SING SinglePoint Inc (PK)

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have had a history of losses and may incur future losses, which may prevent us from attaining profitability.

We have incurred significant net losses since inception. Our net losses were approximately $8.9 million and $5.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $95.2 million. We may continue to incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown events.

We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase substantially in the foreseeable future as we undertake the acquisition and integration of additional entities, incur expenses associated with maintaining compliance as a public company, and increase marketing and sales efforts to increase our customer base. These increased expenditures may make it more difficult to achieve and maintain profitability. In addition, our efforts to grow our business may be more expensive than we expect, and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to offset increased operating expenses. If we are required to reduce our expenses, our growth strategy could be materially affected. We will need to generate and sustain significant revenue levels in future periods in order to become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will achieve sustainable operating profits as we continue to expand our product offerings and infrastructure, further develop our marketing efforts, and otherwise implement our growth initiatives. Any failure to achieve and maintain profitability would have a materially adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plan, our results and operations, and our financial condition.

If we do not obtain adequate capital funding or improve our financial performance, we may not be able to continue as a going concern.

We have incurred a net loss in each year since our inception and expect to incur losses in future periods as we continue to increase our expenses in order to grow our business. These factors raise substantial doubt about our Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to obtain adequate funding or if we are unable to grow our revenue substantially to achieve and sustain profitability, we may not be able to continue as a going concern. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2022 included herein contains an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern as a result of recurring losses from operations.

If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we will be required to significantly delay, scale back or restrict our operations or obtain funds by entering into agreements on unattractive terms, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that would likely result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us. In addition, our ability to achieve profitability or to respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited.

The amount and timing of our future funding requirements depends on many factors, including

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we have in the past and may in the future be restricted or limited by the terms of the credit facilities governing our indebtedness on our ability to enter into additional indebtedness and any future debt financing based upon covenants that restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, redeem our stock, make certain investments and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions.

 We and our subsidiaries have limited operating histories and therefore we cannot ensure the long-term successful operation of our business or the execution of our growth strategy.

Our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by growing companies in new and rapidly evolving markets. We may meet many challenges including:

Our growth strategy may be unsuccessful and we may be unable to address the risks we face in a cost-effective manner, if at all. If we are unable to successfully address these risks, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

We have a holding company ownership structure and will depend on distributions from our majority-owned and/or controlled operating subsidiaries to meet our obligations. Contractual or legal restrictions applicable to our subsidiaries could limit payments or distributions from them.

We are a holding company and derive all of our operating income from, and hold substantially all of our assets through, our subsidiaries. The effect of this structure is that we will depend on the earnings of our subsidiaries, and the payment or other distributions to us of these earnings, to meet our obligations and make capital expenditures. Provisions of U.S. corporate and tax law, like those requiring that dividends are paid only out of surplus, and provisions of any future indebtedness may limit the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments or other distributions to us. Additionally, in the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of any of our subsidiaries, creditors of that subsidiary (including trade creditors) will generally be entitled to payment from the assets of that subsidiary before those assets can be distributed to us.

 We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions as a primary component of our growth strategy. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or at all, which could disrupt our operations and adversely impact our business and operating results.

A primary component of our growth strategy has been to acquire complementary businesses to grow our company. We intend to continue to pursue acquisitions of complementary technologies, products and businesses as a primary component of our growth strategy to expand our operations and customer base and provide access to new markets and increase benefits of scale. Acquisitions involve certain known and unknown risks that could cause our actual growth or operating results to differ from our expectations. For example:

Our ability to acquire additional businesses may require issuances of our common stock and/or debt financing that we may be unable to obtain on acceptable terms.

The timing, size and success of our acquisition efforts and the associated capital commitments cannot be readily predicted. We intend to use our common stock, cash, debt and borrowings under our credit facility, if necessary, as consideration for future acquisitions of companies. The issuance of additional common stock in connection with future acquisitions may be dilutive to holders of shares of common stock issued in this offering. In addition, if our common stock does not maintain a sufficient market value or potential acquisition candidates are unwilling to accept common stock as part of the consideration for the sale of their businesses, we may be required to use more of our cash resources, including obtaining additional capital through debt financing. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain financing if and when it is needed or that it will be available on terms that we deem acceptable. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs or commercialization efforts. As a result, we may be unable to pursue our acquisition strategy successfully, which may prevent us from achieving our growth objectives.

We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, which may adversely impact our operations.

Acquired technologies, products or businesses may not perform as we expect and we may fail to realize anticipated revenue and profits. In addition, our acquisition strategy may divert management’s attention away from our existing business, resulting in the loss of key customers or employees, and expose us to unanticipated problems or legal liabilities, including responsibility as a successor for undisclosed or contingent liabilities of acquired businesses or assets.

