video - morning joe

How about a little Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry goodness to start your week off? Here's a quick clip from Morning Joe, as they discuss their new book, the method method!

one man review - the method method

Guess who just reviewed method's brand spankin' new book, the method method? Oh, yeah, that would be moi! And you can read my review over on method's official people against dirty blog today! Right now! This very instant! What are you waiting for? (You know you wanna!) So go, go, Speed Racer!

the method method!

This baby is out tomorrow! Hitting your bookstore (and e-store!) shelves! Will you be picking up a copy?

the method method tease-athon #1

Hey method lusters! So, you might have heard a word or two down on the street corner that method is about to drop their big new book, the method method! Or, if you're a perfectionist, their slightly longer title of the method method: seven obsessions that helped our scrappy start-up turn an industry upside down! Whew! So to celebrate method's new pride and joy hitting store shelves on September 15th, I thought I'd present some Q&A and teaser quotes from the book starting today! Ya know, something to get your juices flowin', method style! So without further ado, here goes:

the method method tease-athon question #1 : What were method's first three products? In order of their debut! (example: Perhaps you'd think 1) hand wash, 2) candles, 3) laundry detergent) I'll reveal the answer during the next tease-athon! So, comment away! And don't forget...


"To celebrate the upcoming publication of the method method: seven obsessions that helped our scrappy start-up turn an industry upside down, co-founders Eric + Adam will be hosting an interactive webinar on Wednesday, September 7th for budding entrepreneurs and fans of the brand.

the guys will tell candid stories about the first ten years of method’s success and share principles at the heart of our business philosophy. but they also want to hear from you! whether you’re interested in talking about being an entrepreneur, finding inspiration or you have a burning question for Adam or Eric, it’s sure to be a lively conversation.

want in? simply pre-order a copy of the book and email your receipt to methodbook@methodhome.com. you’ll then receive log-in details to join the conversation on Wednesday, September 7th at 9:00AM PT/12:00PM ET. enter by Wednesday, August 24 to be included.

learn more about the book and webinar here."

let's get method!

Sing it with me,now! (To the tune of Physical!) "Let's get method, method, I wanna get method, let's get into method! Let me hear your dishes talk, Your bathroom talk, let me hear your method talk!" Cause it's all about the method method!

And check out this rockin' cool deal for early bird lusters!

"to celebrate the upcoming publication of the method method: Seven Obsessions that Helped Our Scrappy Start-Up Turn an Industry Upside Down, co-founders Eric + Adam will be hosting an interactive webinar on Wednesday, September 7th for budding entrepreneurs and fans of the brand.

the guys will tell candid stories about the first ten years of method’s success and share principles at the heart of our business philosophy. but they also want to hear from you! whether you’re interested in talking about being an entrepreneur, finding inspiration or you have a burning question for Adam or Eric, it’s sure to be a lively conversation.

want in? simply pre-order a copy of the book and email your receipt to methodbook@methodhome.com. you’ll then receive log-in details to join the conversation on Wednesday, September 7th at 9:00AM PT/12:00PM ET. enter by Wednesday, August 24 to be included.

learn more about the book and webinar here."

+

How awesome is that! A book revealing lots of method obsessions that made them who they are today! And it features a case study on none other than your very favoritest in the whole wide universe method blog, method lust, and a webinar where you can chat with the big wigs (but they're really nice big wigs, I promise!) via your computer! It doesn't get any better than that! (Well, if you had some nice gooey chocolate chips cookies and milk to eat while you were talking to the method founders, yeah, that would be even better! Keep that in mind for the big day!)

Don't delay, you're last chance for this amazing deal is August 24th!

sneak peek - the method method

Guess what, squeaky green fans? method co-founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry have a brand new book hitting store (and e-reader!) shelves in September! (You've still got your snazzy copy of their first book squeaky green: the method guide to detoxing your home, I hope!) So I thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek at the new cover (above) to the method method, as well as a bit about the book (which, if I don't end up on the cutting room floor, Ha!, will also include a case study on none other than the ole' method lust blog! Yay!) Details include:

Founded ten years ago by childhood pals Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, Method has been making headlines and profits with a revolutionary blend of culture and commerce, style and substance. Today, Method's ecofriendly soaps, detergents, and cleaners are ubiquitous in stores, capturing valuable shelf space long dominated by the tired old products of giants P&G and Unilever.

Ryan and Lowry obsess over seven principles at the heart of Method's business philosophy, including:

+ Kick Ass at Fast: Use small size to your advantage; by bringing innovations to market faster, you can stay out in front of larger rivals.

