Many
years ago, I was standing in line at a grocery store and overheard a
conversation between two women ahead of me.
One of them was talking about how expensive it was to take a taxi to the
airport. She needed to take a quick trip
for business, but her family was away on vacation, and the airport was a
90-minute drive away. She knew the taxi fee
would run more than $100, which her friend blamed on supply and demand, saying
that there simply weren’t many options.
Being
a starving college student on summer break, I couldn’t help thinking of an
idea. “I’ll drive you to the airport for
$50,” I offered, “and you can travel in comfort and style.” She looked first at me, then at the packages
of Ramen Noodles I was holding, and asked what I meant by comfort and style. Thinking on my feet, I said, “The comfort of
your own car, and the style you’ve been accustomed to for years.” She laughed, realizing that I was offering to
drive her to the airport in her own car.
I said that I could drive my car to her house, leave it there, and then drive
her to the airport in her car. I’d then
return her car and leave with my own, and she would save both money and time by
scheduling me in advance.
That
summer and the couple that followed, I probably drove 50 people to the airport. Recently, companies like Uber and Lyft have
arrived on the scene, giving the taxi companies something to worry about with
their own innovative solutions to the same problem I was addressing all those
years ago. Experiences like these helped
cement for me the importance and value of using creativity to solve
problems. That brings me to this week’s
story about an entrepreneur named Michael, and his creative solution to a
common source of frustration for many of us...
A
few years ago, Michael was at a holiday party where he and another guest named
Mark began making small talk. Michael’s
background was in brand marketing, and though he had never worked for an
advertising agency, he was always finding opportunities to create fun and
interesting content.
During
his conversation with Mark, they somehow got talking about shaving, and Michael
mentioned how ludicrously expensive blades were, even joking that he often
forgot to buy new blades and showed up for work looking a bit scruffy. Mark, whose background was in manufacturing,
said he knew where to get affordable twin razor blades in bulk. Within an hour, the two strangers had come up
with an idea for a business to sell disposable razor blades by mail directly to
the consumers, shipped right to their homes for just a few dollars a month.
Using
the internet to take orders meant they wouldn’t have to spend money on a
storefront. Selling and shipping directly to consumers would keep the prices
low because there would be no wholesalers or retailers to take a cut of
revenues. And, if they could come up
with a creative way to advertise their business, they’d save money on
marketing.
The
week they launched their business at DollarShaveClub.com, over 3 million people
watched their goofy yet brilliant video – just 90 seconds long and produced for
less than $5,000 – and it went viral.
More than 200,000 subscribers joined DollarShaveClub’s monthly
membership program in the first year.
Members get one handheld razor per month for a monthly fee of $3 that
includes shipping, along with 5 blades.
So, for less than $37 a year, you get all the razor blades you need, and
never need to go to the store to buy them again!
Einstein
once said that imagination is greater than knowledge. We’re all born with the ability to think
creatively, but throughout our lives, our tendency to let our imaginations run
wild diminishes. Sometimes this happens
because, when we explore new ideas, we make mistakes and suffer the
consequences. Over time, many of us stop
being experimental. It’s easy to just give
up, and much harder to get back up after things don’t work out. But life rewards those who keep their creative
spirits alive!
So,
whether you have an idea to innovate at work, the beginning thoughts for a new
business launch, or something to add some fun and excitement to your life, keep
at it! Remember, “Imagination is your
only weapon in the war against reality.”
Until Next Week…
Live Your Dreams!
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