If we fail to conduct due diligence on our potential targets effectively, we may, for example, not identify problems at target companies or fail to recognize incompatibilities or other obstacles to successful integration. Our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if new technologies, products or businesses are not implemented effectively, may preclude the realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of new technologies, products or businesses may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, and competitive responses. The difficulties integrating an acquisition include, among other things:

In addition, even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities, that we expect. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all.

Acquisitions which we complete may have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

Acquisitions may cause us to:

The occurrence of any or all of the above risks could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may be subject to claims arising from the operations of our various businesses for periods prior to the dates we acquired them.

We may be subject to claims or liabilities arising from the ownership or operation of acquired businesses for the periods prior to our acquisition of them, including environmental, warranty, workers’ compensation and other employee-related and other liabilities and claims not covered by insurance. These claims or liabilities could be significant. Our ability to seek indemnification from the former owners of our acquired businesses for these claims or liabilities may be limited by various factors, including the specific time, monetary or other limitations contained in the respective acquisition agreements and the financial ability of the former owners to satisfy our indemnification claims. In addition, insurance companies may be unwilling to cover claims that have arisen from acquired businesses or locations, or claims may exceed the coverage limits that our acquired businesses had in effect prior to the date of acquisition. If we are unable to successfully obtain insurance coverage of third-party claims or enforce our indemnification rights against the former owners, or if the former owners are unable to satisfy their obligations for any reason, including because of their current financial position, we could be held liable for the costs or obligations associated with such claims or liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our resources may not be sufficient to manage our expected growth; failure to properly manage our potential growth would be detrimental to our business.

We may fail to adequately manage our anticipated future growth. Any growth in our operations will place a significant strain on our administrative, financial and operational resources and increase demands on our management and on our operational and administrative systems, controls and other resources. We cannot assure you that our existing personnel, systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support our operations in the future or that we will be able to successfully implement appropriate measures consistent with our growth strategy. As part of this growth, we may have to implement new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to expand, train and manage our employee base, and maintain close coordination among our technical, accounting, finance, marketing and sales. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so, or that if we are able to do so, we will be able to effectively integrate them into our existing staff and systems. There may be greater strain on our systems as we acquire new businesses, requiring us to devote significant management time and expense to the ongoing integration and alignment of management, systems, controls and marketing. If we are unable to manage growth effectively, such as if our sales and marketing efforts exceed our capacity to design and produce our products and services or if new employees are unable to achieve performance levels, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

The rapidly evolving and competitive nature of the solar industry makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects.

The rapidly evolving and competitive nature of the solar industry makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects. The solar industry is an evolving industry that has experienced substantial changes in recent years, and we cannot be certain that consumers, businesses or utilities will adopt solar PV systems as an alternative energy source at levels sufficient to grow our business. In addition, we have limited insight into emerging trends that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries, including unpredictable and volatile revenues and increased expenses as our business continues to grow. If demand for solar energy solutions does not continue to grow or grows at a slower rate than anticipated, our business and results of operations will suffer. The viability and demand for our products, may be affected by many factors beyond our control, including:

We depend upon a limited number of outside contract manufacturers, and our operations could be disrupted if our relationships with these contract manufacturers are compromised.

We do not have internal manufacturing capabilities, and currently rely on contract manufacturers to build all of our products. Our reliance on a limited number of contract manufacturers makes us vulnerable to possible capacity constraints and reduced control over component availability, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields and costs. We do not currently have long-term supply contracts with our contract manufacturers and they are not obligated to supply products to us for any period, in any specified quantity or at any certain price beyond the single delivery contemplated by the relevant purchase order. While we may enter into long-term master supply agreements with our contract manufacturers in the future as the volume of our business grows in a way that makes these arrangements economically feasible, we may not be successful in negotiating such agreements on favorable terms or at all. If we do enter into such long-term master supply agreements or enter into such agreements on less favorable terms than we currently have with such manufacturers, we could be subject to binding long-term purchase obligations that may be harmful to our business, including in the event that we do not have the customer demand necessary to utilize the products that we are required to purchase. Any change in our relationships with our contract manufacturers or changes to contractual terms of our agreements with them could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The revenue that certain of our contract manufacturers generate from our orders represents a relatively small percentage of their overall revenue. As a result, fulfilling our orders may not be considered a priority in the event of constrained ability to fulfill all of their customer obligations in a timely manner. In addition, some of the facilities in which our products are manufactured are located outside of the United States. Our use of international facilities may increase supply risk, including the risk of supply interruptions or reductions in manufacturing quality or controls.

