Evolution of an Enterprise, Chapter 18: Show Time

The owners of Voyager Industries have been saying for months that they felt their company could eventually make a splash across the country.

"Eventually" may have arrived Oct. 13.

Binh Uebinger, who co-founded the Springfield-based airplane detailing company with Josh Somers and acts as chief operating officer, was a guest on CNBC's "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" on the 13th, as part of a segment about new companies preparing to take the next step.

Uebinger traveled to the NBC affiliate in St. Louis to tape the segment via satellite, talking about his company and its upcoming pitch to New Jersey-based fractional aircraft-ownership company NetJets.

National exposure

The process of getting on national TV was a lesson in persistence; Uebinger said he sent dozens of e-mails to the show, pitching his company's story. The break came when the show asked to hear from entrepreneurs who wanted to take their businesses to the next level and were seeking guidance.

He responded to the request - and within hours, a CNBC assistant producer called.

"His passion, determination and tenacity as a burgeoning entrepreneur during these tough times is why Binh and his company appealed to 'The Big Idea,'" host Deutsch said via e-mail. "Millions of Americans have been affected by these tough economic times, and it is important for small-business owners to ... keep their entrepreneurial dreams alive."

Uebinger said the live experience was both frightening and exhilarating.

"I'm sitting on the set listening to the show, thinking 'I'm going to tear this interview apart,'" Uebinger said. "Then I hear (Executive Producer) Michelle Nowak through my earpiece tell me that I'm on in five, and I said, 'Oh, crap.'"

The show appearance went so well, though, that NBC Universal Public Relations Manager Beth Goldman said Uebinger has been invited to appear on the 9 p.m. show Oct. 21 for an update.

Expert advice

Uebinger said he got some very useful advice from both Deutsch - who made his name building a multibillion-dollar advertising and media business - and Deutsch's guest, JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman, who Uebinger called one of his biggest business influences.

"He said that our business is definitely needed," Uebinger said. "He said, 'You're lucky, because the majority of the businesses out there that do what you do are mediocre. If you want to be the best, there's an opportunity for you.'"

Deutsch told Uebinger that the best way to promote Voyager's services was to let the potential customer do the talking.

"He said, 'Make it all about them, not all about you. Salesmen make the mistake of doing all the talking. Let the customer talk, and find out what they need. They're the experts,'" Uebinger said.

The advice seems to have worked. Uebinger said NetJets executives plan to fly to St. Louis in mid-November to finalize details of a work agreement, which would make Voyager one of just four vendors for the company's fleet of 800 aircraft.

He said the potential new client is exactly the kind of company with which Voyager wants to be associated.

"It reflects nothing but elegance and first-class service, the epitome of customer service at the higher level," Uebinger said. "That's who we want to emulate."[[In-content Ad]]