I love the moxie of a small company in a small town in Northern California who looks at a giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and says “Yeah…we can fix that.”
That’s exactly what Mobius Technologies, of Lincoln, CA, has done, and they didn’t stop there. When Mobius realized that it was going to take too long to get through the bureaucracy and red tape required to get their product approved for use in the cleanup, they set about using social media tools like YouTube and Facebook to recruit a volunteer army and encouraged them to spread the message.
And while I think the powers that be at Mobius Technologies are making a huge mistake by not engaging with bloggers to help them spread their message (it seems they don’t consider bloggers to be “true” media outlets), I can’t argue with the results they’re getting. Have a look at this video from the local ABC affiliate in Sacramento.
Mobius is starting to get some traction, and I applaud the work they’re doing. More than that, though, I applaud the way they’re going about it. Here are some valuable lessons other small business owners and entrepreneurs can learn from the example of Mobius Technologies:
- Know your message. From Day 1, Mobius has been beating their drums consistently. Their message? ”Please share this video with your friends. All we want is a chance to demonstrate our product’s effectiveness, because we know it can help.” Every video they produce, every news station they talk to, every post on their Facebook Fan Page has the same message: share this video. The impact has been tremendous, and they’re getting response from around the country. Having a clear, consistent message gives your “raving fans” something to latch on to. What’s your message?
- They have a product they believe in. While I’m still waiting for my turn to tour the facility, I’ve seen enough video demonstrations from enough sources to conclude that Mobius’ MPU (micronized poly-urethane) is a great product. More important than whether I believe, though, is the fact that the folks at Mobius believe in their product. In fact, they go one step further than belief; they’re passionate about what they believe to be the best solution to the oil spill in the gulf, namely, their MPU product. That passion, I’m sure, is what keeps them going through the bureaucratic hoops to get to their goal. Do you have that kind of passion for your product or service?
- They are prepared to win. Mobius Technologies didn’t show up to this gun battle carrying Swiss Army knives and sticks; if they’re awarded a purchase order for their product, they’re prepared to ship 2,000,000 pounds of MPU right away, and another 1,000,000 pounds every other week until the mess is cleaned up. That fact alone moves them closer to the front of the line, far ahead of other solutions providers that have a long production cycle. So often in business, that’s the missing ingredient: we don’t prepare for success. We do such a great job of convincing ourselves that the economy is killing our business that we miss all of the opportunities that do come our way. Take a page from Mobius’ playbook: be prepared to win.
The kind of ingenuity and innovation Mobius Technologies is demonstrating is impressive. They’re a great example of how vision and determination can lead a small business to the forefront of an effort to solve a global problem.
It’s examples like this that make me believe the future is bright for small businesses, especially the ones who can bring an “A game” like the one Mobius Technologies is playing. Congratulations, guys!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bill Rice, CPA Peak Accounting. CPA Peak Accounting said: What Business Lessons Does Mobius Technologies Have To Teach … http://bit.ly/bMfN5j [...]
How cost effective can this MPA powder be always in relation to other products in the market . Usually all these materials come with a hefty price tag.
Albert
Albert:
That’s a great question. Since this is a fairly simple product made from recycled polyurethane foam, I can’t imagine the price tag is too high, but I don’t know the answer for certain. You can probably find out at their website, http://www.mobiustechnologies.com.
Thanks for reading,
Jerry