Page 54 - The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas

Lesson from the Market

Imagine that you live in a world where the success of each business is determined by an old and very
wise man, who se name is Mar ket. T her e is always a hug e line o f peo ple, in fr o nt o f his ho use, who
want to hear his verdict about their business ideas. If Market says, “Your idea is excellent,” then your
product will be a big success; if Market says, “This idea isn’t good,” your product won’t be in
demand.

One day a young man came to Market and said, “I lived on an uninhabited island all my life and have
never heard the ideas of others so you can be sure that my product is original. I spent 10 years on
cr eating an o r ig inal idea that can have a big impact o n mankind and after many failur es invented a
wheel.”

Market looked at the young man and smiled, “Young man, this idea isn’t good. The wheel was
invented thousands of years ago and people already use it in cars, bicycles, trains, buses and even
airplanes.”

Young man: “But, Market, I didn’t know that the wheel was already invented. I created it completely
independently. I can’t believe that 10 years of my work are wasted.”

Market said, “Young man, I see so many people who come to me with the hope of becoming
successful but get disappointed just like you. Stay in my house as long as you want and observe which
products I approve. If you are attentive enough, the next idea you bring will be a huge success.”

Next in line was Steve Jobs. Market said, “Hi, Steve. What have you brought to me this time?”

“Market, I observed that when people unintentionally pull the power cord of the computer, it falls
down and gets damaged. I want to solve this problem by creating a magnet that connects the computer
to the power cord. When you abruptly pull the power cord the magnet will disconnect and the
computer will be safe.”

“Your idea is excellent, Steve.” said Market.

The young man asked, “Market, I just talked with a woman from Japan and she said that in her
country rice cookers with magnetic latches that prevent a spill have already been produced for many
years. Steve’s idea isn’t original. Why did you approve it?”

“Young man, I don’t care if an idea is fully original. People copy and build up on ideas of others
every day. This is how progress in society is made. The only thing I care about is that your product is
the best amo ng tho se that ar e br o ug ht to me and that it can chang e the lives o f peo ple fo r the better.
Steve’s idea improves the experience of the laptop users and will be successful.”

The young man carefully observed which ideas Market approved and by the end of the day asked,
“Market, I see that among ideas that you approved were MTV, drive-thru banking and rollerblading. I
learned that these ideas are a combination of the old ones. For example: MTV is a combination of
music and television, drive-thru banking is a combination of a car and banking and rollerblading is a
co mbinatio n o f ice skating and r o ller skating . These pr o ducts ar en’t fully o r ig inal, why did yo u let
them be successful?”

“You see, young man, there is no such thing as an original idea. All ideas are either modifications or
combinations of the old ones. The more old ideas you learn, the more material you have for creating