McDonalds : Why Didn't I Think of That? ®

McDonalds

McDonalds

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For sometime now, we’ve had a special project in the works. We wanted to give our listeners and readers a chance to hear a new Why Didn’t I Think of That?® feature every day, even if they’re away from the radio. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Today marks the beginning phases of a plan [...]


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Spray Paint

Nobody thought about putting paint in an aerosol can until Ed Seymour. In 1949, Seymour was looking for a novel way to demonstrate a new aluminum paint. His wife suggested putting it in an aerosol can, like ones recently introduced for insecticides. To his surprise, the sprayer — not the paint — became the star of his demonstration.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Dole Pineapple

While in Hawaii in the 1800′s, James Dole discovered a fruit most people had never seen or heard of before: The pineapple. He began importing the fruit to the mainland and introduced the country to this exotic, sweet treat. The pineapple became a national favorite, and the Dole Food Company became the largest supplier of fruits and vegetables in the world.


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TOMS Shoes

He started his first business in college. He sold his second business to Clear Channel. He came within four minutes of winning CBS’s the Amazing Race. He’s led an interesting life, but what Blake Mycoskie is best known for is starting TOMS Shoes, the company that has donated well over a million shoes to needy men, women, and children.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Gatorade

Today it’s as synonymous with sports as cheerleaders or sweatbands. But not too long ago, Gatorade was just a nameless concoction, cooked up to revitalize the University of Florida’s football team: the Gators. The Gators were losing. A lot. One reason for that was the hot Florida weather dehydrating the players. The “Gator-Aid” not only saved the team, but it has been hydrating and refreshing some of the world’s greatest athletes ever since.

Today’s Hall of Fame Spotlight: The Story of Gatorade.

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What they do:
Fast Food.

Inspiration:
In 1954 Ray Kroc was a multi-mixer salesman. One day he was surprised to see an order from a small restaurant for a machine that could mix eight milk shakes at a time. He paid it a visit, and what he saw blew his mind. The two McDonald brothers had a booming restaurant business with a drive through window, a few menu items, low prices, fast service, and no distractions like jukeboxes and pinball machines. Hamburgers, milkshakes, and fries were the hot-ticket items.

About the business:
Kroc offered to take the idea nationally, and became a franchise agent. Soon he bought the restaurant concept from the McDonald Brothers, and the rest is fast good history. Within eight years, there were 500 McDonalds restaurants and over 100 million hamburgers sold.

Axioms:

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