Early career professionals are increasingly looking at careers outside of traditional paths.
More and more representatives of younger generations are identifying entrepreneurism as a preferred path to their futures. Whether it’s a reaction to the fallout of job losses from the pandemic or a greater need to follow passion projects that speak to world issues, GenZ and Millenials represent a growing trend inside the startup sector.
CNBC reports on a Junior Achievement USA survey revealing that 60% of teens prefer starting a business over obtaining a traditional job. Although one third of the participants indicated celebrity and social media personalities as inspiration, 37% expressed interest in engaging in programs in-school or after-school that focus on teaching entrepreneurship.
Harvard Business Publishing Education research indicates that to teach entrepreneurism, the creation of an entrepreneurial mindset is essential. Starting the process often takes breaking the typical linear learning pattern inside classrooms. Implementing team-based projects that challenge students to identify a problem, conduct market research, and create new products or services, can encourage students to adopt an entrepreneurial mentality.
Yet, some entrepreneurs are just born that way. Tyler McAllister, the founder and owner of the solar company Fusion Power, never received alternative learning. He felt out of place in school, unconnected to an environment that encouraged the pursuit of traditional educational and professional paths.
After bucking the traditional path to college, McAllister accepted a position in full commission sales, much to the chagrin of his mechanical engineer father. With sales as his springboard, he used his newfound business knowledge to get his startup Fusion Power off the ground.
Already generating $250 million in gross revenue over the past five years, McAllister and his team represent entrepreneurial spirit in action, combining business with a passion for global energy change and sustainability.
Entrepreneurial Make-Up
Rod Berger: When I was growing up, the word entrepreneur didn't even exist. Now it’s so commonly discussed that my 10-year-old son wishes to be one when he grows up. When did the word entrepreneur enter your vernacular, and what type of meaning does it represent?
Tyler McAllister: Entrepreneurism came into my life as my dad, a mechanical engineer, tried to mold me to get an education and a job like he did. Anything that didn't follow that path was considered extremely risky, but I was comfortable with the risk of entrepreneurship.
I married young at 23 and knew I wanted to do something different from the traditional path. I first entered full commission sales, learning quickly that the field of sales is primarily customer acquisition, knowing how to make a customer turn into a prospect, and, of course, buying. I learned from the ground level up. Once I figured it out, I realized I could control my income and have more say in whatever I wanted to build. Because no one is telling me yes or no, I could create it out of my own fabric.
Reflecting on Education
Berger: What was your early education like and how did it affect your choices to pursue business opportunities over the traditional route?
McAllister: I was the kid that didn't fit the typical classroom mold. I struggled in school. Sitting at a desk for six hours a day was challenging. I didn't like that structure at all. I had difficulty following my dad’s outlook and the school program. My dad thought I was a lost cause because even getting through high school was a chore. Later in his years, he said, “You know what, Tyler, if I could go back, I wouldn't have been so hard on you. I realize you're different and you're okay with accepting risks.”
Tyler McAllister represents a new wave of entrepreneur across the U.S.
I think differently from certain education systems that try to train kids to get a job and be good employees. I'm an artist and thought of going to school for art, but I realized it’s one skill set and represents my way of thinking. I think out-of-the-box and creativity led me to find solutions, accept risk, and produce outcomes.
Understanding Learning Styles
Berger: What aspects of your early education could have been different to keep you motivated and engaged in learning?
McAllister: I think not ignoring how different students experience school is really important. During Covid-19, my wife pulled our kids out of school because they didn't have a positive experience and we homeschooled them for two years. It was a great two years of learning methods of school systems and identifying other educational programs designed to fit different learners' personalities.
I think it’s essential to understand how each of our children learns and is drawn to different ways of thinking. It can help customize a learning platform that allows them to excel. Recently, my second oldest was struggling in school, and we were able to pull him out and help him progress further beyond where he was by understanding his learning style.
Education of Business
Berger: What type of on-the-job learning do you remember that educated your overall business practices when you stepped out on your own?
