YPO.org
   

Episode 65: Yi Li (Renogy), Los Angeles, California, USA

YPO member Yi Li grew up outside of Shanghai, China. With a lifelong love of science, she decided to pursue her studies in the United States, enrolling at Louisiana State University for a Ph.D. in physics. In the third year of her Ph.D. program studying superconductivity and semiconductor materials, Yi began a school project on alternative energy, turning on a light bulb of inspiration! She didn’t have any business training or experience, but she knew she had great ideas.

She decides to start a solar energy and storage company in her college apartment. Since its founding, Renogy has been certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and earned a spot on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies, coming in at #444.

In this episode, Yi shares how she turned her Ph.D. into a profitable business with no investors or private funding, growing organically one person at a time.


 

Guest: Yi Li, President of Renogy
Host & Executive Producer: Kevin Daum
Executive Producer: Van Van
Music: DreamArtist Music.

Made possible with grants from Gazelles Growth Institute.

Listen and Subscribe

Kevin Daum is an award winning and bestselling author of 5 books. He is a marketer, speaker, and columnist for Inc.com and Smart Business Magazine. As an Inc. 500 entrepreneur, his sales and marketing techniques resulted in more than $1 billion in sales. Drawing on his background in theatre and business, Kevin is a compelling speaker who has engaged and inspired audiences around the globe. Kevin is a graduate of the MIT Entrepreneurial Masters program and has received the Global Learning Award 3 times from the Entrepreneur’s Organization, where he held several board positions. Kevin has designed, produced, and led award-winning executive training programs and events for C-level executives and entrepreneurs on four continents. Previously, Kevin was named one of the 40 people to watch under 40 in San Francisco by the Business Times and in 2006 was named Distinguished Alum of the Year by his alma mater, Humboldt State University.