+ Inspire Advocates: Rather than getting caught up in costly battles for market share, foster deeper relationships with fewer customers in pursuit of greater wallet share.

+ Win on Product Experience: Beyond satisfying your customers' rational needs, design experiences for them.

The Method Method is an irreverent, candid, firsthand case study. Readers will learn how today's consumers behave, how today's companies compete, and how both groups are acting together to drive profound global change.

+

Will you be picking up a copy? (You know you want one!) Look for it online and in stores September 15, 2011!

meet me!

Ok, well, you've already met me, lots of times here on ole' method lust, I know! But it's also the title of a new article (possibly for inclusion in an upcoming new book!) by David Bunnell. He's been writing a book on brand advocacy, and method was of course included! Not only that, but I was surprised when he asked if I would like to be interviewed for the book, too! How could I pass that up? So, here is my interview! (I even drew my own self portrait! What do you think? Does it look like me?) I hope you enjoy it, even just a little (if not just lie to me, ok? I'll probably not be able to tell the difference, and my feelings won't get hurt. And I have very thin skin, so you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, cause I'll bleed and bleed all over. Oh yeah, and cry a lot, too!) So without further blah blah blah:

"Meet Nathan Aaron, Method’s Advocate Extrordinaire | by David Bunnell

Definition: Brand advocates are people who habitually review products and share their opinions with others around them. The sharing can be done in-person around the water cooler with a few close friends or it can be done online with email or on social media networks where advocates can reach many thousands of peers almost instantly.

Marketers are increasingly seeking out brand advocates and oftentimes “energizing” them by providing tools that make it easier for advocates to write product reviews, post messages, answer questions from customers or potential customers and even share coupons.

All companies have advocates. Some companies have fanatical advocates, amazing people who do amazing things for the companies or brands they love. Apple is an example, and so is Method; the environmentally friend cleaning products company.

One such fanatical advocate, profiled below, is Nathan Aaron who was so taken by Method, he launched a blog called “Method Lust” on which he has posted hundreds of articles about Method, the people who work there, and the importance of nontoxic cleaning products.

I learned about Nathan when I recently visited the corporate headquarters of Method in San Francisco. Below is a profile I recently wrote about him:

Struggling to explain his unusual advocacy for a brand of cleaning products, North Carolina graphic artist Nathan Aaron shrugs his shoulders and says, “Maybe I don’t have much of a life.”

But once you hear his story, you’ll realize this isn’t true. Nathan is a very interesting, passionate, and creative person..."

Read the rest here!

building a business with a social mission

method co-founder Eric Ryan has written a great article over on Fast Company. Check out an excerpt:

"After ten years in business and hundreds of innovations, we can still confidently say that our proudest achievement at method remains our first: launching a company with a social mission to do good in the world. It was the right thing to do for society and the planet, and we’ve proven that it’s the right thing to do for the bottom line too. The rapid expansion of media transparency is producing increasingly well-informed and discriminating consumers. Similarly, the influx of socially and environmentally conscious Gen Yers into the workforce is redefining the war for talent. These two shifts challenge most established businesses -- but they're also significant competitive advantages to mission-driven companies.

Having a purpose larger than profits has been key to our success. By contrast, most corporate values are just that--the values of the corporation. No matter how much ambition, camaraderie, and loyalty an employee brings to work, no one is taking those corporate values home to share with friends and family. But those same values become immeasurably more meaningful when they’re tied to a higher purpose.

It’s human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than oneself. But we're still amazed at how many cover letters we get that open with lines like, “My goal is to work for a values- and mission-driven business.” But working with purpose and values isn’t just a matter of individual growth; finding meaning in work is central to a strong corporate culture..."

You can read the entire piece here.

+

One item of product interest I took from the article was this line "...I was in Detroit looking at how the urban art movement could be supported by our upcoming Design Series product." Hmm! Looks like method is heading into design series packaging (seen on other products that take a specific design, art style or artist(s), and have their designs/art placed on the packaging.) Should be interesting and exciting! But wait, why haven't I gotten a call? (wink!)

a lil' eric ryan...

Sometimes I just take a moment or sixty, and hunt and peck around ye ole' internet to see what method goodies I can find! (You all might think method just hands me these news items on silver trays with little mints! But alas, it's about 90% detective work (just ask method, they'd agree!), 8% you amazing lusters sending me photos and scoops (thanks!), and 2% method actually laying it all out for me. It's work, peeps, work!) With that said, I've stumbled upon a few dandies I thought you'd enjoy, coming via tweets, chirps, and blog posts from method co-founder Eric Ryan! Enjoy!

