Tesla Motors: 3 Takeaways for Your Business to Be Disruptive Too

What is it about Tesla Motors that makes a company move from an idea in 2003 to being among the leading automotive companies in America? How can we learn from Tesla's success and apply some of those same principles to our business?

Nothing Special at the Start for Tesla Motors

Tesla didn't start with the fanfare you expected, nor by the people you'd thought. The company was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in July 2003. Sure, these two were smart Silicon Valley folks out to prove a battery-powered car could be better than a gasoline-powered car, but no one could have predicted that within 10 years they'd be competing with the world's best automotive companies.

In this Business Insider Story, The Making Of Tesla: Invention, Betrayal, And The Birth Of The Roadster, we learned that on the first ride a product designer was asked to touch the dash during acceleration... and could not. This was their goal - to create 100% torque in an instant that could only come from a high-performance electric car.

Takeaway #1: Innovate and Find a New(er) Way in Your Industry

This could be adopting existing technology in a new way, flipping the tables on how service is done, or even a new product. If your goal is to sell the same green widgets as everyone else, then that is what you will do - at least continually try to be disruptive by creating something newer, different, or simply a better application of what exists today.

This isn't a nice little science experiment."

Malcom Smith, product designer, after being asked to take a ride in the "tzero" built by AC Propulsion

Boring is Fine, But Not if Your Goal is to Be Disruptive

Maybe you can't get lucky and have a highly visible entrepreneur, soon-to-be visionary, come join your company. There might be only one Elon Musk in the automotive industry, but that doesn't mean you can't find the Elon Musk in your industry. Be honest with yourself, because if that person isn't you, it never truly will be. What does that mean exactly?

Takeaway #2: Find Your Own Elon Musk

A component of beign disruptive is to be visual to others in and outside of your industry. It means you'll have to find one or more individuals that are willing to speak for the company (and have an important role so they are more than a spokesperson). These folks should naturally be comfortable in rooms or at the podium, and they need to have positive energy.

Titles: Director of Innovation or Chief Disruption Officer are some ideas
Creative Thinkers: avoid industry lifers as they can be closed in their thinking
Believers to the core in you and your company
Comfortable and energetic in front of an audience
Smart socially and knowledgeable as to your offerings and industry

Have this person be the voice for a committee that seeks a new disruption for your company and industry. Include sales, operations, and product (or service) delivery team leads on this committee. Tie them to your company for as long as you can; you do not want to waste an investment and have them leave in a year or two.

Lastly, be willing to invest in and adopt the innovative practices the committee recommends, no matter how crazy it may seem. At the least you bring attention to your company, at the best you disrupt an industry and become among the leaders.

Takeaway #3: Patience Wins the Day

Tesla Motors sold 2,250 Roadsters between 2008 and 2012. With hundreds of millions invested, it seemed they should have thrown in the towel long ago. But in 2015, Tesla Motors sold over 50,000 vehicles and currently has over 145,000 new vehicles on order by interested customers who have already paid a $1,000 deposit.

The partnerships that resulted from being branded as an "innovative/disruptive" company brought competitors on board, as well as a #1 rating among consumers. The results are staggering:

Tesla Motors Revenue 2015/Market Cap Today: $4 billion | $29 billion
Ford Motor Revenue 2015/Market Cap Today: $149 billion | $48 billion
General Motors Revenue 2015/Market Cap Today: $152 billion | $49 billion
Chrysler (now Fiat Motors) Revenue 2015/Market Cap Today: $120 billion | $8 billion

Technology + Innovation = Disruption

Being a technology services company, V-Soft Consulting has taken a stance to help their clients transform their industries. If you understand the technology then you can better understand where you can take your innovation.

Combine technology with innovation and the likely result is disruption and your company could be the Tesla of your industry. What are you waiting for?