Last Tuesday’s guest speaker in the Midwest Entrepreneurs class was someone that I and my departmental colleague Lee Miller have been working with for several years; dating back to when the unconventional entrepreneurial journey we heard about was little but a dream. We—and the students in the class Tuesday—knew that what we would be witnessing would be both exciting and unique. But even I was surprised with the ongoing wild ride of Mike Acerra and his amazing Lux blocks. See the following links to Mike’s/Lux’s webpage and Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/luxblox/?fref=ts
Ironically, the very morning of his visit, I ran across a call for papers for a special edition of the Journal of Business Research entitled “Sources of Unconventional Entrepreneurship: Passion and Consumption.” As soon as I read the title, I thought of Mike Acerra. Then I read further… Quoting from the call for papers (with my emphasis added)…
“Entrepreneurship is rapidly changing. There is an urgent need to rethink its conceptual framework along new lines. Unconventional entrepreneurship – that is, entrepreneurship not bound by, or in accordance with, the conventional endeavors of planning, launching and building a venture – is at the core of several theories which are distancing themselves from the mythical figure of the Schumpeterian entrepreneur. Of major relevance for these new theoretical frameworks are the contexts in which individuals acquire the resources and the courage to undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Nowadays, during their everyday activities people learn and develop skills that can become resources for innovation. Passions developed in a wide range of leisure or hobby activities may lead to new forms of entrepreneurship. Indeed, an entrepreneur’s commitment may be fueled by motives that go beyond the rational search for profit; it could be based on passions unrelated to professional experience, but linked instead to personal aptitudes and leisure activities… At the same time, most passions also foster the development of competencies, skills and knowledge, which in turn foster innovation (Martin and Schouten, 2014).”
Mike Acerra is most certainly not a conventional entrepreneur. When he first started visiting classes here at Monmouth College—with his 3D printer and early prototype blocks—this lack of conventionalism likely led some to believe that he would “never make it.”
Well, it looks like he is well—and rapidly—on his way to making it very, very big. He, along with assistance of his wife Heather, has taken his unbridled and interconnected—Buckminster Fuller-inspired—passions for art, nature, innovation, learning, and sustainable, community-focused business and turned them into a highly innovative toy product rapidly expanding across the nation at a rate that surprised even me; someone fully confident in Mike’s ability to succeed from the first day I met him.
I turn things over to class member Tiffany Reed to share with you the rest of what the Midwest Entrepreneurs class was privileged to experience last Tuesday afternoon.
Prof. Gabel __________________________________________________________________________________
On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Mike Acerra. Acerra is the main inventor behind a fairly new toy product called Lux: The Principled Block. As a graduate of Knox College with a degree in Studio Art, Acerra knew from the beginning that he did not want to follow the corporate path lifestyle. He wanted to create his own unique path and that is exactly what he did.
While in college, Mike became fascinated with the work of Buckminster Fuller. He knew that he wanted to invent some type of unique product, just as Fuller did in his lifetime, and what better than inventing a new toy based on structures found in nature. When deciding exactly what to build, one of the first things to come was the idea of a snapping hinge that did not require a pin, which he was later able to patent. Acerra eventually decided on a building block that was more unique than anyone has seen before. Soon Mike began creating prototypes on a 3-D printer and the start of his company was beginning to bloom.
These Lux blocks are unique compared to something like LEGO. They are flexible and can be manipulated into circles, bend, move, curve, and be made into fun and unique objects. Some examples that he brought to class included a dinosaur, Ferris wheel, and he showed us pictures of an 8 ft. Eiffel Tower that was made out of these blocks. Unlike LEGO, when you buy this toy, it purposefully does not come with instructions. This leaves the person playing with these blocks to have full control over want they want to create, rather than being told what to build with them.
Another unique factor about Acerra’s company is that they do not sell to Amazon or related online stores. He said that, “Companies that sell on these sites take away from small business”. After growing up in Galesburg and living in small towns most of his life, taking away from small business and the community is not something that he is interested in doing. He will only sell to small and unique toy boutiques. They are not looking to become a mass market toy and sell out to get rich quickly. Another thing is they like to keep production and manufacturing fairly local. The blocks are made in Elroy, WI and Bloomington, IL while the packing is done by disabled persons at Bridgeway in Galesburg (see: http://bway.org/default.aspx).
Today, Mike Acerra travels all across the United States to attend toy fairs to get his product name out there and find more places to sell it at. Some of the places he has recently traveled to include Atlanta, Dallas, Minneapolis, and New York (and he told us he was taking off for a big show in Las Vegas by the end of the week). Not only does Mr. Acerra travel to these toy fairs to sell his product, but he also goes to meet his sales reps that he has in different areas all across the U.S. so that they can listen to him talk about his product and have a better understanding of what they are selling. One quote he used when talking about this is: “You’re always selling to someone”.
In the next few years, Mike Acerra has the potential to make his product as popular if not even more popular than LEGO. Since September they have already expanded the stores they are in from 25 to 150. At toy fair in New York, Acerra said, “the prime spot to be is on the 3rd floor”, and while recently there, he was able to land a spot on that floor. He has had articles written about his product in the Chicago Tribune which only further helps to get his name and product out there. At this fast growing rate, it is clear that the Lux block could soon be a toy that nearly every child across the country has.
Thank you so much Mr. Acerra for coming and talking to our class!
Tiffany Reed
