In this episode of the Failing to Success podcast, Chad Kaleky, host of Cosmic Design, interviews Stuart Derman, founder of RELLO, a marketing agency that helps companies scale. Stuart shares his experience of overcoming obstacles and challenges as an entrepreneur. He discusses the process of starting multiple organizations before finally finding success with RELLO, which has grown significantly in the solar industry.

Stuart's passion for the outdoor space led him to study marketing in college, where he discovered his love for the field. He started his career as an intern in a tech startup's marketing department before moving on to work in a marketing agency, where he held various roles. He eventually decided to start his own marketing agency, RELLO, after seeing no room for growth in his previous job and having several clients come his way, specifically in the solar industry.

Stuart talks about how the solar industry is seeing significant growth but also facing disruption, with some markets growing fast while others are struggling with issues like solar reimbursement rates. As an agency, RELLO targets solar companies as a core vertical but also serves non-competing markets around the country. Stuart highlights the challenges of helping fuel the growth of solar companies, which have to develop processes quickly to avoid breaking as they scale.

Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the journey of an entrepreneur and the challenges of scaling a business in a rapidly growing industry. Stuart's story serves as inspiration for those looking to start their own venture and highlights the importance of perseverance in the face of obstacles.

Key points:

Stuart Derman is the founder of RELLO, a marketing agency that helps companies scale.

Derman has started four different organizations, one being a nonprofit that runs the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival in Salt Lake City.

RELLO is the first venture that has really taken root and grown well for Derman.

Derman found his passion for marketing when he took marketing classes in college and decided to start his own agency after feeling that there was no room for growth in the marketing agency he worked for.

While RELLO does not exclusively target solar companies, it is a core vertical that they serve.

The solar industry is seeing a lot of growth but is also being disrupted, and RELLO has had to develop processes to help their clients scale successfully.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:42 Start, Fail, Start Again

00:04:47 Renewable Marketing

00:06:38 Pivotal Moment

00:08:30 Contact Stuart

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