+ The pic above is a sneak peek for method's new dish soap refill pouches! Ready to hit store shelves this spring!

+ This happens to be an old school photo of method's very first shelf display, sold into Mollie Stones in San Francisco (notice the price!) It's method's tenth anniversary! Can you believe it? Congrats, method! You can check out the complete post over on method's official people against dirty blog, which includes this "who would have imagined that 10 short years later we would..." list:

• beat the odds and become a thriving + enduring business
• live up to the dream of creating a business that is an agent for change
• work at a company where MacGyver is a role model
• convince millions of people to switch to non-toxic cleaners
• attend the prom. every year.
• stand up to Goliath over a flower… and watch them back down
• give people a professional outlet to be weird… and get paid for it
• launch green revolutions including: 100% post-consumer recycled bottles, marvelously concentrated + precisely dosed laundry detergent, smarty dish, bamboo wipes, pouch refills, bio-diesel trucks and all of our incredible green chemistry
• moonlight as front-desk receptionists on a regular basis
• hone our ping-pong skills to a butter-knife edge
• sell products that people use the word “lust” to describe (we got a shout-out, lusters!)
• get sunlight 24 hours a day, with offices in Chicago, London, and Hong Kong
• and most importantly… have the opportunity to hear from amazing people like you and make the world a little bit cleaner.

I've still got three of the four bottles pictured above, under my kitchen sink. Can you believe that?! No, wait, you can. (They're all empty. Actually no, hold on, I decided to take the "vintage" ylang-ylang bathroom spray bottle out of retirement, and refill it. So it's sitting in the bathroom at the moment. And I still have a 3/4 bottle of the kitchen cleaner. Man, that grapefruit mandarin kitchen cleaner was the bomb! I love those pics method used to have on their bottles. Unfortunately, I never got around to picking up the glass cleaner when it first debuted in this bottle style.)

+ Look for a new method book to hit store shelves late Summer, titled The method method! You do all have a copy of method's previous book, squeaky green, right?



+ method recently had a segment on the CNBC show "How I Made My Millions"! (You can see their new spray bottles in the video! Man, those are some great bottles! I have yet to see any hit my Target shelves, but I can't wait!) - Full video above! Enjoy!

eric (sorta) live - video!

Did you miss Eric Ryan's live Q&A session this week? If so, no fear! You can now view it in full glory over at Inc.com! (I've also included some better shots above of the new product sneak peeks. Apparently the anti-bacterial products will be called method antibac (what do you think of the name?) and will of course use natural means to kill bacteria. I still can't read the fragrances on those bottles, though. Gosh darn it!)

Enjoy!

sneak peek - (was) live!

Eric Ryan is now speaking live (see post below!) And he's already given some sneak peeks for upcoming products debuting this September (or earlier!) Above, new dish soap in the lighthouse (laundry detergent) pump! Tada!

Anti-bacterial spray cleaner (I'm sorta shocked about this one!)

And kitchen hand wash (to help remove heavy scents, such as garlic, onions, etc.)

+

I can't wait! I so wish I could read those bottles, and figure out the fragrances! Ah, patience, Nathan. Patience!

+

Apparently there is a new website coming! (Not sure if it's a new methodhome.com website, or a specialty website ala methodlaundry.)

+

They also liked to have a little fun with Eric, as well. You'll notice the mariachi band in the background. They also had dancing daisies, and some Trojan warriors throughout the hour!

chat with eric!

Wanna chat with a method co-founder? Sure you do! Well, today (Wednesday, July 7th!) is your lucky day! Head on over to Inc.com at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST) and join in on their live chat with Eric Ryan! As method says:

"go ahead, ask him anything: what inspired him? what's his favorite method product? where does he buys his skinny ties? tune in, and get live answers!"

Have fun!

no business like soap business... part four

Part four of four! The end!

no business like soap business... part three

Part three of four! A new segment each day!

no business like soap business... part two

Part two of four! A new segment each day!

no business like soap business... part one

Part one of four! A new segment each day!

famous founders

A quick bit that brings a tad more light into why the method vroom brand went bye-bye, from the article Seven famous founders share money mistakes, smart moves By Laura Petrecca, at USA Today:

"Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, the Method co-founders (notice in the article, they get the names on the above photo confused. "Adam Lowry, left..." really, now? Is that my left, or your left?)

