Business Lessons from Seven Magic Mountains

I’m pretty sure I’m the strange one, but no matter where I am, I’m always analyzing the business behind everything.  No, really.  I can’t enter an event or store, without calculating and projecting cost of goods sold and profit margins and marketing strategy.  So, this past weekend on a trip to Las Vegas and a stop at Seven Magic Mountains, I thought you’d love a little look into the business lessons I learned from this pile of rocks.

First off, what is Seven Magic Mountains?

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone created a rock sculpture in the middle of the desert between Las Vegas and the State Line. Seven pillars of huge, neon-hued boulders stretch up to the sky. They’re the only thing for miles around,  “creative expression of human presence in the desert.”

They might seem just like stacked boulders, but they are quite amazing.  Here are the business lessons from Seven Magic Mountains(and of course a little photo shoot action too):

Business Lesson #1- Stand Out

Driving this desert can be boring, just ask my kids, but when 7 Magic Mountains comes into view, all my kids perk up and take a look out the window.  Each of the rocks is painted with bright neon colors.  They stand out from the natural desert landscape.  Now here’s the business lesson, so many business owners look around and only see desert and complain that the landscape is too tough, that there is no way to stand out. Well, stand out you must.  If you want to be a place where someone stops and buys, then you must find out what makes you different and use that to attract the right people.

Business Lesson #2- Be shareable

I believe that 7 Magic Mountains has Instagram and social media to thank for its popularity.  If you search the #sevenmagicmountains on Instagram, more than 47,000 images pop up.  The back drop of these seven bright pillars is the perfect Instagram shot and people visiting want to share.  Here’s the business lesson, find ways to make your business shareable.  Use great packaging, set up a hashtag, start a giveaway, do something that will make it easy for your audience to share when using your products.

 

Business Lesson #3-Easy access

The genius of this placement is, not only can you view the towers from I-15 as you drive past, accessing the towers isn’t too far out of your way.  There is a frontage road that goes along side the freeway.  You exit the freeway on one exit and then you continue on that frontage road to get back on the freeway. Here’s the business lesson, too many times we make it too hard to buy or interact with us.  If we don’t have a clear step-by-step plan to working with our company, people will not stop, they will drive on by.  For example, when I was analyzing the Maskcara experiment and finding ways to automate it, I realized that ordering the product can be confusing.  So, in our email sequence for those who take our color match quiz, I send out a video walking them through step-by-step of how to order. Take the time to make working with you easy.

Of course I brought my favorite camera bag/purse along.  I got this from JoTotes and it is my favorite.

  You can get yours over at Jototes.com

Business Lesson #4- Be polarizing

These rocks stand out so much that some people don’t like them at all.  I believe this is a good thing.  Here’s the business lesson, in art and in business, you want someone to have an opinion.  You don’t want people who are lukewarm because lukewarm people don’t buy or stop on the side of the road.  You want to create raving fans, that also means that you will have people who don’t really like your business at all, and that is okay.  You need to be so “you” that you find your true fans, the ones who will drive outside their way to come take a picture of your rocks.

Business Lesson #5- Use scarcity

These rocks will not be here forever.  It will be closed after 2018, so if you are going to stop, now is the time to do it. Here’s the business lesson, there is something about putting a deadline on something that makes people stop and take action.  Use promotions, sales, giveaways, freebies, whatever but add a deadline to them so that your audience will take action.

Bonus Business Lesson- Be awesome

When I saw these from the freeway, I didn’t really think they would be that amazing, but when I stopped, I was surprised at how awesome they really were.  Here’s the business lesson, once you get your people to stop, share and take action, they better have an awesome product to love.  Take the time to create something amazing.

There you have it friends!  If you are ready to start thinking a little more business minded, hop on over and take my free building a brand course.  

Any other places you want analyzed with business goggles?  Leave a comment and let me know and I’ll write a post just for you.

Luvs,

Your Business Bestie, Michelle

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