We may be negatively impacted by the deterioration in financial conditions of our limited number of contract manufacturers. If any of our contract manufacturers were unable or unwilling to manufacture the components that we require for our products in sufficient volumes, at high-quality levels, on a timely basis and pursuant to existing supply agreement terms, due to financial conditions or otherwise, we would have to identify, qualify and select acceptable alternative contract manufacturers. An alternative contract manufacturer may not be available to us when needed or may not be in a position to satisfy our quality or production requirements on commercially reasonable terms, including price and timing. Any significant interruption or delays in manufacturing would require us to reduce or delay our supply of products to our customers or increase our shipping costs to make up for delays in manufacturing, if possible, which in turn could reduce our revenue, cause us to incur delay liquidated damages or other liabilities to our customers, harm our relationships with our customers, damage our reputation or cause us to forego potential revenue opportunities. While we may have contractual remedies against our contract manufacturers for the supply chain malfunctions noted above to support any liabilities to our customers, such remedies may not be sufficient in scope, we may not be able to effectively enforce such remedies and we may incur significant costs in enforcing such remedies.

Risks Related to Our Markets and Customers

A drop in the retail price of electricity derived from the utility grid or from alternative energy sources may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Decreases in the retail prices of electricity from the utility grid, or other renewable energy resources, would make the purchase of solar PV systems less economically attractive and would likely lower sales of our products. The price of electricity derived from the utility grid could decrease as a result of:

Moreover, technological developments in the solar components industry could allow our competitors and their customers to offer electricity at costs lower than those that can be offered by us to our customers, which could result in reduced demand for our products. If the cost of electricity generated by solar PV installations incorporating our systems is high relative to the cost of electricity from other sources, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed. Any failure by us to adopt new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could result in product obsolescence, the loss of competitiveness of our products, decreased revenue and a loss of market share to competitors.

An increase in interest rates or tightening of the supply of capital in the global financial markets could make it difficult for end-users to finance the cost of a solar PV system and could reduce the demand for smart energy products and thus demand for our products.

Many end-users depend on financing to fund the initial capital expenditure required to develop, build or purchase a solar PV system. As a result, an increase in interest rates or a reduction in the supply of project debt financing or tax equity investments, could reduce the number of solar projects that receive financing or otherwise make it difficult for our customers or the end-users to secure the financing necessary to develop, build, purchase, or install a solar PV system on favorable terms, or at all, and thus lower demand for our products which could limit our growth or reduce our net sales. In addition, we believe that a significant percentage of end-users install solar PV systems as an investment, funding the initial capital expenditure through financing. Recent increases in interest rates could lower such end-user’s return on investment on a solar PV system, increase equity return requirements or make alternative investments more attractive relative to solar PV systems, and, in each case, could cause such end-users to seek alternative investments. Furthermore, current uncertainty in the economy due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, increases in interest rates and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may detrimentally influence the end-users willingness to invest in solar PV systems, both due to end-users’ economic uncertainty as well as the market’s unwillingness to extend favorable financial terms to the end-users.

The market for our products is highly competitive and we expect to face increased competition as new and existing competitors introduce power optimizers, inverters, solar PV system monitoring and other smart energy products, which could negatively affect our results of operations and market share.

The market for solar PV and air purification solutions is highly competitive and could remain that way for an extended period of time. An increased global supply of PV modules has caused and may cause structural imbalances in which global PV module supply exceeds demand. We expect competition to intensify as new and existing competitors enter the market. In addition, there are several new entrants that are proposing solutions to the rapid shutdown functionality which has become a regulatory requirement for PV rooftop solar systems in the United States. If these new technologies are successful in offering a price competitive and technologically attractive solution to the residential solar PV market, this could make it more difficult for us to maintain market share and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Several of our existing and potential competitors have the financial resources to offer competitive products at aggressive or below-market pricing levels, which could cause us to lose sales or market share or require us to lower prices for our products in order to compete effectively. If we have to reduce our prices by more than we anticipated, or if we are unable to offset any future reductions in our average selling prices by increasing our sales volume, reducing our costs and expenses or introducing new products, our revenues and gross profit would suffer.

In addition, competitors may be able to develop new products more quickly than us, may partner with other competitors to provide combined technologies and competing solutions and may be able to develop products that are more reliable or that provide more functionality than ours.

The solar industry has historically been cyclical and experienced periodic downturns.

Our future success partly depends on continued demand for solar PV systems in the end-markets we serve. The solar industry has historically been cyclical and has experienced periodic downturns which may affect demand for our products. Additionally, PV solar and related technologies may not be suitable for continued adoption at economically attractive rates of return. Sufficient additional demand for solar modules and related technologies may not develop or may take longer to develop than we anticipate, causing our net sales and profit to flatten or decline and threatening our ability to sustain profitability.

