The first solar-powered round-the-world trip took place at sea. In 2010, Raphaël Domjan took the helm of the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar to embark on a journey that ended on May 4, 2012, after 585 days of sailing! Raphaël thus concluded the first round-the-world trip powered 100% by photovoltaic energy.
Far from being satisfied, Raphaël still pursues the same goal: to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies. Ever further, ever higher, Raphaël pursues his goal: to show the world the potential of renewable energies. His new challenge? To realize Icarus’ dream by going into the stratosphere without fossil fuels. This mission, named SolarStratos, will be completed in two years, in 2020.
I had the great pleasure of meeting this seasoned eco-adventurer in March 2018 and I would like to share some of his advice with you.
How did you become an ambassador for the PlanetSolar project?
I had been able to observe that in all the big projects that work and have visibility, there is always one person who is put forward. You take the Cousteau team: it is Mr. Cousteau’s team. We do not know those who are behind it. The first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong. He is the one that everyone knows, even if there were 400,000 people behind it. Elon Musk does incredible things, but he is not the one who builds the rockets and he is not the one who creates the cars. I have always thought that it is important in terms of strategy to have a person put forward. It is important to find funding but also to have an impact on the public.
I always thought we needed a figurehead.
It’s something that was done in a more intuitive than academic way. You don’t learn how to find a sponsor at school. Now everything is evolving, everything is changing. Traditional marketing directors are all outdated. Schools teach things that are no longer necessarily useful. We are in a world that is changing so quickly that the rules of 10 years ago are no longer the same as today.
You appear in the media as someone extremely friendly, optimistic, full of energy. How did you manage to shape this image?
First of all, I’m really like that, so it’s quite natural. But then, with the media, you really have to try to stay modest, keep the same profile and not talk nonsense. Having a personality is important, but you have to know how to stay in your role. As you may know, they say that when you start from nothing, the media will first have a hard time trusting you, then they will praise you and then they will finish you off. There are a few exceptions like Roger Federer, but otherwise you always find this pattern.
My strategy is to remain modest, not to judge, not to play the teacher. It’s part of my values.
You also have to learn to have charisma. You still represent a project and that requires paying attention to your image. You don’t go to an event with ripped jeans and a fleece that comes down to your knees. I also registered the Raphaël Domjan brand.
The goal of making my brand as strong as possible is to support SolarStratos.
So in the end the brand that people should remember is “SolarStratos & Raphaël Domjan”.
In your opinion, what are the qualities that an investor must find in an entrepreneur to have confidence in his project?
First of all, you have to be sincere. That’s the most important thing. A sponsor will first trust you, that’s why you have to be authentic. If you’re a carpet salesman, you don’t stand a chance. Then you have to know how to make the person in front of you dream and get them involved in your dream. It’s a human decision, a question of feeling. Once you’ve gained their trust and shown them that it’s an incredible project, you finally have to make them understand the economic interest for their business. You have to listen to them, know how to understand what they’re looking for.
You used social media a lot to communicate about your world tour. How did your own social media come into play?
Again, it’s very intuitive. I try to make at least one post a week. I try to make sure that people can follow me in what is not seen otherwise. The goal is not to have the same information on Facebook as there is in the media or on our website. The idea is to always bring something different, so that people feel like they are close to us and that they are part of the adventure.
What works is not necessarily exclusive content, but very authentic content.
In my experience, it’s the image that’s super important. On social media, you have to put a lot of visuals. You have to be quick and spontaneous. You also have to have interesting content, but it always has to be a little offbeat. What works well for us is finding derivative ways to bring information.
One last piece of advice for people who are going to read this article?
I was given this advice when I was looking for sponsors for PlanetSolar:
No avenue should be overlooked!
December 24, 2006, shortly after we officially launched PlanetSolar. We still didn’t have the money to build the boat and we needed at least 10 million. There was a man who called me on Christmas morning. He gave me his name. Totally unknown on the internet. He didn’t exist. We arranged to meet at McDonald’s. We met up and I offered him a bite to eat. I bought us a happy meal, something not too expensive. We talked, he asked me questions and I told myself that it was absolutely useless. But I went anyway with passion. I was honest. I tried. It turns out that he was the right-hand man of the German industrialist passionate about solar energy who financed the boat. His boss had told him “you’re going to see Raphaël before the end of the year” and he was at the last of the last. So he went from Darmstadt to Yverdon to eat a happy meal. When I found out, I thought I had made a big mistake. At the same time, I remained authentic and spoke to him with passion. That’s what made the project a success. If you want to do something that’s bigger than what you can achieve, you should never neglect a path.
To remember:
The success of a project often depends on the ability of its leaders to create engagement. Indeed, it is difficult to have an impact without raising funds, attracting partners or communicating successes.
Raphaël Domjan very quickly understood that his image was the key to creating this engagement. As a good communicator, he was able to take advantage of it and created a real communication strategy around his mission. This approach, very thoughtful and focused on him, does not however sound selfish, simply because he remains sincere and faithful to his cause.
Raphaël cites Cousteau, Musk and Federer, but personal branding is a tool that is not reserved for an elite. You are free to use it, whatever your objective: finding clients, getting a promotion or simply looking for partners with whom to launch projects that are important to you.
To do this, I suggest you start by simply imitating Raphaël by sharing your passion in a rigorous but authentic way.
