You've probably heard these words: "It's all been done before". Most of the time, someone is trying to make a point that the product category is too commoditized for innovation or simply that the world is running out of creative ideas. Well I won't argue about the creative ideas part, only because it's not the ideas that matter... it's their application that does. So when someone says to me "it's all been done before", I reply "Great, let's do it again somewhere new".
Case in point: few would argue that James Dyson of Dyson Vacuum fame is a passionate and prolific inventor (and entrepreneur). Here's a true problem solver, someone who stumbled across the idea for a bagless vacuum and re-invented the category. It's the stuff of legend. He's passionate about the idea, builds literally thousands of prototypes to perfect it, peddles the innovation to every manufacturer who will listen... and finally, out of frustration, sets up his own company to market the product. It's come out of nowhere to becoming one of the leading brands in the category.
Dyson's latest upright vacuum model is "The Ball", an ingenious mobility improvement for upright cleaners that greatly improves maneuverability and eliminates strain and stress on the user's arm. It's one of those products that when you see it demonstrated you have to say "Why didn't I think of that?"
What I find fascinating about this innovation is that it's obviously traceable back to another innovation Dyson introduced in the mid-1970's: "The Ballbarrow". Dyson's earlier passion was gardening and had built a small business around designing gardening tools. The Ballbarrow was introduced by Dyson as a disruptive innovation before Clayton Christensen even told him what one was. It became the market leader within a few years of its introduction in the UK.
Does this mean Dyson's un-original? He is in fact re-applying a simple idea that he's had in his mind for over thirty years. I think no less of him for the source of this idea. In fact, I think it provides a valuable lesson for today's managers struggling to find "new" ideas for their businesses. Don't get so hung up in creating something original. Instead, go through the history of your category and through innovations of unrelated categories. I'm confident you'll find sources of inspiration for your own business... without having to reinvent the wheel!
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