As South Africa’s leading furniture specialists – Mobelli Furniture + Living has enjoyed years as a successful outdoor furniture brand. But the wind of change came early in 2017 when the brand introduced the launch of its much-anticipated indoor collection, reshaping the face of the country’s furniture industry.
Alon Sachs, co-owner of Mobelli says his business journey has not always been easy – it’s taken years of hard work, commitment and dedication to reach the level of success the brand enjoys today. And while adapting the business’s business model didn’t come at the drop of a hat and involved many décor and design experts, Sachs says it remains a 2017 highlight and “one for the books”.
In this piece Sachs explores the fundamentals to establishing a successful business, as well as the best way to change a business model to ensure business success.
1Tell us about your business model and how it emerged?
My brother Aviv, who co-owns the business with me, and I really struggled to find beautiful, value-for-money outdoor furniture and that sparked our idea to start Mobelli. We made a vow to only sell striking, exceptionally comfortable and low maintenance pieces of furniture.
2What was the process involved in establishing the indoor collection?
This process has many legs – we studied our market and their needs and visited several international trade shows to establish what’s on-trend and what will work for our clientele.
3When in your opinion are business owners ready to adapt their business model?
Once the existing model works and works well, you’re ready. If the existing model is not doing too well, it makes no sense to adapt to a new one. Do the necessary research and make sure the adaptation is viable for your business before making any decisions.
4What are the recommended first steps to adapting your business model?
It’s a lengthy process that involves key role-players, in our case an interior decorator. Research is fundamental – market analysis was a priority for us.
During our research we established that there was a gap in the market – there was need for attainable and contemporary modern European styled furniture pieces.
It’s important to know your market and to know what they want.
5Would you recommend business owners to adapt or evolve their business model?
If there’s a need for change, in order to grow the business and contribute further to its success, why not? But make sure your initial model not only works, but that it’s a success before changing up anything.
6What’s the main reason for evolving a business model?
The need for change and to further grow the business and while doing so, capture more business from your target market.