In 2000, two roommates had a brainstorm: eco-friendly cleaning products. They whipped up some samples in their bathtub and handed them out to friends. Method was born. The company in 2008 reached $100 million in sales and is sold in retail outlets such as Target.

+ Money mistake "As an entrepreneur, you just feel a desire to just grow, grow, grow and show top-line (increases)," Ryan says. "Sometimes it leads you astray."

After the founders expanded their brand into the car-cleaning marketplace with a product called Vroom, they realized they moved a bit too fast.

"We ultimately ended up selling the line (to another company), but it was a big distraction from our business at the time," Ryan says. "There are times that you need to preserve fuel and be careful about how many growth opportunities you pursue, because you burn capital."

+ Savvy move "Hiring a CEO as our first employee was one of the best money moves we made," Lowry says.

The more-experienced Alastair Dorward helped the founders make better management and financial decisions. Dorward had the acumen "to grow smart rather than just grow fast," Lowry says.

+

I still say an auto line would rock, and sell well!

messy guys make millions

...and you can, too! Here's how! No wait, this isn't that kind of post. No self help get rich tips here. If only! But what I do have for you is this nifty Reader's Digest article on those two grand co-founders of a little company we like to obsess over... and over, and over, and over, and over, and over and...!

"Messy Guys Make Millions Selling Green Cleaning Products
- By Margaret Heffernan

Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry were having dinner with their new investors. The 27-year-old entrepreneurs had finally gotten a million dollars in venture capital to kick-start their company, but it came with stiff financial targets. It turned out this was the least of their problems that night. "We were passing our credit cards under the table to each other," Ryan recalls, "but none of them worked, because we had maxed them out. Eventually, we persuaded the restaurant owner we were good for the money."

In the eight years since that embarrassing moment, Ryan and Lowry have built Method into the world's largest eco-friendly cleaning brand. Their green products use natural ingredients like corn, coconut oil, and palm oil and are packed in attractive, recyclable containers. In the process, the two changed the perception of green home-care products—and the industry too.

Ryan and Lowry had been friends since high school, but it wasn't until after college that they hit on the idea of a home-care-products company. "We were shocked to learn how toxic cleaning products were," says Ryan. Why couldn't they create green products that would be just as stylish, fragrant, and environmentally pure as Aveda's skin- and hair-care lines?

When Ryan's mom heard about the plan, she stared at him blankly: "I've never even seen you clean your room!" Undeterred, Lowry, the chemical engineer, experimented with nontoxic ways to clean, while Ryan, the ad guy, focused on marketing. In February 2001, they mixed their first four cleaning sprays and convinced the managers of 20 independent grocers to try them. Once they had their approval, they tapped friends and family and pooled their savings to come up with $90,000 in seed money.

From the start, "Go big or go home" was their mantra. Their first financing—that $1 million—was due to be signed on September 11, 2001. By the time they got it, two months later, says Ryan, "we had $16 in the bank and personally owed $300,000."

+

Head on over and read the rest!

eco-parents

method wants you to pick up (or at least check it out!) the July issue of Parents magazine to learn from Eric Ryan (method co-founder) how to throw an eco-birthday party for your kids! The photo shoot not only includes Eric himself, but many method employee's kids as well!

method man

Have you read this great Q&A article with Eric Ryan, method's co-founder over on ANA Advertiser magazine? No, well hey, now you can! (See, I knew I was good for something. I just KNEW it!) Enjoy!

"Eric Ryan, who co-founded cleaning products company Method in 2001, has a simple strategy for competing with the likes of Unilever, Procter & Gamble, S.C. Johnson, and Clorox. "Everything we do has to be different," says Ryan, 36, chief brand architect of the San Francisco company, which is among the fastest-growing private companies in America. "Method is a belief brand being built on what money can't buy. We're a challenger brand, taking on 8 Goliaths."

With sales "just north of $100 million" and 106 employees, the company has a long way to go before it can slay even one of the Goliaths in its space, as Ryan readily admits. Meanwhile, he's betting that "our scrappiness can match competitors' scale." And, perhaps more crucial to the company's continued success, he's betting that consumers will embrace the company's environmentally friendly philosophy of producing cleaning products that are effective, safe, and without toxic ingredients. "Historically, consumers were focused on the best products," he told the crowd during his session to kick off Tuesday. "Now, consumers are equally focused on how things are made." Ryan was joined on stage by Scott Potter, founding managing partner of San Francisco Private Equity Partners, a key investor in the company.

