Pat & Loz are on the road again — this week recording from the brand new Jet Solar HQ on Wellington Road, Rowville. And yes, the signwriting is real.

Jason Dickinson has been quietly running one of the best solar businesses in Melbourne for seven years, and this episode is a good insight into how he’s done it. From driving forklifts in Dandenong at 18, to a residential apprenticeship, subbing for a mate at 60 bucks an hour, and eventually going out on his own — Jason’s got a pretty honest take on what it takes to build something worth being proud of.

We get into his three non-negotiables for running a quality solar business, how he’s building a team through local footy club sponsorships, why he’s stuck to just four battery brands and why he thinks that’s actually a competitive advantage, and what the new commercial STC changes might mean for businesses like his — and yours.

Also in this episode — the AusNet backstop update (Erin from Jet Solar has been doing serious work in the industry reference group), a chat about the upcoming CER battery audits and what that might look like for the industry, and a frank discussion about product selection and why selling everything under the sun creates more problems than it solves.

Plus a rapid-fire Q&A at the end, a tuna and rice cracker story, and a gel seat cushion that travels on aeroplanes.

Good one.