The solar industry has undergone challenging business conditions in past years, including downward pricing pressure for PV modules, mainly as a result of overproduction, and reductions in applicable governmental subsidies, contributing to demand decreases. Therefore, there is no assurance that the solar industry will not suffer significant downturns in the future, which will adversely affect demand for our solar products and our results of operations.

Defects or performance problems in our products could result in loss of customers, reputational damage and decreased revenue, and we may face warranty, indemnity and product liability claims arising from defective products.

Although our products meet our stringent quality requirements, they may contain undetected errors or defects, especially when first introduced or when new generations are released. Errors, defects or poor performance can arise due to design flaws, defects in raw materials or components or manufacturing difficulties, which can affect both the quality and the yield of the product. Any actual or perceived errors, defects, or poor performance in our products could result in the replacement or recall of our products or components thereof, shipment delays, rejection of our products, damage to our reputation, lost revenue, diversion of our personnel from our product development efforts, and increases in customer service and support costs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Furthermore, defective components may give rise to warranty, indemnity or product liability claims against us that exceed any revenue or profit we receive from the affected products. Our limited warranties cover defects in materials and workmanship of our products under normal use and service conditions, therefore, we bear the risk of warranty claims long after we have sold products and recognized revenue. While we do have accrued reserves for warranty claims, our estimated warranty costs for previously sold products may change to the extent future products are not compatible with earlier generation products under warranty. Our warranty accruals are based on our assumptions and we do not have a long history of making such assumptions. As a result, these assumptions could prove to be materially different from the actual performance of our systems, causing us to incur substantial unanticipated expenses to repair or replace defective products in the future or to compensate customers for defective products. Our failure to accurately predict future claims could result in unexpected volatility in, and have a material adverse effect on, our financial condition.

If one of our products were to cause injury to someone or cause property damage, then we could be exposed to product liability claims and lawsuits which could result in significant costs and liabilities if damages are awarded against us. Further, any product liability claim we face could be expensive to defend and could divert management’s attention. The successful assertion of a product liability claim against us could result in potentially significant monetary damages, penalties or fines, subject us to adverse publicity, damage our reputation and competitive position, and adversely affect sales of our products. In addition, product liability claims, injuries, defects, or other problems experienced by other companies in the residential solar industry could lead to unfavorable market conditions for the industry as a whole.

The reduction, elimination or expiration of rebates, tax credits, government subsidies and economic incentives for on-grid solar electricity applications could reduce demand for solar PV systems and harm our business.

Federal, state and local government bodies provide incentives to promote solar electricity in the form of rebates, tax credits or exemptions and other financial incentives. The market for on-grid applications, where solar power is used to supplement a customer’s electricity purchased from the utility network or sold to a utility under tariff, often depends in large part on the availability and size of government and economic incentives. The reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications, or other public policies could negatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules. The imposition of tariffs on our products could materially increase our costs to perform under our contracts with customers, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

For example, in 2015 the U.S. Congress passed a multi-year extension to the solar Investment Tax Credit (“ITC”), which helped grow the U.S. solar market. As of January 1, 2022, the ITC is 26% of expenditures from residential or commercial projects. By January 1, 2024, the ITC is expected to drop to 10% for commercial projects and is expected to be completely phased out for residential projects. The potential reduction and termination of the ITC could reduce the demand for solar energy solutions in the U.S. which would have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Furthermore, due to the continued economic downturn from COVID-19, many of the institutions utilizing the ITC may significantly pull back or no longer have the ability to invest, meaning that financing for solar projects may become seriously diminished.

In general subsidies and incentives may expire on a particular date, end when the allocated funding is reduced or terminated due to, inter alia, legal challenges, adoption of new statutes or regulations or the passage of time, they often occur without warning.

In addition, several jurisdictions have adopted renewable portfolio standards mandating that a certain portion of electricity delivered by utilities to customers come from a set of eligible renewable energy resources, such as solar, by a certain compliance date. Under some programs, a utility can receive a “credit” for renewable energy produced by a third party by either purchasing the electricity directly from the producer or paying a fee to obtain the right to renewable energy generated but used or sold by the generator. A renewable energy credit allows the utility to add this electricity to its renewable portfolio requirement without actually expending the capital for generating facilities. However, there can be no assurances that such policies will continue. Reduction or elimination of renewable portfolio standards or successful efforts to meet current standards could harm or halt the growth of the solar PV industry and our business.

Changes to net metering policies may reduce demand for electricity from solar PV systems and harm our business.