McAllister: In the process of doing full commission sales, I paid close attention to the business owners. I learned business ideas from close proximity. I asked thoughtful questions to understand what was behind the curtain. As a result, I felt part of my education came from successful entrepreneurs around me, many of whom are mentors today. As a result, I believe I’m further ahead than I would have been if I had gone to school.
Berger: When you decided to start Fusion Power and began to form your team, what methods did you use to recognize the talent that would be a fit?
McAllister: I know my strengths, weaknesses, and business needs. Whenever looking at the market and people to fill positions in our company, specific parameters, character traits, and operating skills are attached to the process.
Reading and understanding Gino Wickman’s book Traction has helped us decompartmentalize our company by taking people out, identifying the seats necessary for it to thrive, and then putting them back into the company based on how they identify with each seat.
The successes contributing to Fusion Power are good people, highly qualified for each of their seats, with each given accountability and capacity to do it. We call it GWC: Get it, Want it and have the Capacity to do it. On top of that are our core values. Early on, we identified what made Fusion Power special and different. Its unique signature compared to the marketplace. And we're staying true to that by not just chasing what everyone else is doing.
Berger: Tell me a little about the trajectory of Fusion Power and its growth over time.
McAllister: This year’s growth over the past five years has brought a quarter billion of business in gross revenue. We are the largest dedicated residential solar installer in Arizona. It's vertically integrated, so our sales force and install teams are under one umbrella. We're not outsourcing the labor or the installation work. We have around 200 people working at Fusion Power, 100 employees, and 100 contractors selling solar.
We're rapidly bringing on more people and expanding into more states and we just launched in Texas. We also have a lot of relationships with other sales organizations that are around the country and we are currently creating partnerships right now to expand our footprint across the country.
Berger: If you could sum up your business principles, what would you surmise to be the culture of your success? What’s the moral of your story?
McAllister: Be humble and partner with the right people. I feel blessed to be shouldered with the right people on this journey with me. I have two other business partners and other executives who fulfill their positions inside the company at an extremely high level. I look at them every day with gratitude for being on this journey with me and providing synergy.
We've made something special because we all believe in the same core values and work synergistically. Our number one core value is family first. We discuss what we're creating in the marketplace regarding solar opportunities for families and what we're creating inside the business for employees and contractors.
People come first. We want them to feel loved, respected, and appreciated with a feeling of belonging. Those involved recognize that our efforts are for the betterment of humanity and humankind and want to be a part of that mission by contributing and bringing value to it.
Adding value is our second core principle. People want to be a part of an environment where they can have an impact and feel like they're doing something good in the world and their life. I think highlighting that and partnering with the right people has been the difference between getting to where we are now and other friends we've seen along the journey, not making it.
Our third core value is tenacious grit. We can overcome issues more quickly if we have a strong team that can brave the storm unafraid to turn into the metaphorical blizzard. It’s all about the team. I'm grateful to be partnered with great people.
Berger: When you talk about those three core values, would you say it ties into your generation in some way? It seems that the younger generation is influenced by making an impact beyond the paycheck. How do you assess that inside your business and relationships?
McAllister: I believe 100% of people feel good when they can have any impact inside a business and on the end consumer. It's something that fills the soul and spirit with purpose. It’s why I want to keep doing what I'm doing. When you're doing something you love that's making an impact, there's a progression, and people want to be a part of that growth. They can grow personally but also within the business.
Solar is a cresting business. It's one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States right now. Billions and billions are spent on energy annually, yet solar still only sits at 6% to 7% market penetration across the United States. So there’s a long way to go. We only have a fraction of the people on board with us to achieve our goals and there are many opportunities for growth for everyone involved.
McAllister and his entire team are carving out a professional path based on core values that embrace humanity, sustainability and care.
McAllister represents a growing subset of career-emerging generations unwavering in self-belief. They are embracing risk by substituting traditional career paths for alternatives that allow for creative control outside of established college-to-career tracks.
The entrepreneurial spirit that McAllister leans into has allowed him to adapt, learn and succeed in real-life business situations without the underpinning of an educational system steeped in alternative learning styles.
Perhaps it’s time more traditional learning environments proactively acknowledge alternative educational approaches before the next Tyler McAllister hopeful falls through the cracks.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
