Powur: Can green energy change the world & make you rich too? [Review]

The transition is well underway…

By 2035, solar and wind energy will meet 20% of global power needs, nudging oil and gas out of its power seat. [1]

So it’s not surprising that companies are stepping up to leverage this transition.

Powur is the fastest growing national solar company with a network marketing model that sells residential solar products and services. They’re now one of the largest direct-selling companies focused on clean energy with over 5,000 sales reps, known as Independent Energy Consultants.

Powur doesn’t like the term “MLM” or “Network Marketing”, since over 95% of income derived by both the company and sales consultants is earned from the sale and service of solar systems on residential homes, not on building sales teams.  And while the company does offer referral opportunities for both homeowners and sales consultants to bring both customers and other sales pros to the platform, those referral incentives are a very small part of the model.  You can think of Powur as a direct selling company with some MLM roots.  

And whatever you want to call them, Powur is in a pretty solid market. Renewable energy shouldn’t be losing popularity anytime soon and the company is partnered with most top solar panel companies, giving some solid credibility. The company grew explosively (over 1,000 percent) from 2019 to 2020, and as of the writing of this article in May 2021, Powur reported over 2,000 active residential solar projects in progress, with dozens of projects completed every day.

So it boils down to one thing: If you are considering MLM, is this a good company for you? Let’s take a look.

FAQ

  1. What does Powur sell? Powur sells residential solar systems to reduce customer energy bills and accelerate the transition from dirty to clean energy. They are the general contractor installing solar in 13 states, with California, Texas, and Florida being their largest markets. They partner with and manage over 200 certified installation partners who are subcontractors to Powur in the markets that they serve.
  2. What are Powur’s most popular products? Currently, Powur’s only product is the sale and service of residential solar systems.  However, the Company CEO has expressed an intent to expand into other sustainable products and services, from EVs to water to insurance products. Not sure if this is going to be reality or a pipe dream.
  3. How much does it cost to join Powur? Powur Independent Energy Consultants pay a 1-time onboarding fee of $100, which includes a comprehensive training and certification process.  After that, they pay $50 per month to access the Powur platform to develop and deliver solar proposals and to help educate homeowners.  All consultants have access to “Powur University” for continuing education.  The company also provides (optional) advanced training for an additional fee.   Become a Consultant, and you’ll earn 70% of the gross profit on every project, which can be $4,000 or more.  New consultants share 50% of their commission with an experienced mentor, who guides them through their first 3 projects. Achieving mentor status is the way to maximize your income on their platform. Powur also has an opportunity for consultants to earn stock options and residual income from introducing others to the platform.  However, unlike a traditional MLM, the income from “team-building” is a very small part of the Powur income model (almost all income is from selling solar, not building teams)
  4. Is Powur a scam? Not likely.  They have built a very large business over the last few years and both sales consultants and homeowners appear to be happy.  The fact that they’ve partnered with so many reputable solar panel companies — and those companies speak well of the partnership — says they’re a legitimate business. Online reviews are mixed, with both 5-star and 1-star reviews – but that is not too unusual for a company in the construction industry.
  5. What is Powur’s BBB rating? Powur currently has a “B” rating by the BBB
  6. 6. How long has Powur been in business? Since 2014
  7. What is Powur’s revenue? $100.1M in 2020
  8. How many Powur distributors are there? Powur reports over 5,000 active distributors on the platform
  9. What lawsuits have been filed? We didn’t see any lawsuits listed online.
  10. Comparable companies: No directly comparable companies, but similar model to Vivint, Freedom Forever, and other national solar companies that sell through sales networks.

Overview

Powur’s website starts with a ticker showing that they’ve sequestered over 393 million pounds of CO2 and saved their homeowners over $5.5 million. Their mission?

To accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy worldwide and help 2,000,000 homeowners save money and gain energy independence.

In an older message, they said:

“The greatest transfer of wealth in history is happening right now as society trades dirty energy for a sustainable future. Powur gives you the chance to be part of the solution and create the life of your dreams.”

Pretty visionary, if they can pull it off.

The company operates out of — surprise — California, the hippie motherland.  But just as surprising, they report that their largest market is in Texas.  They operate in 13 states total.

It was started by network marketing whiz-kid Jonathan Budd. Dude started young and he is powerful. He started in network marketing at the age of 21, and within 3 years of navigating that world, he started a multi-million dollar company. Budd often talks about both his successes and his failures, and he has had both.  Powur looks to be shaping up nicely, having grown from almost nothing a few years ago into over $100M in revenue in 2020.  Their national conventions pull in the top sustainable energy speakers in the country and over a thousand paid attendees.  They have a million-dollar production studio in Carlsbad, California where they broadcast live events to their field each week.