Our business benefits from favorable net metering policies in most U.S. states that allow a solar PV system owner to pay his or her electric utility only for power usage net of production from the solar PV system. System owners receive credit for the energy that the solar installation generates to offset energy usage at times when the solar installation is not generating energy. Under a net metering program, the customer typically pays for the net energy used or receives a credit against future bills if more energy is produced than consumed. 

Most U.S. states have adopted some form of net metering. Yet, net metering programs have recently come under regulatory scrutiny in some U.S. states due to allegations that net metering policies inequitably shift costs onto non-solar ratepayers by allowing solar ratepayers to sell electricity at rates that are too high for utilities to recoup their fixed costs. For example, in 2019, Louisiana Public Service Commissions adopted net metering policies aimed at lowering the solar customers’ savings. In December 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed lowering current net energy metering tariffs in addition to imposing a new grid-connection fee on new rooftop solar users. We cannot assure you that these programs will not be significantly modified going forward.

If the value of the credit that customers receive for net metering is reduced, end-users may be unable to recognize the current level of cost savings associated with net metering. The absence of favorable net metering policies or of net metering entirely, or the imposition of new charges that only or disproportionately affect end-users that use net metering would significantly limit demand for our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth.

Existing electric utility industry regulations, and changes to regulations, may present technical, regulatory, and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar PV systems that may significantly reduce demand for our products or harm our ability to compete. In addition, determinations of various regulatory bodies regarding lack of compliance with certifications or other regulatory requirements could harm our ability to sell our products in certain countries.

Federal, state and local government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, and internal policies and regulations promulgated by electric utilities, heavily influence the market for electricity generation products and services, and could deter purchases of solar PV systems sold by our customers, significantly reducing the potential demand for our products. In addition, depending on the region, electricity generated by solar PV systems competes most effectively with expensive peak-hour electricity from the electric grid, rather than the less expensive average price of electricity. Modifications to the utilities’ peak hour pricing policies or rate design, such as to a flat rate, could require the price of solar PV systems and their component parts to be lower in order to compete with the price of electricity from the electric grid

Changes in current laws or regulations applicable to us or the imposition of new laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any changes to government or internal utility regulations and policies that favor electric utilities could reduce the competitiveness of solar PV systems and cause a significant reduction in demand for our products and services.

Due to the seasonality of construction in the United States and step-downs of the ITC, our results of operations may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, which could make our future performance difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock.

Our quarterly results of operations are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly in the future. Because a substantial majority of our sales since inception have been concentrated in the U.S. market, we have experienced seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in the past as a result of seasonal fluctuations in our customers’ businesses. Additionally, our end-users’ ability to install solar energy systems is affected by weather. For example, during the winter months in cold-weather climates in the United States, construction may be delayed in order to let the ground thaw to reduce costs. Such installation delays can impact the timing of orders for our products. We expect expansion into areas with traditionally warmer climates will result in less pronounced seasonal variations in our revenue profile over time. Additionally, we have historically experienced seasonal fluctuations in the purchase patterns of our customers related to the ITC step-downs, with at least some customers placing large orders in the fourth quarter of a particular year and the corresponding shipments occurring during the first half of the subsequent year, resulting in increased revenue in the first half of the year. There are no ITC step-downs in 2021 or 2022, but this fluctuation could continue to impact our business when the ITC step-downs resume after 2022.

Given that we are an early-stage company operating in a rapidly growing industry, the true extent of historic fluctuations due to the seasonality of construction and the ITC step-downs may have been masked by our recent growth rates and consequently may not be readily apparent from our historical results of operations and may be difficult to predict. Any substantial decrease in revenue would have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price. Seasonality and fluctuations in sales as described herein may also present cash flow challenges as well as place strain on our supply chain.

We rely on third parties for certain financial and operational services essential to our ability to manage our business. A failure or disruption in these services could materially and adversely affect our ability to manage our business effectively.

We rely on third parties for certain essential financial and operational services. Traditionally, the vast majority of these services are provided by large enterprise software vendors who license their software to customers. Moreover, these vendors provide their services to us via a cloud-based model instead of software that is installed on our premises. As a result, we depend upon these vendors providing us with services that are always available and are free of errors or defects that could cause disruptions in our business processes, which could adversely affect our ability to operate and manage our operations.

Many of our customers are small- and medium-sized businesses, which may result in increased costs as we attempt to reach, acquire and retain customers.

In order for us to improve our operating results and continue to grow our business, it is important that we continually attract new customers, sell additional services to existing customers and encourage existing customers to renew their subscriptions.

