Words of wisdom from James Dyson

[Harold Mansfield]

You all probably know James Dyson as the inventor of the dual cyclone vacuum cleaners that you see advertised on T.V.

I used to see his commercials, and although the machines look great, I always thought the catch phrase could use a little help.
It was only recently until I started seeing the simple brilliance in what he was saying.

"Solve the obvious problems that others seem to ignore". That's it!

Sometimes I think it's not enough just to offer services and do a good job, because there are many like us. I dare say for some of us, a dime a dozen. We have to do better than our industry's short comings and capitalize on it.

What do you guys think?

[Blessed]

First off - I have a Dyson vacuum and it was well worth every penny - especially when I had a dog in the house :)

Second - one of my selling points is that I know how to create files for print. So many designers create files that don't print right and have to be re-worked by the printer or another designer or simply never look as good on paper as they did on screen. It's a strong selling point with potential clients who have already been down the frustrating road of having a design ready to go - then finding out that it won't work and has to be redone at a cost of time and money.

[KristineS]

I would agree with this. Find a niche or an unfulfilled need and fill it.

[Harold Mansfield]

Not just that, but fix the stuff that is broken.
Just to use Dyson vacs as an example, you can buy all kinds of "designer" vacs but they are all pretty much still made the same way. Brush spun by a belt, and some suction into a curved plastic hose that dumps into a bag or container.

Manufactures spent years doing everything from putting headlights on them, to adjusting the brush up and down for different carpet heights, to claiming some miraculous kind of Hepa filter . But they all still clogged and it was just accepted.

No matter how powerful the suction, I always sooner or later find myself on the floor with a wire hanger unclogging the part of the hose that curves into the collection receptacle.
It seems that Dyson has figured out how to stop that from happening.

Out of all of the vac makers that have been around since the 30's, Hoover, Eureka, LG, Kirby, Oreck...how come no one has solved that problem yet?

Exactly what he said, "...the problems that others seem to ignore".
Was there a need for another vacuum maker? Probably not. Was there a need to stop vacuums from clogging?
Definitely!

[Spider]

"Solve the obvious problems that others seem to ignore". That's it!
.. Sometimes I think it's not enough just to offer services and do a good job, because there are many like us. I dare say for some of us, a dime a dozen. We have to do better than our industry's short comings and capitalize on it.
.. What do you guys think?This, in fact, is my claim to fame. At a terminal point in my life, local plumbers were proving quite incapable of handling the large commercial projects that were suddenly available to them. The local firms were run by tradesmen/owners skilled in service work – repairs, renovations and small home extensions. But, they were failing the large projects due to their inexperience with major installations. They didn't have the skills, they lacked the management – the owner's wife was often their entire office staff – and they were grossly inefficient. I saw a need for a well-run plumbing contractor that could handle large projects.

So, I created one -- multi-million dollar company (http://frederickpearce.com/multimilliondollar.html).

So, Yes, I think it is a super way to fly!

[greenoak]

i like spiders story,i read it on his blog the other day.... ... he had some good history and current events to fit into...am i missing some great equal oopportunity? what would that be for us ? i think we are in a harder spot , rural depressed rust belt and not wanting to move......
anyway
heres my answer to eborgs question....i think we do something others shrug off or think is impossible.....good style and value for very reasonable price....
we try to go low instead of high....and its very appreciated and we make good money...like spider says on his blog....good qualilty and low price arent an either or thing...i really believe that....
my family was also in contracting and made so much by being the low bidder...and then delivering a good product....for him it was when all the schools consolidated and he got the plumbing and heating jobs...... another great historical event and opportunity..much like spiders..

[Harold Mansfield]

@Spider,
I have ,in fact, heard you say the same thing many times here on the forum. Just wanted you to know that it didn't go unnoticed.

[Spider]

Thank you. I hope this encourages others to look about and see what is often staring one in the face.

Winston Churchill said it very well, "Every day people trip over opportuity. Most just get up, brush themselves off and carry on as if nothing happened!"

My version is, "Opportunity doesn't knock once - it knocks 10 or 15 times a day - every day. Look around! There are always opportunities out there waiting to be picked up."