Max Peters is the founder of Pure Power Solar. Both his website and YouTube channel have given hundreds of thousands of readers and viewers helpful tips for their off-grid power needs.
My work/life synopsis
From my childhood growing up in Chicago to the creation of Pure Power Solar, below I navigate some of my core experiences, achievements, and failures that got me to where I am today.
My goal to help as many people as I possibly can with my content while also building strong connections with my audience. After all, you’re the reason I’m able to do what I do. So thank you!
My childhood
Sports and comedy were my two core passions growing up. Ever since I was about four years old I wanted to be a pro baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. As for my daily dose of laughter, SpongeBob, Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers, and pretty much any Jim Carrey movie were a few of my favorites.
My dad sparked my love for sports and he coached more AYSO and Little League teams than I can count. Baseball was (and is) my number one favorite sport, and I played it throughout nearly my entire childhood and teenage years. Third base and pitcher were my favorite positions, and I also loved playing first base. I finished my baseball career after my junior year of college, where I was a relief pitcher.
College & sustainability
My interest in renewable energy became more important in college from taking sustainability courses that captured my attention unlike any other class at the time. I learned about water treatment facilities and how they miraculously recycle poo-water (literally!), the immense pollution created from industry production, as well as green architecture and technology that’s used in part to offset energy costs for buildings and homes.
In fact, the building I lived in my first year of college, the Wabash building, was awarded a LEED Gold certification, which is an internationally-recognized grading standard only given to buildings with exceptional eco-friendly design.
Creating Pure Power Solar
During my junior year winter break, I had a lot of alone time to consider my future. I wanted to gain some internship experience that could guide me to my first job out of college.
While doing my research on YouTube, I came across an ad that was promoting a course on starting a website from scratch and building out a profitable blog. At the time, I was really lacking in my tech skills and thought about all that I could gain from being in a brand new space like this, so I bought the course for about $20. But I still had to answer the most important question before starting – what topic would I write about?
Around this time, my mom was working a second job at REI, which is an adventure gear store that has everything from ski gear to bikes to tents – along with several off-grid gadgets. I knew I wanted my blog topic to be something unique, and while thinking of all the different products offered at REI to brainstorm ideas, I remembered being intrigued by a specific set of products in the front of the store. They were made by Goal Zero.
I didn’t know much about the company, but I knew that their large systems on display used batteries that could recharge from solar panels.
Since I was already fascinated with renewable energy, I thought that this type of product would be an interesting niche to develop my blog around. In a way it would be a side project to my own school studies. Plus, it would be my own property. Something about that resonated with me to my core and pushed me to create my website and dive in.
I soon realized that solar generators were a legitimate backup power solution versus standard gas generators. They weren’t noisy and didn’t emit fumes, meaning that you could easily use them inside a home or RV. Most importantly, they could recharge from solar panels, which allows them to be used over and over again while being completely off the grid.
Building a helpful resource via my website
My blogging journey started slow as I was learning both how to set up my website technically and how to write a proper blog post. I eventually had to take long pauses in between creating content because I still had to finish school while working as an intern, which was then followed by a full-time job after college.
However, throughout this period I was slowly gaining a better sense of how to write clean and helpful posts.
My writing skills improved with each article I published, and after a routine was established, I applied my blogging knowledge to the YouTube space and began creating videos.
After about a year’s worth of consistent publishing, I had a healthy amount of product reviews, comparisons, and general FAQs in my content makeup. Then, readers and viewers began emailing me for advice.
At that point, I knew I had a real blog – one that wasn’t just created to build my resume to get a job somewhere, but one that was actually helping others.
Although I haven’t met most of my audience in person, their feedback drives me to create the best, most valuable content possible. To anyone who’s given me feedback or asked for advice, thank you!
The future of Pure Power Solar
My plan is to simply continue creating helpful resources that answer your core questions – whether it’s a product review, a specific question, or a general request. I want my website and videos to be easily digestible, but also useful to novices, experts, and everyone in between.
It’s in my best interest to continue improving this website along with my Pure Power Solar with Max YouTube channel so long as I am able to progressively help more people along the way.
In closing
Whether you’re a one-time reader or an avid follower, I hope that my story gave you a grasp of who I am so that you can form some sort of connection with me. I aspire to be your number one resource in the off-grid technology space by continuing to have your questions answered. It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to be part of your research in this field.
Feel free to contact me via the social media channels listed below or visit my contact page for more information to get in touch with me.