Peter Aronson. He’s an award-winning journalist who’s has been featured on NPR and Marketplace. He’s also been a vice president in the corporate world. Now, his startup helps Mexico transform that notorious Mexican tap water into perfectly drinkable clean-tasting purified water.

Famous Five:

Favorite Book? – The Founder’s Dilemma
What CEO do you follow? – N/A
Favorite online tool? — HubSpot CRM
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 7
If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Peter wished he took business courses and knew about the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:12 – Nathan introduces Peter to the show
01:33 – People aren’t supposed to drink the water in Mexico
01:41 – Mexico became the No. 1 consumer per capita in the world
- 02:08 – 70% of the consumed bottled water in Mexico is 5-gallon jug
- 02:21 – An average Mexican family is spending more for their water than on their broadband or landline
02:48 – Peter’s company is Biluu
03:07 – Peter had been curious about the startup and business world
03:13 – Peter was the corporate vice president for US-Indian Joint Venture
03:30 – While in the Himalayas, Peter would boil his drinking water every day
03:35 – Eventually, Peter taught the people how to use a water purifier
04:00 – Peter searched how to properly filter water and what should be taken out
04:25 – Peter’s wife is Mexican and he returned to Mexico
04:36 – Biluu is a for profit business, not a non-profit
- 04:44 – Biluu is currently doing direct sales and YouTube promotions
- 05:00 – The main challenge in Mexico is changing people’s habits
- 05:12 – “We’ve had to establish trust”
06:12 – Biluu filtration system cost is $170
- 06:50 – For $170, they can get virtually unlimited purified drinking water for a year
- 06:58 – A cartridge will last for a year
07:11 – 1500 people are drinking Biluu’s water
07:35 – Some of Biluu’s filtration systems are in restaurants
07:53 – Biluu has sold around 100 units
08:10 – The previous water filters in Mexico weren’t effective or scientifically proven
08:43 – 42% of Biluu’s growth came from referrals
08:55 – Biluu isn’t manufacturing by themselves
- 09:28 – Biluu has an exclusive license to the technology
- 09:39 – The deal is by volume commitment
- 09:57 – Biluu needs to maintain a 6-figure sales
10:14 – Biluu is totally self-funded
10:20 – Team size is 5 and all are based in Mexico City, Mexico
10:47 – Biluu is trying to look for brand ambassadors to reach out to people
- 11:06 – Biluu is also doing Facebook paid ads and Google AdWords
12:17 – The Famous Five

3 Key Points:

It’s not easy to change people’s habits, but you HAVE to try—especially if it’s for the better.
Learning from a community can be a life changing experience.
Find a brand ambassador who has a good online reputation and large following.

Resources Mentioned:

The Top Inbox – The site Nathan uses to schedule emails to be sent later, set reminders in inbox, track opens, and follow-up with email sequences
Organifi – The juice was Nathan’s life saver during his trip in Southeast Asia
Klipfolio – Track your business performance across all departments for FREE
Acuity Scheduling – Nathan uses Acuity to schedule his podcast interviews and appointments
Host Gator– The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for the cheapest price possible
Audible– Nathan uses Audible when he’s driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) to listen to audio books
Freshbooks – Nathan doesn’t waste time so he uses Freshbooks to send out invoices and collect his money. Get your free month NOW

Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

648:Biluu Lets Mexicans Safely Drink Tap Water for $150 with CEO Peter Aronso

SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, Founders