Shannon is an experienced strategist with a strong foundation in real estate and sustainable construction. She has led multiple startups to financial success and is passionate about innovation. Her latest venture, Energy Raven, helps homeowners improve their home’s energy use and be part of the Climate Solution.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m the founder and CEO of Energy Raven, a startup that began as an internal innovation project for American Family Insurance. I wear many hats in this role, so my day is varied—from investor meetings to running the team, talking to home inspectors, or doing a webinar or podcast—it’s busy and fulfilling.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I’ve been an entrepreneur for many years––in founder, strategist, and investor roles. Bringing ideas to life takes lots of hard work. It’s exciting when you come up with a concept that you believe in and can create a team of people who are also so moved by the mission that together, we’ll do anything to make it a reality.
What’s one trend that excites you?
AI has a lot of potential if we can harness it correctly. We’ve certainly implemented it in our product at Energy Raven.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Exercise and nutrition––I’ve always focused on that to have the energy to engage in startups.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Trust yourself more.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Social media is generally a destructive force, and we would all benefit from investing in becoming ourselves rather than letting other people’s thoughts, actions and passions influence us so much.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I passionately engage in each project, thoroughly research, and truly understand the landscape of any venture I enter.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Unplugged walks in nature help clear my mind and reset my thought process.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Perseverance. I’m an eternal optimist, I believe passionately in what I am doing and never give up.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I sold one of my companies to a very large company, and in many ways, I wish I hadn’t. They didn’t have the same passion I had behind it. This experience helped me look at my next venture differently and analyze potential partners differently.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I’ve been working in the home services space for a long time, and I think there is still a lot of opportunity there, so expanding more into the home is always a good idea. I’d love for someone to nail project management software to make contractor remodels for residential projects more like they are for commercial projects. Right now, all the little guys can’t afford that kind of technology. As a result, homeowners everywhere end up frustrated.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I recently started using AI for meeting notes. It allows me to quickly catch up on meetings I missed and recall key points of conversations rather than worry about writing it all down myself.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
Birkenstocks. Be good to your feet––they are the foundation of your entire body!
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
I love listening to ‘How I Built This.’ As an entrepreneur, you have an idea of what you want to build, but nine times out of 10, what you build vastly differs from what you started with. This podcast highlights the successes and failures of other business leaders—it’s inspiring to hear the wild paths that have led to many amazing outcomes.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I can’t stop re-watching Ted Lasso. It makes me happy every episode. I wish there were more feel-good content out there. We could all use something heartwarming to end our day and help make the bumps and bruises of life and business a little less painful.
Key learnings:
- Embracing AI holds significant promise, especially when effectively integrated into products and services.
- Trust yourself and dive into projects you are passionate about.
- Bringing ideas to life requires hard work and dedication.
- Conduct thorough research and truly understand the landscape of any venture you enter into.