Aerogel: Business Model #1

Week #29: How We Would Scale In Mexico (Part 1)

Carlos Manuel Jarquín Sánchez
3 min readFeb 9, 2023

Preface! ✨

Hello everyone!

My intentions for writing these articles are:

  • Explain technical information about aerogels in simple terms (to the public)
  • Store information and habits for my future self and others (in <7 minutes)

Coolio? Sweet. Enjoy the series :-)

Business Model Class 📊

Projects like these involve an immense amount of iteration.

The mentors told us to go back to the drawing board… again.

After talking with mentors in Mexico & water spin-off companies in Peru…

There are two possible business models for implementation in Mexico.

The first business model will be discussed in this article. The other business model can be found here. 👇

The previous business model involved sub-level local distribution from supermarkets in Mexico.

From the results, this business model can’t scale up in 500 villages in Mexico & Latin America.

How would we manage tons of distributors?

Where is the team culture?

One lesson I learned from my Isla Urbana mentorship (an NGO from Mexico City on water collection):

“To build a respectable company/organization, you must build a culture first. The best companies in Mexico are treated like a culture, a religion. Telcel, Pelon Pelo Rico, PEMEX, they’re everyhere… and be independednt from the puppet masters, the hands of the government.”- H.G.

That’s deep. 😵

Business Model #1 📈

The business model would involve providing purified water service in your home by selling the the filter and manual guide in a kit.

It can be done with the condition that the home has plumbing for the filter to attach to the faucet and purify the water as it’s being used.

The kit would contain the following:

  • Filter
  • Instruction Manual (Attach to a faucet, how to use it, safe disposal, etc.)
  • Plastic containers/tubes to store excess heavy metal ions
  • Optional: Vinegar for purification of filter

The direct customers are the home stores that would be positioned as retailers to reach the final consumer.

Example: The local village Rotoplas store in Mexico.

This is feasible in stores if the demand of the final customer (individuals) demand for the filter to be sold in the home store locations.

Business Model Canvas - Kit Sales (BMC)💹

This BMC is designed for the sale of kits with the water purifiers.

This is the potential business model once a strong marketing campaign has created awareness of the solution (IF people are constantly seeking an answer/prayer from God).

Content creation plays a monumental role in the outreach…

Attention is monetizable once it’s captured.

You must capture the attention of the target customer if it wants to make an impact in their lives.

The kits are designed with a manual so that people can DIY them… without interference from another individual/pay another person.

Once the filter runs out of filter power, the proprietor will dispose of the filter in the kit and return it to the hardware store for pickup OR biodegrade them.

To capture attention physically, we would use fairs and exposition organizers hosted by isolated communities once or twice a month.

To capture attention digitally, we would create content on FB & TikTok (as these sites are where the majority of Mexican users live on.)

Final Thoughts 💭

Time to build momentum on funding.

If there is something that has allowed my team to remain a family, it is…

Persistence.

We can allow the vision, story, and struggles to knock us out.

But NO.

Do not tolerate this fate.

If we play games that require a decade-vision, patience, and low arrogance, we will win…

And you’ll win. 💡

BMC Draft (Kit Sales) Is Complete. ✔️

Connect →🔗

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cjarquin0005@gmail.com

© 2023 by Carlos Manuel Jarquín Sánchez. All Rights Reserved.

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