The dude knows how to start a company and get rich, for sure. But do his followers? The jury still out, but no question the company has a loyal following of sales reps who are boasting of their success.

Products

Powur essentially only has one product, which is the sale and service of residential solar systems.  They talk of adding additional products and services in the future.  

They partner with all of the leading solar panel manufacturers, including LG, Panasonic, Q Cell, Eagle, and Mission. They use both SolarEdge and Enphase inverters, which are the two leading inverter companies.  The Enphase founder was the keynote speaker of their 2021 convention. 

On a side note, Powur originally had just one partner, SolarCity, and they were more focused on lead generation than solar installation. Now, they are out of the lead gen business and are a full-fledged solar construction company – they operate as a general contractor in 13 states. The company appears to be healthy, claiming both profit and 9-figure revenue as of 2020.

Compensation Plan

Powur has a multi-faceted compensation plan that is based on the sale of a solar energy system to a homeowner.  The commission earned on each sale is a percentage of the gross profit from the sale, which is almost always in the thousands of dollars.  New consultants are required to sell through an experienced and certified mentor for their first 3 projects. New consultants share 50% of their commission with their mentor.  And while productive consultants can be big earners in this model, the real path to income in Powur is to earn the right to be a mentor, which is achieved after you have successfully performed as a consultant with high customer satisfaction.

Powur also has a multi-level compensation model for consultants who are referred to the platform, but that is a very small part of the compensation model.  More than 95% of the income within Powur is earned by selling solar or mentoring others who sell solar.  Unlike traditional MLMs, you will not have the opportunity to get rich by team-building in Powur – you need to sell to end customers.

Like many network marketing companies, Powur gamifies their platform and regularly has special promotions for both customers and their reps.  They give away a Tesla to a top performer each year – sort of a clean energy spin on Mary K’s pink Cadillac. They also offer stock options to reps who achieve specific levels of sales performance.  It is not clear what the value of the stock options are. Reps are betting that the company will continue to grow and will eventually go public. Roll the dice and take your chances.

Powur has simplified their cost model to reps over the last few years.  It now costs $100 to onboard with Powur, which includes a mandatory training and certification process.  There is a monthly fee of $50 to remain active on the platform.  Powur also offers optional advanced training programs at an additional cost, which they conduct live from their virtual production studio in California.

As with many network marketing companies, their public website is customer-facing, not sales-rep facing.  They have multiple live events each month to introduce new consultants to the platform, who like other MLMs are typically brought in by consultants who are already on the platform.

Powur also provides a lead generation incentive of $1,000 for anyone who signs up as a Powur Ambassador and refers a homeowner to Powur. No certification or fees are required to be an ambassador, and apparently, many homeowners become ambassadors.  But the bigger sales opportunity requires a commitment of not only money but also education and time.

Recap

Honestly, this company is partnered with a lot of solid companies and offers a decent compensation plan. They also cut out a lot of the BS involved in MLM, from home parties to auto-ship. There is an argument that they are more “direct selling” than MLM, since the majority of income is earned by selling, not recruiting.

You’re gonna need some pretty baller sales skills to sell 30 thousand dollar solar systems.  So it may not be easy.  But apparently, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

powur

Meet the Author

JP

JP teaches network marketers how to build a real business. Far from a hater, he still LOLs at 3-way calls and building "downlines". If you like Monday morning conversations with your kids by the pool, you might like this.

2 comments… add one
  • Corey Jackson Sep 24, 2017, 5:13 pm

    Jeremy, I got involved with Powur a couple years back after finally giving in to a “pitch” from a two good friends & former co workers. They had attempted to “recruit” me into several MLM / Opportunity / Next Best Thing / HYPE over many years. I had been done done done with that Model of business after a few failed attempts many years back. Yet, I saw some type of potential here with Powur & after one of their teams left to a competitor. I took his position. Must admit, what I’ve found is this. No matter what the opportunity. No matter how good it sounds. No matter how much hype or whatever else is going on. It comes down to knowing how to achieve one major & very much needed skill. Marketing. Simple as that. That’s the skill I am working on now. Mindset, drive, passion….blah bla bla. Business neads Leads. Leads are created by marketing. Btw. Great Site Here. Thanks for the review.

  • Jill Miles May 12, 2018, 6:40 pm

    Hello, Please update your information on Powur, PBC. We are not a MLM company. We are a software platform that allows advisors to connect homeowners with over 40 local providers across the nation and abroad. We have many career paths for all individuals. Our model has evolved and solar city is no longer on our platform. Want more information feel free to reach out to me.

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