WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. How to Discover Innovative Opportunities In a previous article ( Why Innovate? in January 2019 WWDR ), I wrote that to make money from innovation, you need to find a good problem to solve. I suggested a good way to find such a problem is to look at some of your daily tasks and identify the ones you detest. I then suggested if you hate doing it, there are probably countless other people who hate it as well, which means you have identified a problem that needs solving. Your solution might become a million dollar idea. Another way to discover a million dollar idea is when you’ve been frustrated as a customer. But don’t take my word for it. Thomas Stemberg started several successful businesses after he was frustrated as a customer. When he couldn’t find shoes to properly fit his children’s feet, he started the OLLY shoes fit for a kid company. When he couldn’t find a printer ribbon on a holiday weekend, he founded the Staples office supply store chain. Those are just some of the many business ideas Stemberg had. He once said, “I get my best ideas for starting a new business from having been frustrated as a customer.” The quote by Stemberg is like a road map for finding money-making opportunities. Where have you been frustrated as a customer? Perhaps you already have a million dollar idea lurking in the back of your mind, because you know you can do it better. Don’t just complain about it and walk away. Go deeper, think about it, explore the possibilities, and see if you have what it takes to create a new business. Here’s another scenario to ponder: How is your competition frustrating their customers? If you can find that out, and improve upon it, then you can take their customers away. While you’re at it, ask yourself: How am I frustrating my customers? Ask them, they’ll happily tell you. Then you can fix it; keep your current customers satisfied; and earn some new ones with your improved product or service. That’s why so many companies run customer satisfaction surveys, so they can solve prob- lems that might be costing them money. A great example of someone who was frustrated as a customer and started a business because of it is Rico Elmore. Rico is a big guy: six foot, three inches tall, and weighs 300 pounds. When he got married, he and his wife went to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. While there, he misplaced his sunglasses. No problem, he thought, I’ll just buy a new pair. When he went shopping he couldn’t find a single pair to fit his large head. He went to several stores before giving up. There simply were no sunglasses available in his size. Frustrated, Elmore decided that when he got back home to Indiana, he would have several pairs of sunglasses custom made to fit his head. He was determined to never have this problem again. He’d keep several pairs on hand, so he’d always have a backup if one pair were broken or lost. Then while he was doing his research on getting custom sunglass- es manufactured, it occurred to him that he couldn’t be the only person with this problem. So, instead of only making a few pairs for himself, Rico decided to start a company which specialized in making sunglasses for people with big heads. It took him a couple of years to figure it all out, but in late 2005 he launched his new company Fatheadz eyewear. By 2010, he had landed Walmart as an account and hit $2 mil- lion in sales. The company has been growing ever since. As you go through your life’s activities keep your eyes open, or better yet your feelings. When you find yourself feel- ing irritated, annoyed, or frustrated, look a little closer and ask, “Can I do this better? Can I improve this situation? Is there a business opportunity here?” Then maybe you can make the world a better place, by coming up with a mil- lion dollar idea! Robert Robert is an author, humorist, and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert, visit www.RobWilsonSpeaker.com or contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com 7 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2019 Good Morning, I will be retiring next week. It was great working with all the folks there. Thank you so much!! Julie Armstrong Machine Co., Inc. Pocahontas, IA