christopher clark, sunflower solutions
When and why did you start your business?
I started in January of 2009 after conceiving the idea of developing manual solar tracking to lower the cost of energy in international aid applications.
Did you consider yourself an entrepreneur before that?
I would have considered myself an aspiring entrepreneur prior to Sunflower Solutions.
Where did you find your first employee?
Word of mouth and recommendations through networking.
What state or local resources did you take advantage of and how did they help?
The Shaker LaunchHouse has been an excellent resource in the development of Sunflower Solutions.
What’s the most difficult thing about running your own business?
There is no road map, no one to tell you what needs to be done so often it can be difficult to determine how your time is best spent.
What’s the best thing?
For myself, it is the sense of doing something good for the world, where our solar power systems bring better education, healthcare, clean water and economic development.
What has contributed most to your growth?
Word of mouth from our sales and a great community of our supporters.
What other companies or founders do you admire and why?
Mike Carlton, Chris Langmack, Dick Erickson are here locally and part of Sunflower Solution's board of advisers. I hold all of them in very high regard.