Fire Side Chat With Paul - 9 Sept

[WilliamH]

I didn't say he didn't sound knowledgeable or didn't have the ability to magange venture capital, but rather as you say "appearances are everything" particularly to big money venture capital investors. I didn't even answer my own question.

I have to laugh when I hear people talking about Paul's appearance.
When I first went to Bell Labs my boss was on me about my appearance all of the time.
(I came from a sales environment ---- pin striped suit, wing tips, button down collars with tie)
I was finally accepted when I went to faded Levies, cowboy boots, Henley style shirts, western cut sports jackets and Stetson hats.
That was when I started being a key decision influencer on multi million dollar projects.
Funny how standards for dress change depending on where you are.

 

[bowers baldwin]

I have to laugh when I hear people talking about Paul's appearance.
When I first went to Bell Labs my boss was on me about my appearance all of the time.
(I came from a sales environment ---- pin striped suit, wing tips, button down collars with tie)
I was finally accepted when I went to faded Levies, cowboy boots, Henley style shirts, western cut sports jackets and Stetson hats.
That was when I started being a key decision influencer on multi million dollar projects.
Funny how standards for dress change depending on where you are.

You can always tell the smartest guy in I.T., he looks like a homeless person, unkept beard, flip-flops, tie-died t-shirt, brings his dog into work.
Makes $140K and knows EVERYTHING, yea, I don't judge by clothes too much anymore, I've been around some smart people and they are hard to tell from Dead Heads, and sometimes they are Dead Heads too..

 

[Ekh]

View attachment 6846
Image is important, would you give these guys 290 billion??

Certainly not in one lump sum! And absolutely not to the geek in the lower left.

 

[Ekh]

I have to laugh when I hear people talking about Paul's appearance.
When I first went to Bell Labs my boss was on me about my appearance all of the time.
(I came from a sales environment ---- pin striped suit, wing tips, button down collars with tie)
I was finally accepted when I went to faded Levies, cowboy boots, Henley style shirts, western cut sports jackets and Stetson hats.
That was when I started being a key decision influencer on multi million dollar projects.
Funny how standards for dress change depending on where you are.

They do change depending on where you are. But if you're aiming at a very broad market, and want that market to give you money, you have to look 1. As if you're trustworthy and 2. As if you know what you're doing. Notice I say "look as if" ... this has nothing to do with actual competence, trustworthiness, etc, but everything to do with an impression created instantaneously, one which can be hard to dislodge if it's negative. Nixon lost to Kennedy because he didn't understand the medium and looked like a thug, not because of anything he actually said.

 

[Ekh]

Interesting thing was, one of the early shots showed a camera setup on a tripod over on the side of the room Paul was on. From the angles they shot the interview at that must have been the main camera. As far as the "blasted coffee cup", maybe he's getting some kickback from Starbucks for product placement?

Better he should get a major investment from them, the rate he drinks the stuff.

 

[CompTrex]

We had a pastor show up a while back to our church in a three piece suit. I've known him for years and never seen him in anything other than jeans or shorts. Our church is fairly casual - jeans from the pulpit. I asked him why he was so dressed up, he said he's never offended anyone by dressing up too much, or by using the King James Bible.
Made sense. That may not be your typical dress (or Bible translation) but if it would offend someone, then why risk it? You're there to win hearts, not distract from your message. Kinda like Mr. Elio.

 

[Keith Dahl]

I hope most of yall enjoyed the chat as much as I did. I find the entire process fascinating and have much respect for Paul and his team and everyone involved. . Go git 'em Elio.

 

[Jeff Porter]

Here are my notes from the Fireside Chat. Where quotation marks are used, they're very close to verbatim. Otherwise, I'm paraphrasing, but sticking as close as possible to what was actually said.

Notes from Fireside Chat, 9/9/2015

Paul opened by saying crowd funding was a terrific tool, because “when you’re pre-revenue, there’s a fuse, and it’s lit!’

Regarding the video on the SE website — “The Board loved it. When they saw their part in this, they got excited.” Stu Lichtenberger in particular was moved.

Q: What happens next? What are the milestones?
A: “We’ve taken the design as far as we can in computer simulations. Now we have to test in metal. After that, we order tooling, and when it comes in, we set up the rest of it.”

Q: What are the demographics of the Elio?
A: “People don’t like me to say this, but really, it’s E for Everyone. What’s the demographic of Coke?” “Another big market is the clunker crowd. There are over 95 million cars more than 10 years old and getting less than 27 miles per gallon. Those are the clunkers. The credit card plan is for those folks. Who would want a clunker, when they can buy a new car for basically what they’re paying in gas now?”

Q: How important is crowd funding in the future?
A: “I think crowd funding is a seismic shift in the American economy.”

Paul said 31 out of the company’s 34 supplier partners attended the last Supplier Summit — amazing, considering they’re all under pressure to deliver parts to much bigger customers than Elio. Crowd funding helped with that, because it helped show that yes, this is a viable project.

Q: What’s the status of the P5? Will it have a new engine or was the engine “spared” and not tested to destruction last March?
A: EM actually build two engines to the same exact design. One was tested, though not to destruction (it was disassembled and all wear closely measured.) The second engine is being assembled from the second set of parts specifically for the P5. It is not the final production engine.

Q: What’s your vision for the company’s long term-success? Will you have electric motors, or other power plants?
A: “There are three acts for Elio. Act One is to satisfy U.S. demand. Act II is to fill global demand. Act II is alternative power plants.

Q: Will you support autonomous, self-driving vehicles?
A: Eventually, Elio Motors will work with developers of autonomous driving systems. The Elio is designed to be a constant platform which will link with all sorts of options, electronics, and modifications such as autonomous driving systems. We’ll let the market tell us which one is best.

Q: What are the additional paths for funding Elio Motors into production? (paraphrased)
A: (paraphrase) There are three paths: 1. ATVM loan application for $186 million. 2. Crowd funding. 3. Ongoing reservations for the car. These three will get us there. But you don’t want all your eggs in one basket for something this size, “so there are two additional independent paths if one of these three doesn’t come through, but in this venue I don’t have time to explain them all.”

Q: (From Lilly May Patterson): How’s your health? Are you eating enough?
A: “Like I told my mom every time I came home to Phoenix, Mom, if I lost two pounds every trip home, I’d be 50 pounds lighter in 25 years. You forget I’m naturally skinny.” So yes, I’m eating enough, and I’m fine.

Thanks for this Eric!

 

[RUCRAYZE]

View attachment 6846
Image is important, would you give these guys 290 billion??

I'm sorry I couldn't have

 

[RUCRAYZE]

You can always tell the smartest guy in I.T., he looks like a homeless person, unkept beard, flip-flops, tie-died t-shirt, brings his dog into work.
Makes $140K and knows EVERYTHING, yea, I don't judge by clothes too much anymore, I've been around some smart people and they are hard to tell from Dead Heads, and sometimes they are Dead Heads too..

In Seattle 140K salary is entry level position!! One of my daughters is H.R.Director for a (soon to be going public) tech company where, had I not been introduced, the appearance of the CEO, and the maintenance crew blends.