Page 67 - The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas

Think differently

On the opening day of The Hunger Games movie, my wife and I were looking for a parking spot in
front of the cinema in Santa Clara, CA. It was dark, it was raining and the parking lot was fully packed
with cars. There was obviously not a single spot available, however we hoped that somebody would
be leaving the parking lot and we could take the space.

In 15 minutes Olena said, “Ther e ar e do zens o f car s besides us cir cling the par king lo t and even if
so me space fr ees up, it will be taken in a hear tbeat.” I tho ug ht, “We sho uld either g o ho me o r think
differently from everybody else. What place would nobody consider for parking?”

In a few minutes, an idea came to my head, we drove away from the main entrance, turned and found
that almost all the parking spots at the back of the cinema were free. I parked the car. Within 2
minutes, we walked to the main entrance and enjoyed the excellent movie.

T he mar ket is like a big par king lo t. If yo u ar e do ing what ever ybo dy else is do ing , it will be ver y
difficult to compete and build a profitable business. When you think about the problem, consider what
ideas you created, what competitors are doing and then change the direction of your thinking. To
create successful ideas and find profitable business niches, challenge the status quo, look at the
problem from different angles and make it your mantra: “Think differently.”