The contract was going to be our big break — and then it fell through

Shira Parnes, a self-proclaimed “energy nerd,” is the founder and CEO of VENTURA, where she and her team implement strategies that save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars on utility costs.

I’M in an interesting business sector — there aren’t many fellow moms at the park to “talk shop” with! How I got into the energy business is a story of its own (it wasn’t on my list of what I wanted to be when I grew up), but somehow I found myself here, and I absolutely love what I do.

Together with my team, I help real estate and healthcare center owners reduce and manage their energy costs. It’s a dynamic field, and I love making sense of complex information to help empower business owners to make better decisions.

In 2015, when I’d been in the energy industry for four years and was trying to grow my client base and establish my brand in the business world, the biggest opportunity I’d ever been offered until then came my way. I was asked to help with the energy strategy on a two-million-square-foot building. A client of mine had recommended that the building owner reach out to me, and when he called, I remember thinking, This is it — this is the big break I’ve been waiting for!

A project of this scope had the potential to change my entire company and grow my business exponentially. I was excited but also slightly apprehensive, as the project was more complex than anything I’d done before. I definitely felt a bit out of my depth.

But I was also ready to take on the challenge. If until then I’d been climbing the ladder one rung at a time, this was like taking the elevator straight to the top floor. I was ready to go all-in, to learn whatever I needed to learn and do whatever I needed to do to show the company that I was the right candidate for the job. I dedicated all of my time, all of my resources, and enlisted the help of others to put together a proposal to win the project.