Admit it.
From time to time you see a service or product and think, “why didn’t I think of that?”
Examples of this might include the original Smiley Face. For 40+ years we have all heard the lament from family and friends that this should have been “their” idea.
Here’s another one that hit home for me for two reasons. I can’t sing and I always screw up the lyrics. Enter the official misheard lyrics book “Hold Me Closer Tony Danza”.
My personal favorite though might well be the Flowbee.
Really, who wouldn’t want to cut their own hair, or the hair of a loved one?
And who could pass up the thought of a “refreshing vacuum haircut”?
More recently on a trip to Napa we ran across the same book in almost every winery we visited, Wine Dogs.
As the story was told to us by a tasting room employee whose dog is in the book, about five years ago a guy came through the Valley and started taking pictures of every dog at every vineyard he could find. The dog owners were only too delighted to have their dog featured in the book and the book is now for sale in every single one of those wineries.
Brilliant.
A week after our return from Napa I find myself not just reflecting on the great wines that we tasted but also further invigorated to continue the pursuit of the innovative endeavors that get the blood juices flowing and have the opportunity to generate more revenue – in part because of Wine Dogs.
Whether you work for a major corporation or you are a one person operation the need to innovate, invent, test, trial (all while expecting and learning from the occasional failure) has never been greater. For a more in depth look at innovation read “How companies approach innovation: A McKinsey Global Survey”.
Why didn’t I think of that?
One thing that I did think of is the first ever print and digital publication aimed at the great profession of wholesaling. I Carry The Bag…the official magazine of wholesaling premiers later this month. If you are in financial services distribution check out the magazine at ICarryTheBag.com