The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
Issue link: http://ubschoolofmanagement.uberflip.com/i/359417
Autumn 2014 B B pipes that burst in the winter," Dorsaneo says. "Funding our first truck was not easy either. When you approach a bank with a project no one in the area has seen, they get a little freaked out. Luckily, we had a good business plan and found a bank willing to take a shot on us." Without a set location, effective marketing is cru- cial for trucks to develop a following. Branding is especially important, says Ram Bezawada, associate professor of marketing, as the vehicle itself acts as a roving billboard of sorts. Like product packaging on store shelves, the exterior design and logo need to make a strong first impression with customers. Bezawada also underscores the importance of having a user-friendly website and a strong social media presence. Through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, trucks can interact with customers and broadcast menus, schedules and last-minute location changes. Other mobile technologies, including mobile payment systems like Square and smartphone apps like Roaming Hunger, have also enabled the food truck craze. "Social media becomes very important for these businesses, even more than for big companies," says Bezawada. "Once you have enough of a following on Twitter, momentum builds and you get an entire net- work going. Clearly, food trucks are more successful because of social media." As the food truck industry soars, other businesses have begun capitalizing on the benefits of mobile operation. In San Diego, a full-service barbershop and salon operates out of a classic Airstream vehicle. In Chicago, a truck serves gourmet cookies and ice cream—for dogs. And in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a 1970 aluminum step van has been transformed into a roaming art gallery. Aside from food service, perhaps no industry has embraced the trend more than fashion, as mobile bou- tiques have popped up in major cities like Portland, Dallas and San Francisco. In 2009, Buffalo resident Melissa Fayson noticed a gap in the market as she recovered from a car accident and was unable to go out shopping. By 2012, she had developed and launched Mobile Soles, a traveling boutique that parks at local festivals, visits housebound clients and hosts private fashion parties. Outside of Buffalo, Mobile Soles has booked parties in Ohio and Georgia and sold to customers in states along the way. "I love the ability to just jump in my truck and sell shoes wherever I go," says Fayson, who completed the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership's Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program in 2012. "When I'm in traffic, women automatically identify the pink truck with eyelashes and flag me down. It's convenient and it's fun." The truck is outfitted with pink interior walls, comfortable seating and attractive merchandise and displays. Knowing her sales would be mostly impulse buys, Fayson opted to specialize in shoes and accessories, while also offering other clothing online. Though she found insurance companies and footwear vendors were initially hesitant to gamble on a new, relatively untested concept, Fayson has developed a following through word of mouth and secured access to many brands. "The mobile industry is definitely growing around the coun- try because people don't have to pay overhead," she says. "This business is more about relationship-building. The best part is the customers. When I drive down the street and little kids are outside playing, they will stop, wave and say, 'It's the shoe lady!' That makes me feel really good." x — Matthew Biddle Heels on Wheels