A bud of an idea to create a solar energy business to fund investment in a Port Moresby school – has now grown into a business which is one of the larger suppliers of solar products in PNG.
Seeing the opportunity and importance of bringing more solar quality products to PNG, Matt Allen started PNG Solar Supply in 2023.
Matt says BLP was a huge part of making the business possible. PNG Solar Supply received a BLP Grant at the very outset of their business.
“When we first started the business, we were asking customers for product pre-payment and then we’d order stock in – but this was a lengthy process taking 6 months.” He says this approach wasn’t working for our customers, or for them.
“We wanted to get ahead by holding stock. We had a great niche product which we believed would be a good in PNG. It was at this stage that we applied for a BLP grant to enable us to order some stock of these particular niche solar invertors. The BLP grant covered the cost of two of these invertors and we purchased the other three.”
“Cool story. We started talking to people about the invertors coming in and before they had even arrived, we had already sold the stock. Given we’d sold the stock coming in, we were able to straight away order more stock, even before this initial stock came in.”
“When we applied for the Grant, BLP sat down with us and looked through our business plan, which was solid. The Grant application process was not difficult. Hat’s off to BLP for keeping the process simple.” In PNG, BLP works in partnership with the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion and the Lae Chamber of Commerce.
Matt says they’ve had a lot of repeat business. “It’s really taken off and we’re selling products all over PNG, mostly in rural areas where there’s a need for solar products. We’re focused by supplying only high-quality products and trying to give the best prices so we’re keeping overheads to a minimum.”
Matt’s latest marketing initiative to build sales is sending out a catalogue via mail chimp to 78 subscribers who install solar installation.
The business has six full time employees including Matt, two drivers, two loaders and a person responsible in the office with accounts and design.
Giving back to community is a life focus for Matt and his wife Becky, who moved to PNG 22 years ago. They initially lived in a remote village for six years as missionaries with the Kamea Tribe. After 10 years Matt flew planes across PNG delivering goods, including medivac flights. Five years ago, he hung up his wings when they transitioned to Port Moresby. Matt says they still do work helping people in need.
In Port Moresby, Matt Allen and his wife Becky started Capital City Baptist Church and South Pacific International Academy. Becky is the principal of the school. The school is a non-profit organisation and owned by the church.
Matt says with a background as a pilot, his engineering experience has helped in the development of the solar business. It’s something he enjoys doing – working out the technical details.
“To date any profit has been reinvested back into the business – we just keep reinvesting, reinvesting. We still haven’t drawn dividends for the school, but we will be able to soon.”
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.