However, selling to and retaining small- and medium- sized businesses can be more difficult than selling to and retaining large enterprises because small- and medium-sized business customers:

If we are unable to cost-effectively market and sell our service to our target customers, our ability to grow our revenue and become profitable will be harmed.

Our market is subject to changing preferences; failure to keep up with these changes would result in our losing market share, thus seriously harming our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business and operating results may be harmed if we fail to expand our various product and service offerings (either through internal product or capability development initiatives or through partnerships and acquisitions) in such a way that achieves widespread market acceptance or that generates significant revenue and gross profits to offset our operating and other costs. We may not successfully identify, develop and market new product and service offerings in a timely manner. If we introduce new products and services, they may not attain broad market acceptance or contribute meaningfully to our revenue or profitability. Competitive or technological developments may require us to make substantial, unanticipated capital expenditures in new products and technologies or in new strategic partnerships, and we may not have sufficient resources to make these expenditures. Because the markets for many of our products and services are subject to rapid change, we may need to expand and/or evolve our product and service offerings quickly. Delays and cost overruns could affect our ability to respond to technological changes, evolving industry standards, competitive developments or customer requirements and harm our business and operating results.

We depend on our information technology systems, and those of our third-party vendors, contractors and consultants, and any failure or significant disruptions of these systems, security breaches or loss of data could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is highly dependent on maintaining effective information systems as well as the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to serve our customers and operate our business. Because of the large amount of data that we collect and manage, it is possible that hardware failures or errors in our systems could result in data loss or corruption or cause the information that we collect to be incomplete or contain inaccuracies that our partners regard as significant. If our data were found to be inaccurate or unreliable due to fraud or other error, or if we, or any of the third-party service providers we engage, were to fail to maintain information systems and data integrity effectively, we could experience operational disruptions that may hinder our ability to provide services, establish appropriate pricing for services, retain and attract customers, establish reserves, report financial results timely and accurately and maintain regulatory compliance, among other things.

Our information technology strategy and execution are critical to our continued success. We believe our success is dependent, in large part, on maintaining the effectiveness of existing technology systems and continuing to deliver and enhance technology systems that support our business processes in a cost-efficient and resource-efficient manner. Increasing regulatory and legislative changes will place additional demands on our information technology infrastructure that could have a direct impact on resources available for other projects tied to our strategic initiatives. We must also develop new systems to meet current market standards and keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology and evolving industry and regulatory standards. Failure to do so may present compliance challenges and impede our ability to deliver services in a competitive manner. Further, because system development projects are long-term in nature, they may be more costly than expected to complete and may not deliver the expected benefits upon completion.

Security incidents compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our confidential or personal information and our and our third-party service providers’ information technology systems could result from cyber-attacks, computer malware, viruses, social engineering (including spear phishing and ransomware attacks), credential stuffing, supply chain attacks, efforts by individuals or groups of hackers and sophisticated organizations, including state-sponsored organizations, errors or malfeasance of our personnel, and security vulnerabilities in the software or systems on which we and our third-party service providers rely. As techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, a disruption, cyberattack or other security breach of our information technology systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party service providers, may go undetected for an extended period and could result in the theft, transfer, unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss or destruction of our employee, representative, customer, vendor, consumer and/or other third-party data, including sensitive or confidential data, personal information and/or intellectual property. We cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent breaches or breakdowns of our or our third-party service providers’ information technology systems. If we suffer a material loss or disclosure of personal or confidential information as a result of a breach of our information technology systems, including those of our third-party service providers, we may suffer reputational, competitive and/or business harm, incur significant costs and be subject to government investigations, litigation, fines and/or damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows. Moreover, while we maintain cyber insurance that may help provide coverage for these types of incidents, we cannot assure you that our insurance will be adequate to cover costs and liabilities related to these incidents. Further, our failure to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation and data integrity of our information technology and other business systems could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flow.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary and internally developed information, the value of our technology could be adversely affected.

We may not be able to protect our trade secrets, know-how and other internally developed information adequately. Although we use reasonable efforts to protect this internally developed information and technology, our employees, consultants and other parties (including independent contractors and companies with which we conduct business) may unintentionally or willfully disclose our information or technology to competitors. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally disclosed or obtained and is using any of our internally developed information or technology is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. We rely, in part, on non-disclosure, confidentiality and assignment-of-invention agreements with our employees, independent contractors, consultants and companies with which we conduct business to protect our internally developed information. These agreements may not be self-executing, or they may be breached and we may not have adequate remedies for such breach. Moreover, third parties may independently develop similar or equivalent proprietary information or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets, know-how and other internally developed information.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain our chief executive officer and other key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on our executive officers, as well as the other principal members of our management team. Although we have entered into employment agreements with Mr. Ralston and Mr. Lambrecht providing for certain benefits, including severance in the event of a termination without cause, these agreements do not prevent them from terminating their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees. The loss of the services of any of these persons could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers and/or advisors including due to disease (such as COVID-19), disability or death, could have a detrimental effect on us.

