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Stop making faster horses!

by frankm
15 replies
Henry Ford was asked what research he did before making the Ford Model T.

He said "If I asked the public what they wanted, they would have told me a faster horse!"

Yet how many times in IM do we hear people say "Don't innovate, just copy people who are already successful"

Or "ask your customers what they want", and create the product they want.

Or "use Google Adwords keyword tool to find what people want"

etc etc

The problem is though, innovation usually comes from a thought that most people would consider to be absolutely crazy... Henry Ford being the perfect example.

And most people are too scared to voice their craziest thoughts.

So to be innovative, ask yourself... "what is my biggest dream?" or "what would I do if anything was possible?"

Here's my most regular crazy thought...

I look at bats and flying foxes and think "these two are mammals that have evolved the ability to fly... wouldn't the world be a much nicer place for us if we humans could also evolve the ability to fly. Why would God enable other mammals to fly but not humans? Hmmm caterpillars go through an intense transformation and then become beautiful butterflys. Hmmm... I wonder"

LOL

Frank
#faster #horses #making #stop
  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    So to be innovative, ask yourself... "what is my biggest dream?" or "what would I do if anything was possible?"
    Site to Site transport or a StarGate type device to instantly go from one place to another. I hate spending 10 to 14 hours on a plane. It would be nice to wake up, walk to the device and instantly be in Hawaii, Germany, Disney World, Japan.
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    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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    • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
      Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

      Site to Site transport or a StarGate type device to instantly go from one place to another. I hate spending 10 to 14 hours on a plane. It would be nice to wake up, walk to the device and instantly be in Hawaii, Germany, Disney World, Japan.
      now you're talking, Scott! I would love something like that. Of course it would be even better if it was affordable for everyone.
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      • Profile picture of the author Lawrh
        Originally Posted by Karen Blundell View Post

        now you're talking, Scott! I would love something like that. Of course it would be even better if it was affordable for everyone.
        In Federation space transporters are the standard method for getting around when planetside. All we have to do is implement it.(discovering sub space might help).

        On topic, as affiliate marketers often the best research is to find out what prospects are already doing. Forget Google, see what's actually selling then apply innovation to your marketing.

        Hank Ford was bringing something new to market. Most of us are not product creators so the example doesn't really apply.
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        “Strategy without action is a day-dream; action without strategy is a nightmare.” – Old Japanese proverb -

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        • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
          Originally Posted by Lawrh View Post

          In Federation space transporters are the standard method for getting around when planetside. All we have to do is implement it.(discovering sub space might help).
          Yeah, but I don't want my atoms scattered halfway across the universe.

          The problem with matter transporters is that you have to wonder what is really happening. Is it really transporting you, or simply killing you and reassembling a copy of you at the destination?
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          • Profile picture of the author Lawrh
            Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

            Yeah, but I don't want my atoms scattered halfway across the universe.

            The problem with matter transporters is that you have to wonder what is really happening. Is it really transporting you, or simply killing you and reassembling a copy of you at the destination?
            I prefer to think of that as a plot device for Dr. McCoy. It's always seemed to me that the transporter uses sub-space and that "beaming" is actually shifting from normal space to sup-space and back.
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            “Strategy without action is a day-dream; action without strategy is a nightmare.” – Old Japanese proverb -

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            • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
              Originally Posted by Lawrh View Post

              I prefer to think of that as a plot device for Dr. McCoy. It's always seemed to me that the transporter uses sub-space and that "beaming" is actually shifting from normal space to sup-space and back.
              I don't think that would hold up under canon. If that were true, you couldn't end up with two Rikers...
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    • Profile picture of the author Ray Erdmann
      Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

      Site to Site transport or a StarGate type device to instantly go from one place to another. I hate spending 10 to 14 hours on a plane. It would be nice to wake up, walk to the device and instantly be in Hawaii, Germany, Disney World, Japan.

      Mmmm....sounds like the movie "Jumper"... :-)

      I, myself, would like a home-built 'halo-deck', from the TV Series "Star Trek"....now that would be some serious fun stuff if you ask me.
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    • Profile picture of the author AllAboutAction
      Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

      Site to Site transport or a StarGate type device to instantly go from one place to another. I hate spending 10 to 14 hours on a plane. It would be nice to wake up, walk to the device and instantly be in Hawaii, Germany, Disney World, Japan.
      Please, no. Can you imagine what those places would look like on weekends?
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  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    The whole Henry Ford thingy is great, but for every true "revolutionary" millionaire out there, there are a hundred "evolutionary" millionaires: people who did not need to re-invent the wheel but simply to make it a little bit more efficient.

    Revolutionary ideas are dime in a dozen and they're very risky to implement, and quite frankly sometimes they're not the best business decision.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      The whole Henry Ford thingy is great, but for every true "revolutionary" millionaire out there, there are a hundred "evolutionary" millionaires: people who did not need to re-invent the wheel but simply to make it a little bit more efficient.

      Revolutionary ideas are dime in a dozen and they're very risky to implement, and quite frankly sometimes they're not the best business decision.
      But, those evolutionary millionaires are dependent upon the revolutionary millionaires. And, to an extent, their fates are tied to others not being revolutionary, because one revolutionary idea could wipe out an entire industry.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lee Wilson
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      The whole Henry Ford thingy is great, but for every true "revolutionary" millionaire out there, there are a hundred "evolutionary" millionaires: people who did not need to re-invent the wheel but simply to make it a little bit more efficient.

      Revolutionary ideas are dime in a dozen and they're very risky to implement, and quite frankly sometimes they're not the best business decision.
      Spot on!

      Although I agree with the OP, the reality is that there will always be many times more entrepreneurs than there are revolutionary ideas worth persuing. Revolutionary / evolutionary are both important and rely on each other. Sure, if you have a dream, go for it - but if you want to create a business that has a much higher probability of success then sell what the average customer is already looking for.

      Brand new ideas don't sell themselves. Once you have created the idea and the product, then you need to create the market. It doesn't matter how good your idea is, or even how beneficial it would be to the majority of the population, it won't sell itself. If it was so good that it created a buzz that virtually markets itself, then you wouldn't have the resources or the right contacts to keep up and somebody will jump in and beat you at your own game. This is probably the biggest downfall for most inventors.
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  • Profile picture of the author Len Bailey
    I love that story. Like they say, the only survey or research study you can really count on is one with a check attached to it. People have an innate tendency to tell you what they think you want to hear, which can lead to disastrous results.

    Some people will no doubt disagree ... but that's my 2 cents.
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    Len Bailey
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  • Profile picture of the author Ilya Feynberg
    Unfortunately, evolution is where it's usually at. None the less, this example holds true in many respects. HOWEVER, keep in mind that you can't compare his product and timing it a lot of other inventions.

    Also, he did not invent the car, just a way to mass produce it.
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  • Profile picture of the author frankm
    Well since we're talking about evolution, it seems to be that evolution is punctuated by giant leaps and does not just consist of tiny improvements.

    The reason we are all here is because of a giant leap - the invention of the Internet.

    This IM community is dependent on the innovation of others, without which there would be no affiliate offers to promote, no Adsense ads etc. Any 'giant leap' offer makes a killing when promoted to email lists.

    I guess my OP was inspired by the fact that it seems to be getting harder for people to succeed, due to the increased level of competition in IM.

    But the opposite of that is that it is very easy to succeed if you innovate. There are so many large list-holders, so much online advertising space, and so many hardworking affiliate content creators.

    Yes, it is harder to innovate, but if you feel that your purpose in life is to create something unique then that's what you have to do.

    Frank
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