: As the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, Benoy Thanjan took his passion for sustainability and renewable energy and turned it into a company that has traded $27 billion in solar renewable energy credits (SREC). He attributes his success to his time working as a SREC trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity, a company that merged with Tesla in 2016. With a BS in finance and economics from the Stern School of Business and an MBA in finance from Rutgers University, Benoy has an extensive financial background. Having previously worked as the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. In addition, Benoy used his financial expertise while working for Ridgewood Renewable Power, Deloitte and Touche, Ernst & Young, and D.E. Shaw and Co. His current company Reneu Energy provides consultation for other companies looking to save money, modernize their energy use, and implement solar energy practices.   Episode Summary Alternative energy sources have been gaining in popularity over the past several decades. However, public knowledge still lags behind when it comes to clean energy such as solar. Many people are unaware of the substantial benefits, including a reduction in financial burden, that result from switching to renewable energy. Benoy Thanjan, a juggernaut in the solar energy world, explains how he decided to make the leap to entrepreneurship, creating a company that combines his passion, his knowledge of finances, and his goal of making an impact in the world.   Insight from this episode: How to build passive income streams while succeeding at your primary job. Strategies for continuing to evolve as an entrepreneur. How to add additional value to your company. Strategies for strengthening relationships with clients. Why giving back and community are so important for entrepreneurs. How to take a more proactive approach to goal setting. Benoy’s strategies for deciding what projects demand his time and attention.   Quotes from the show: “Not getting overconfident. Continue to be humble. Continue to develop myself. Continue to add value to our clients.” - Benoy Thanjan, on being successful as an entrepreneur, Episode 134 “If I never tried starting my business, there would always be a regret in my life. Even if I failed, there would always be the regret of never trying.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134 “I feel like entrepreneurship’s a lot about instincts and gut feel.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134   “When you wait on people, you give your power away.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 134 “They’re not willing to make the sacrifice and the discipline and put the work and take the failure. They don’t realize how much failure. They see the outside and they don’t see behind the scenes.” - Benoy Thanjan, on the misconception about starting a business, Episode 134   “A lot of times in entrepreneurship, you can’t control a lot of things that are happening. It’s a journey and it’s mentally controlling yourself. And mentally realizing what you can control and what you can make the difference. And there’s a lot of things you can’t control. And that makes a huge difference on being successful or not in life.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134 “We’re focused on progression, not perfection.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 134   Resources Mentioned: Apple hardware Google apps Google Voice Google Calendar Gmail Headspace app   Favorite Book: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg   How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie     Favorite Quote: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” - Reinhold Niebuhr “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” - Vince Lombardi   3 keys to Create Your Best Life:   Do what you’re passionate about, because that’s your true self Accept failure Never give up     Stay Connected:   Create Your Life Series: https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/ https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/   Kevin: www.kevinybrown.com www.instagram.com/kevinybrown www.twitter.com/kevinybrown www.facebook.com/kevbrown001   Benoy Thanjan: www.reneuenergy.com www.instagram.com/benoit0212 www.linkedin.com/in/bthanjan/   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on  itunes, google play, stitcher and www.createyourlifeseries.com/podcast