In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors to assist us in formulating our development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us.

Ongoing supply chain delays and disruptions in the solar panel industry may materially adversely affect our businesses.

Our solar sales business has been, and continues, to be impacted by increased supply chain delays and shortages. COVID-19 impacts and restrictions on trade with China have disrupted the availability of solar panels. In March 2022, the Department of Commerce (“DOC”) announced plans to investigate solar panel imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam for alleged circumvention of U.S. import tariffs. The DOC investigation created a major disruption in the solar panel supply chain and made it difficult for U.S. solar companies to complete new projects. In June 2022, the Biden Administration announced a two-year tariff moratorium on solar panels to help ease these international supply chain challenges and encourage domestic manufacturing. As a result of this moratorium, supply of solar panels has begun to return to previous levels and the Company has experienced a greater supply of available panels for current and upcoming projects.

Risks Related to our Securities

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Failure to maintain effective internal controls could cause our investors to lose confidence in us and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. If our internal controls are not effective, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Section 404”) requires that we maintain internal control over financial reporting that meets applicable standards. We may err in the design or operation of our controls, and all internal control systems, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because there are inherent limitations in all control systems, there can be no assurance that all control issues have been or will be detected.

In our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, we identified certain material weaknesses in our internal controls. Specifically, we lacked a functioning audit committee resulting in ineffective oversight in the establishment and monitoring of required internal control and procedures, and inadequate segregation of duties consistent with control objectives.  Our weaknesses also related to a lack of a sufficient number of personnel with appropriate training and experience in U.S. general acceptable accounting principles (“GAAP”) and SEC rules and regulations with respect to financial reporting functions. Furthermore, we lack robust accounting systems as well as sufficient resources to hire such staff and implement these accounting systems.

If we are unable, or are perceived as unable, to produce reliable financial reports due to internal control deficiencies, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information and operating results, which could result in a negative market reaction and a decrease in our stock price.

Our executive officers and directors have the ability to control all matters submitted to stockholders for approval.

Our executive officers and directors hold collectively 42,309,285 shares of our Class A Convertible Preferred Stock (each share votes as the equivalent of 50 shares of common stock on all matters submitted for a vote by the common stockholders), and as such, if these stockholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to control or significantly influence all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act collectively, would control or significantly influence the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could

Our common stock may become subject to the SEC’s penny stock rules, which may make it difficult for broker-dealers to complete customer transactions and could adversely affect trading activity in our securities.

The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to specific exemptions. The market price of our common stock may be less than $5.00 per share for some period of time and therefore would be a “penny stock” according to SEC rules, unless we are listed on a national securities exchange. Under these rules, broker-dealers who recommend such securities to persons other than institutional accredited investors must:

If required to comply with these rules, broker-dealers may find it difficult to effectuate customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.

Until the time, if ever, that we can generate substantial product revenues, we plan to finance our cash needs through some combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. We do not have any committed external source of funds. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these new securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our existing stockholders. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.  

We may issue preferred stock in different series with terms that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.

While we already have five classes of preferred stock outstanding, each of which class entitles its holders to significant favorable rights and preferences as compared to the holders of our common stock, we have no specific plan to issue any new preferred stock in different series and we anticipate that all series of preferred stock other than our Class A Convertible Preferred Stock will be converted or repurchased in connection with the closing of this offering. However, our amended and restated articles of incorporation, as amended (“Articles of Incorporation”) authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more series of preferred stock having such designation, relative powers, preferences (including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions), voting rights, terms of conversion or redemption, and other relative, participating, optional, or other special rights, if any, of the shares of each such series of preferred stock and any qualifications, limitations, or restrictions thereof, as our Board may determine. The terms of one or more future classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of a specific preferred stock class could affect the residual value of the common stock.  We currently have five classes of preferred stock authorized pursuant to our Articles of Incorporation which will dilute the voting power and reduce the value of our common stock, including repurchase or redemption rights and liquidation preferences.

The market valuation of our business may fluctuate due to factors beyond our control and the value of your investment may fluctuate correspondingly, including at a time when you may want to sell your holdings.

The market valuation of smaller reporting companies, such as us, frequently fluctuate due to factors unrelated to the past or present operating performance of such companies. Our market valuation and the trading prices of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

Securities class action litigation is often instituted against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs to us and divert our management’s attention and resources.

