Her Story
About Kelly
I've built my career on sales, finance, and relationship building, starting with 27 years in real estate and finance at Credit Union One before transitioning to the renewable energy solar industry. In 2024, when the real estate market got really slow with high rates and low inventory, the universe brought me back together with an old friend from first grade who owned Alchemy Solar Distribution. He saw value in me and thought I'd be a good fit to help build his business, and what started as an opportunity turned into an amazing full-time career that I've been doing for 4 years now. The shift from real estate to solar wasn't hard for me because sales is still about networking and relationship building, and looking at rates and margins in solar distribution paralleled very easily with my business background. Now I work remotely from Lakewood, Colorado as a Sales and Procurement Specialist and Manager, selling solar panels, batteries, and inverters. I'm building my own business under this solar blanket, focusing on account management and growing my network of personal and business relationships. What makes me good at what I do is being relatable and talking to people honestly - I have a good sense of humor that I carry into everything I do, and I think people feel comfortable around me right away. Being transparent, straightforward, and just being myself, knowing when to be serious but also bringing that human aspect into situations, has been a real big asset to me. I'm also legally blind, which is something I've had to overcome in the business world, and I'm open about it because I think there might be women out there who feel short just by being a woman but also might have something else that really scares them and makes them think they can't move up in the world.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kelly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think being relatable and being able to talk to people honestly has been key to my success. I have a good sense of humor, and I carry it in everything I do. I think that people feel comfortable around me right away. I believe that the honesty, being transparent, being very straightforward has worked very well for me, because that honesty, transparency, and communication is really what I go around. Just being myself, being able to bring a casual sense of humor to a business world has been a real big asset to me. Really, to be honest with you, just being myself - knowing when to be serious, but also being able to bring that human aspect into situations that is very relatable to people.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is to be honest and be kind. Mean what you say, but don't say it mean.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage you to not let the room build around you. Don't mold yourself around the room. You bring yourself to the room, and you let them adjust around what you do best. Don't try to fit in. It's okay to stand out.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I face is having an idea, being able to present an idea, and having the audience respect and listen to what you're saying. That's the biggest challenge - having an idea, owning that idea, being able to present it and have people hear it. And I don't want to say buy-in, because that sounds like a sale, but to be able to understand that idea and accept it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are transparency, honesty, communication, and flexibility. I also value thinking outside the box, being creative and innovative in how I approach problems and opportunities.
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