Cody Veibell

Cody Veibell’s entrepreneurial journey began at 19, selling alarm systems door-to-door in Kansas City, eventually rising to the role of Executive of Sales for a smart home company. After a short retirement, he joined Suntria, a venture-backed company specializing in solar solutions. Cody generates revenue through commission-based salespeople, prioritizing customer experience and leveraging advanced technology. Despite initial doubts early on in his career and challenging moments, he persisted, driven by a determination to prove skeptics wrong. His commitment led to success, transforming tough weeks into improvements and marking the start of thriving business.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

My typical day starts at 4:45 am with a workout. If I’m in Utah, I have breakfast with my kids and take the oldest two to school. With four kids in different schools, I like to spend time with them in the morning. The rest of the day is filled with department-specific meetings where I address their accomplishments, pain points, and opportunities. I focus on saving money, investing wisely, addressing staffing or technology issues, and finding efficiencies to enhance everyone’s performance.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Early in my career, I valued discernment and followed my heart in business decisions while growing sales at a multi-billion dollar company. In the last three years there, as a publicly traded company, there was a shift towards prioritizing the bottom line over empathy. After retiring, I committed to following my heart in every decision. We avoided trends and only pursued opportunities that felt right, leading to a standout year with 350% growth in recognized revenue in 2023, while many solar companies faced bankruptcy. The philosophy of following our hearts and saying ‘no’ when needed has been key to our success

What’s one trend that excites you?

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Avoid reaching a point where you believe you’ve achieved everything and can coast. Embrace the ongoing journey of constant improvement and positively impacting lives. While finding fulfillment in our endeavors is crucial, it’s equally important not to settle into contentment that leads to stagnation. Real success is rooted in continual advancement—both on a personal level and within our careers and families. Earning money becomes a natural outcome of dedicating time and effort to assisting others. Success is an ever-evolving process of perpetual personal growth.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’ve always been smart with money, but looking back, I wish I had been more educated early in my career. I would have been more prudent in my spending and focused on saving and investing. Now, with our employees, we prioritize financial education. We provide opportunities for aggressive 401k plans and offer coaching to help them make informed decisions about their money.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I often find disagreement with my philosophy, especially regarding interest rates and how the solar industry operates. Many companies prioritize selling solar products for short-term gains, such as PPOs, leases, and PPAs, even if they don’t benefit the customer in the long run. Our principle is to provide the best solar system at the lowest price over its lifetime, not just for immediate gains. While this approach faces resistance, it has allowed us to take better care of our customers, maintain funding for employee payments, and avoid layoffs, giving us a competitive edge.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

The key is to never reach a point where you think you’ve ‘made it’ and can relax. It’s crucial to love the process of continuous improvement and enriching lives. Satisfaction with our efforts is important, but we shouldn’t become content to the point of stagnation. True success is found in progression – personally, in careers, and in families. Money is a byproduct of time, effort, and helping others. Success is an ongoing journey of constant personal progression.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

My approach to success revolves around avoiding complacency. I encourage continuous improvement, both personally and professionally, highlighting that true success is a perpetual journey of advancement. Success, I believe, is a byproduct of ongoing dedication, effort, and a positive impact on others.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Our primary marketing strategy is currently door-to-door, where we acquire the majority of our customers. We leverage our CRM to track customer data extensively, enabling us to re-target them for future opportunities and offer the most cost-effective solar solutions. Additionally, we’re developing technology, including apps, to provide real-time quotes on our website and enable customers to order their solar system immediately. We’re also working on technology to enhance visibility and KPIs for our sales team, focusing on thorough data tracking and analysis.

What is one failure in your career,  how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

In the last few months, while each day has brought numerous decisions, I wouldn’t categorize any of them as exceptionally difficult. Managing a company facing challenges, you anticipate dealing with a lot of issues. I don’t feel overly affected or find anything too challenging; the decisions just feel right, making them relatively easy.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I haven’t given much thought to starting another business, but if I were to consider one, it would be with my two boys. One is highly creative, interested in design and architecture, while the other is more hands-on. Given my knowledge in the construction world through solar, I envision starting a business in construction—perhaps in multifamily or commercial spaces. Building together with my boys in this field would be a rewarding and enjoyable venture

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Most of our customer-facing and sales apps are proprietary, built in-house. We use NetSuite for CRM, financing, accounting, and project management. As for tough decisions in the last few months, every day brings numerous decisions, but I wouldn’t say any of them have been extremely hard. When you go into managing a company, especially one with challenges, you expect a lot of decisions. So far, none have felt overly challenging; if they feel right, they’re easy.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

I’m a simple reader, often picking books based on current challenges. Two favorites are ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie, emphasizing the value of relationships, and ‘The Strangest Secret’ by Earl Nightingale, reminding me of the power of positive thinking. Success, to me, is basic—show up, work hard, maintain a positive attitude. These books reinforce the fundamentals that success is about mindset and actions. If you believe in your capabilities and work towards your goals, that confidence will shape your reality. Applying these principles can be life-changing for anyone.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

I can’t really pay attention to movies or TV shows. I try, but I usually make it two minutes before falling asleep or getting distracted. So, no, I can’t think of anything to shout out.

Key learnings

Heart-Centric Decision-Making: I strongly believe in the power of discernment and following my heart in business decisions. This philosophy has been the driving force behind Suntria’s success, leading to remarkable growth and a staggering 350% increase in recognized revenue in 2023.

Principled Approach to Solar Business: I challenge prevalent trends in the solar industry, advocating for a value-driven focus on providing the best solar systems at the lowest price over the system’s lifetime. This approach sets Suntria apart, ensuring customer care, employee retention, and financial stability.

Commitment to Continuous Progression: My approach to success revolves around avoiding complacency. I encourage continuous improvement, both personally and professionally, highlighting that true success is a perpetual journey of advancement. Success, I believe, is a byproduct of ongoing dedication, effort, and a positive impact on others.