Moreover, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations for reasons unrelated to operating performance of particular companies, such as the uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These market fluctuations may adversely affect the price of our common stock and other interests in our Company at a time when you want to sell your interest in us.

Our common stock may be affected by limited trading volume and price fluctuations, which could adversely impact the value of our common stock.

Our common stock has experienced, and is likely to experience in the future, significant price and volume fluctuations, which could adversely affect the market prices of our common stock without regard to our operating performance. In addition, we believe that factors such as quarterly fluctuations in our financial results and changes in the overall economy or the condition of the financial markets could cause the market prices of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. These fluctuations may also cause short sellers to periodically enter the market in the belief that we will have poor results in the future. We cannot predict the actions of market participants and, therefore, can offer no assurances that the market for our common stock will be stable or appreciate over time.

We currently do not intend to declare dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future and, as a result, your returns on your investment may depend solely on the appreciation of our common stock.

We currently do not expect to declare any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Instead, we anticipate that all of our earnings in the foreseeable future will be used to provide working capital, to support our operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Any determination to declare or pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board, subject to applicable laws and dependent upon a number of factors, including our earnings, capital requirements and overall financial conditions. In addition, terms of any future debt or preferred securities may further restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. Accordingly, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in our common stock may be if the market price of our common stock appreciates and you sell your shares at a profit. The market price for our common stock may never exceed, and may fall below, the price that you pay for such common stock. See “Dividend Policy.”

Because we initially became a reporting company under the Exchange Act by means other than a traditional underwritten initial public offering, we may not be able to attract the attention of research analysts at major brokerage firms.

Because we did not initially become a reporting company by conducting an underwritten initial public offering of our common stock on a national securities exchange, securities analysts of brokerage firms may not provide coverage of our Company. In addition, investment banks may be less likely to agree to underwrite follow-on offerings on our behalf than they might if we initially became a public reporting company by means of an underwritten initial public offering on a national securities exchange, because they may be less familiar with our Company as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media, and because we became public at an early stage in our development. The failure to receive research coverage or support in the market for our shares will have an adverse effect on our ability to develop a liquid market for our common stock.

The elimination of personal liability against our directors and officers under Nevada law and the existence of indemnification rights held by our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenses.

Our Articles of Incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws (“Bylaws”) eliminate the personal liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer to the extent permissible under Nevada law. Further, our Articles of Incorporation and our Bylaws provide that we are obligated to indemnify each of our directors or officers to the fullest extent authorized by Nevada law and, subject to certain conditions, advance the expenses incurred by any director or officer in defending any action, suit or proceeding prior to its final disposition. Those indemnification obligations could expose us to substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against our directors or officers, which we may be unable to afford. Further, those provisions and resulting costs may discourage us or our stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against any of our current or former directors or officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, even if such actions might otherwise benefit our stockholders.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to any charter provision, by law or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws and under Nevada law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, respectively, may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which our common stockholders might otherwise receive a premium price for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board.

General Risk Factors

General political, social and economic conditions can adversely affect our business.

Demand for our products and services depends, to a significant degree, on general political, social and economic conditions in our markets. Worsening economic and market conditions, downside shocks, or a return to recessionary economic conditions could serve to reduce demand for our products and services and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, an economic downturn could impact the valuation and collectability of certain long-term receivables held by us. Additionally, the global economy and financial markets may be adversely affected by geopolitical events, including the current or anticipated impact of military conflict and related sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other countries due to Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine.

Our businesses may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak or the related market decline and volatility.

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The significant outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in a widespread health crisis that adversely affected economies and financial markets worldwide during 2020 and 2021, including the businesses which we operate and own a percentage of. The recent market decline and volatility in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic could also materially and adversely affect any future potential acquisitions. Furthermore, with restrictions on travel, the limited ability to have meetings with personnel, vendors and services providers are expected to have an adverse effect on our businesses. While the Company expects the effects of the pandemic to negatively impact its results from operations, cash flows and financial position, the current level of uncertainty over the economic and operational impacts of COVID-19 means the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. The Company has experienced customer delays and extensions for projects, supply chain delays, furloughs of personnel, increased utilization of telework, increased safety protocols to address COVID-19 risks, decreased installations and other impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the initial travel restrictions and lockdowns imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the Company’s solar sales businesses as our traditional door-to-door sales model was no longer feasible. The Company has experienced workforce shortages in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company’s ability to attract and retain additional employees may limit its ability to grow across its businesses.

The Company is proactively working to adjust its operations to properly reflect the market environment during the immediate pandemic while maintaining sufficient resources for the expected rebound later this year. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our businesses will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our operations may be materially adversely affected.