A few days ago, Tesla launched their highly anticipated (and slightly polarizing 😉) retro-futuristic, cyberpunk, utilitarian Cybertruck by delivering the first ones to customers and revealing tons of new details about the new truck.
If you know me, you know I love Tesla and their products. My wife and I both drive Teslas, and I think they are the best cars you can buy today.
And yes, the Cybertruck will be the next one that gets introduced to my garage 😊 I put down a reservation on day one.
But not only is the Cybertruck a crazy, unlike-anything-else-out-there vehicle, but I’ve also learned a lot of business lessons from Tesla taking this product from idea to completion.
So here we go—here’s 5 business lessons I’ve learned from the Tesla Cybertruck.
The Cybertruck is, more so than probably any of their other vehicles, an embodiment of Elon Musk’s quirky personality and visionary mind.
The thing is, Elon has built an audience online of people that follow him online for that exact personality, and that is the reason why many of them will buy anything he puts out there.
In my book Create Don’t Capture I talk about why it’s so important to build an audience of “you”. When you create content that is authentic and true to yourself, it attracts people to you who have the same passions, interests, morals, values, and beliefs.
And therefore when you create products that are what you want to create, your audience also wants them.
So if Elon wants a futuristic, triangle-shaped, bulletproof tank for his everyday commute… well, so does his audience. And they will buy it in droves.
It doesn’t matter what the critics says or how much the media hates it. Elon knows his audience, and makes products for them. And then it propagates from there. That’s why it works.
So if you’re building a business online, focus on building an audience around you and then monetizing that audience with things that you would love. It’s way more fun that way.
Unfortunately, if you look out across the entire industry of digital marketers and online entrepreneurs, you’ll find there’s a sea of people who unfortunately are largely over-hyping the same old regurgitated stuff.
At first glance, if you look at the Cybertruck and its specs compared to similarly priced EV trucks like the Rivian R1T and the Ford F150 Lightning, you’ll find that it’s pretty comparable in terms of range and most features.
So on paper alone, you wouldn’t be criticized for assuming it’s similar too. Except it’s not.
Tesla has proven time and time again that they’re willing to disrupt not just vehicle technology, but the entire driving experience. If you’ve ever driven one, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Even if some of the specs are the same, I promise you that the experience of driving a Cybertruck, the technology built into the design and function, and the overall fun of owning something as different as this will be unmatched by any other manufacturer.
Every other truck looks and functions exactly like the one next to it.
Yet Tesla has managed to create something completely different. You won’t get that from anyone else.
And it’s not just the design. Features like steer-by-wire, rear wheel steering, record-breaking (and neck-breaking) acceleration, 48V low-voltage architecture, and more, simply make this an entirely unique experience.
So think about the products or programs you sell online. Are they entirely unique experiences that are disrupting the industry? Or are they mostly regurgitations of what you see other people doing?
If it’s the latter, maybe think about how you can add more innovation and creativity to your work. You’ll create a far better experience for your customers, and make them want to share it with others.
The Cybertruck is probably the most polarizing vehicle design in history.
Tesla took a huge risk with this one. And honestly, it still remains to be seen whether that risk will pay or will flop.
Could it be a massive success and completely reshape the entire auto industry? Possibly.
Could it be a huge miss and disappear from roads within a decade? Also possible.
But you’ve gotta give Elon props for being bold.
The problem is, most entrepreneurs today are just playing it safe. Low-effort, middle-of-the-road products that take zero risk or attempt to be anything new. And you know what it makes them? Boring.
If you’re struggling to get attention for your work. If nobody’s talking about what you do. If it feels like people just don’t care about your stuff… you’re probably right.
If there’s not a chance that your product could either succeed wildly or fail spectacularly, you probably could use a little more risk.
Take chances, be bold, go for something amazing.
As cool as I think the Cybertruck is, I’ll be the first to admit that the entire event launching it a few days ago was a complete miss.
We’re talking about a highly-anticipated high-profile launch event of probably one of the most unique, polarizing products of the last decade, with over 100,000 people watching live…
And it was bad.
Elon got on stage, shared a few details about the truck that we already knew. And then left. That was it.
And the reason wasn’t because they were trying to keep it under wraps or anything. All the details were immediately published on their website. But unfortunately some of the specs didn’t live up to customer’s expectations.
From what I could see in online communities and on X and Reddit, there was a large wave of disappointment from loyal fans of the brand. But it was all around things that could have been easily explained.
Of course the truck is going to be a little different than what they announced 4 years ago.
But with this event, Tesla had an opportunity to shape the public’s perception of how amazing the truck is. Instead, Elon chose to give little details, let the public figure things out, and come to their own conclusions about it.
In contrast, if you know me, you know I love watching Apple launch events. They are masterclasses in how to sell products.
Even Apple does crazy and polarizing things with their products sometimes (like completely removing the headphone jack from their devices, or—shocker!—adding back the ESC key).
But what Apple is really good at is explaining it to their audience. They know how to control the conversation and start things off on the right foot.
When you’re launching a product that you’re proud of and passionate about, don’t be afraid to get loud about it and share why what you’ve created is amazing.
Your confidence and conviction in your own stuff will translate to your audience, and shape their perception of your products.
Elon Musk is far more interesting that Tesla is as a brand.
In today’s day and age people want to do business with people, not businesses.
Despite the polarizing design of the Cybertruck, the failure of a launch event, and the risky move to build this truck, people will still buy it in droves because of their relationship with the creator of it.
Think about the CEOs of all the other electric truck manufacturers out there.
RJ Scaringe of Rivian
Jim Farley of Ford
Mary Barra of GMC
Have you ever even heard of these people? Likely not.
When your company or brand doesn’t have a prominent face associated with it, it lacks personality.
On the flip side, companies that are led by interesting personalities build a depth of relationship, a loyal fan base, and product-customer alignment that cannot be understated.
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What do you think of the Cybertruck? Are you getting one? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.
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