A solar business plan starts with one choice that decides everything else: your business model — a full installer (EPC), a sales dealer, or a lead-generation business. From there you cover licensing, financing and equipment partners, a marketing plan, operations, your team, and financials. The number that makes or breaks a solar company is cost per acquired customer, because this is a high-ticket, long-consideration sale.
We run our own home-service companies, so we treat the marketing math as the heart of the plan, not an afterthought. Below are the three models, what each costs, and the lead-and-follow-up section solar plans most often get wrong.
You sell, design, permit, and install. The highest margin and the highest bar: electrical licensing, crews, equipment, bonding, and working capital that runs into six figures.
You sell and subcontract install to a licensed EPC. Far lower capital, and you can start with a small team. Margin per deal is thinner, and you live or die on lead flow.
You generate and sell qualified solar leads to installers. The lightest startup — mostly marketing and a site — but you are competing in one of the more expensive lead markets there is.
Capital and licensing needs drop as you go down this list. Your plan's financials change completely depending on which you pick — choose before you write them.
Which model, who you serve, and the capital you need. The model drives every other number.
Electrical and contractor licensing, your EPC or install partner, financing providers, and equipment suppliers. List the agreements you actually have, not hopes.
Where leads come from, what each costs, and your close rate. This section is the difference between a plan that pencils out and one that burns cash.
How a lead becomes a signed contract and an install. Sales reps, designers, and the person who follows up — solar deals die in slow follow-up.
Startup costs, cost per acquired customer, margin per deal, deals per month to break even, and a 12-month projection.
Solar is unforgiving on lead economics. Wait if:
Start with the lightest model that proves you can acquire customers profitably, then scale into installs.
The lead and follow-up engine is ours. A solar site with AI lead capture that qualifies and books consults is $249/mo; add the SEO content engine plus attribution at $597/mo so you can see your real cost per acquired customer by channel. Free working demo in 48 hours, month-to-month, you own it.
Related: how to start a solar business, solar website design, solar lead generation, cost per acquisition explained, and how our SEO engine works.
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Model, licensing and partners, a marketing and lead plan, operations and team, and financials with cost per acquired customer.
Full installer, sales dealer, or lead generation. Capital and licensing drop as you move down the list.
A dealer model can start for $10,000–$50,000; a full installer runs into six figures; lead gen is lightest.
Cost per acquired customer. Solar is high-ticket and long-cycle; weak marketing math sinks the business.
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