Are You As Smart As Sir James Dyson?

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You thought I was going to ask if you were as smart as a fifth grader…admit it! Nope, not today…you have much bigger competition. Or Do You? Are you constantly brainstorming and thinking of ways to invent a new product, software, service? I know I always have ideas, but, I also equally have ideas on how to improve or package what I know and do into something that isn’t really NEW per se, but that is re-invented. You know…put a new spin on an old idea.

If you have been reading here for long, you have heard Jack say it over and over again…make everything you do fit your niche. Jack obviously has said it more eloquently (or sometimes not so eloquently) than I just did, but the whole idea is that you don’t have to come up with something new, you can adjust or re-invent what you already have and make it fit.

Sir James Dyson is a perfect example of someone who re-invented something. What did he do? He made the vacuum cleaner better. He took a normal everyday object and improved upon it. Do you know his first vacuum came out in 1983? Almost 30 years ago. Now, if you haven’t seen it, he has a hand dryer, I just used it the other day at Costco and decided that I needed one in every one of our bathrooms and in the kitchen. He also has a new fan. Yep, an ordinary everyday fan. Its called the Air Multiplier.

Here is the thing, although these may be everyday items, he put a spin on them, made them better and is now raking in the money. I call that a tried and true business strategy: Reinvent something commonplace, charge a hefty premium, and listen for the cash registers to start ringing.

Tagged as: Air multiplier, business strategy, marketing, re-invent, Sir James Dyson