Ryan's presentation created quite a buzz among the 300+ attendees, who were fascinated by his entrepreneurial spirit and optimistic outlook. "The difference between successful and unsuccessful companies is that the unsuccessful ones gave up too early," Ryan said as he described the launch of the company in 2001, during an economic downturn. "We constantly push ourselves and remind ourselves that standing still is not an option."

Ryan had much more to say, on a range of topics, when ANA Magazine Editor Bob Barrett sat down with him under the 100-degree Phoenix sun. Here's a transcript of the interview.

Bob Barrett, ANA Advertiser: You've created an instant buzz here and I've seen you shaking a lot of hands since coming off stage. What kind of response have you had to your presentation?

Eric Ryan: Usually, the word I hear most often, which is really cool, is inspiring. That's what I try to do, as far as a lot of people working for really big companies and legacy brands. I feel like the one thing I can do is just help try to inspire them to think a little differently and give them the confidence to do that. So I try to design my talk, as much as possible, to be uplifting, anything's possible, and then here's some real simple ways of how to think about it to try to create change. People want something they can use, versus just talking about it. So I don't want to just talk about what we do. If I talk about something we do, I want to make it easy for someone to take that and run with it.

BB: What role has traditional marketing played in the growth and success of Method, to the extent that anything Method does is traditional? And how close are you to the marketing function?

ER: I'm really close to marketing because I come from a marketing background, and the only asset we own is the brand. So, creating and building the brand is my number one priority. Now, with that, we've got a big team and we've got a head of marketing, a creative director, and other people who that's their daily responsibility. But it's something that I still get my hands quite messy on, so it's still very focused.

BB: As you look forward and you think about the next level of growth for the company, what role will marketing play in allowing you to achieve the success you're targeting?

ER: Well, we're in a great spot, depending on how you look at it — glass half full, glass half empty. Our awareness is high for how new we are as a brand and how little we spend. But, compared to our competitors, our awareness is very, very low. So, the role of marketing, more than anything else, is going to be trying to get our story out there in a broader way and bring more people into the brand. If you look at our growth drivers, our number one growth driver is getting more people into the brand. We have a lot of distribution opportunity, a lot of products opportunity, but what's really going to be our number one focus is just creating more advocates, as we call them.

BB: Today you talked about differentiation and how you really work hard to differentiate Method from the mega-competitors you face. But what have you learned from them? What are some things that maybe you're doing similarly to them, even though they have much bigger scale?

ER: The big thing we're trying to do is use their strengths against them, right. We can't outspend them. We can't outmarket them on claims. So we've got to try to use their legacy against them. So, that's anything from the way we try to reframe products. It's all about shifting the conversation, right. These are brands that have been around for decades and decades, so they own the conversation. If you're Windex, you own the conversation on streak clean. We can't come in and join that conversation and do a better job, so we've got to shift the conversation to a different topic. So, in that case, we shift the conversation to non-toxic and the fragrance and the beauty of it and the overall experience. So, that's the biggest thing we've got to do, is keep trying to figure out what is the conversation that our competitors are talking about and then how do we shift it to something different.

BB: You are ever-mindful of your competition, including the fact that many of them were listening to you today. Given that, how do you approach a presentation like this? Are you cautious about giving away secrets and strategy?

ER: We're cautious about what we share. But, also, anybody can look at what we do and dissect it. It's not rocket science, it's soap. And the things we're sharing we know are difficult for them to do in some cases. In other cases, they're really, really great at it. And I don't think we're giving anything away. But, also, if we really are a challenger brand, we've got to keep innovating and keep challenging. So, our story shouldn't be static. It should be dynamic. And what I shared here this year, by next year, this story should've evolved. So, if they're following what were doing today, that's fine, as long as we're evolving.

BB: How are your competitors reacting to Method's early success and your presence in the market?

ER: Quite aggressively. We're seeing it come from all spaces, but it's coming in a very different way. So, I think CPG really struggles to build tensions into a brand. So, what makes Method unique is the tension of style and the tension of substance. Bringing those together is really challenging because there's constant trade-offs that you've got to work through. Typically within the world of consumer products, brands are built around a single attribute, so there is no tension within it. It's a single plot. The way you're seeing competitors come after us, the way it's manifesting, is they're focusing on green or they're focusing on design. Nobody's focusing on bringing them together. Design's not something you talk about; it's just something you do. It's your tone. It's who you are. It's your personality. And the ones who are focusing on what we call substance, which is the green, they're also doing it in a very single-dimensional way, which is selling green as a product feature. Whereas, to us, it is a product feature, but it's bigger than that. It's the entire philosophy behind the brand..."

Make sure to head on over and read the rest!