Neville Voss

Neville Voss is a Technical Director for Infinity, a United Kingdom-based national renewables installer.

Neville began his career in engineering building ships at the Portsmouth dockyard. While he took great pleasure and satisfaction in the work, he always knew he wished to pursue greater challenges. At the age of 21, he moved from the United Kingdom to Australia to seek out new ways to apply his skills and knowledge. Once settled in the land Down Under, Neville began working in the marketing department of a solar power company, which introduced him to a lifelong love of sales and marketing. Within only two years, he rose from his position as Sales Leader to National Sales Manager.

Never satisfied with simply maintaining the status quo, Neville began working on his practical and technical skills. He started specializing in solar installations and, in time, became a qualified electrician, which paved the way for his present position as a Technical Director.

Over the last 13 years, Neville Voss has gained expertise in nearly every aspect of his chosen field. He has built high-performing sales teams from scratch and assembled complex operations from the ground up. He is widely recognized as a sales and marketing thought leader, as well as a technical operations whiz. Making his career even more remarkable, Neville is almost wholly self-taught, although he does possess a diploma in Music Studies and basic apprenticeship experience in metal work.

Neville Voss has since returned to his country of birth, currently residing in the county of Hampshire in the United Kingdom.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

Essentially, Infinity was formed through wanting better for customers in the renewable energy sector and wanting better for the industry on the whole. It was a combination of three parties meeting at the right time and truly bonding through frustration of the industry practices at the time. When we began, I was approached to add value in the technical department, to advise on products and installation methods, and to aid in training the building and installation department. In the last five years of operation, we have grown from a small idea into a company doing more than 100 solar panel installations each week. The sheer volume of our work is making an undeniable impact not only within the industry, but on the climate, as well. We make solar panel installation affordable to everyone who wants it, and that has created an opportunity for many more people to take advantage of it.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My day starts with an espresso. This helps kick my brain into gear. I take one hour to work out at the gym before seeing the children off to school. Once I arrive at the office, I begin the workday by looking over and responding to emails and other messages. This helps me identify what needs to be achieved. Then, after the day’s tasks have been written out and everything is prioritized, the hard work begins. This process allows me to focus on the urgent events which arise throughout the day, and delegate items where needed if something requires my immediate attention.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring my ideas to life by truly believing in the idea. This means knowing that the idea is great and going to benefit the company, as well as the industry. It’s also important to keep in mind that it’s one thing to have an idea, but it’s another to actually execute it. Believing in the idea and resulting project or projects will motivate you to achieve your goals no matter what sort of adversity you may face.

What’s one trend that excites you?

In my industry, the most exciting trends can be found in the latest developments, such as battery storage and solar roofing tiles. Right now, solar roofing tiles are the most talked-about trend in the industry. This innovation brings many people to our company. The idea has only gained in popularity since Tesla released solar roof tiles in the United States. When we finally roll these out to our customers in the United Kingdom, it will be a really big moment. It will be a game-changer.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

One of the habits that makes me more productive is stopping a task once it’s complete. Another is never giving up on a goal or project. Those who want ordinary results put in ordinary effort. Those who want to do something extraordinary stick with it until it happens.

I believe that productivity is all about knowing your art and making it your duty to learn the ins and outs of your trade. This takes a great deal of time and dedication. People who simply work 9 am -5 pm will have a rough time becoming an expert in their field.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self the following: “Take your time and focus. You will achieve. Nothing worth having was achieved by making shortcuts. They say slow and steady wins the race, but the truth is that deliberate steps must be taken in order to facilitate positive results. Stay focused and keep persevering and you will eventually get to where you want to be.”

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

It’s not the taking part that counts, it’s the contribution. To this end, give your best in all things. Yes, results will return to you, but knowing that you’re giving fully to others is far more satisfying.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

The three most important things you can do are be consistent, be present in the moment and task, and show up when needed. This means always being present in order to consistently build toward the goal.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Strategy has been my guide through learning, navigating, and growing this industry. It’s important to plan the hour, day, week, month, and year. Once properly planned, there exists a step-by-step map to achieving a target or end goal. The philosophy of ‘one step at a time’ has grown teams, developed performance results that blow customers away, and created successes for an untold number of enterprises in an untold number of industries.

Throughout the process, I’ve learned it’s important to review both your own and your team’s performance periodically to analyze and adapt as needed. You learn from your accomplishments, but most of all, you learn from your mistakes.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Initially, I tried running before I could walk. That is to say, I achieved success, but struggled against short-term gains because certain foundations were not well-designed. In any project, relationship, or life adventure the foundations must be strong or else the entire endeavor will be weak and will not grow.

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

My suggestion would be to select any energy-saving product and offer it for sale. Drop shipping makes logistics simple with limited resources. As long as that is partnered with good customer support and follow up, the business will thrive. And considering all the technology available at our fingertips, finding ways to connect to cost savings and climate-friendly options also helps a lot.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best money I recently spent was on my Belkin battery pack. My phone is my GPS, my camera, my children’s entertainment system, and my link to all things professional. The Belkin portable battery pack has wireless charging, which, alongside my smash-proof case and glass screen protector, ensures the phone is always accessible. This setup gets me out of a lot of trouble.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google Suite and HubSpot are my two most dependable resources. At our business, we love off the shelf technology, and these two digital products optimize our operations without incurring high costs. Used in combination, these services keep our customer relations and support hub in order without having to spend tens of thousands in designing customized software. This way, any additional costs are not passed on to the customer and our operational efficiency remains high.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

This has to be Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. Reading this book is an excellent way to learn from the successful experiences of two legitimate business success stories, all the while training your mind into adopting a winning philosophy. The book identifies the strategies and lessons the authors learned from selling Paypal and investing money into Facebook, and becoming billionaires in the process. It’s imperative to learn what works from the best of those who came before you.

What is your favorite quote?

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” — Dwyane Johnson

Key Learnings:

• Be present in the moment and always show up.
• Set goals, devise strategies to achieve those goals, and always set those goals before embarking on your journey.
• Learn from the best of those who came before you.
• If you only put in an ordinary amount of effort, then you will never achieve anything extraordinary.
• Be consistent; consistent hard work leads to success.