What they do:
The world’s first “cashier” machine gave birth to National Cash Register, which later became NCR. The company supplies business technologies and services to retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, gaming and public sector organizations.
Inspiration:
To prevent his bartenders from pilfering his cash box, saloon keeper James Ritty invented the world’s first "cash register.” His inspiration came from a sea cruise to Europe as he watched a device record the ship’s daily propeller speeds for the captain.
About the business:
"Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier" was widely adopted by many businesses and gave birth to National Cash Register Company.
Sure, it only takes one company or product to revolutionize an industry, but selling people something they’ve never seen before isn’t easy. The general public tends to shy away from cutting edge technologies and trends, waiting for them to become more commonplace before adapting them. Your job is to change their minds. But how? Luckily, many before us have made bold, world-changing moves that have dramatically shifted the courses of industries, and made the people behind the companies filthy rich. One such example is Apple Computers.
Why would anyone just let people use their product… for free? Well, for Connecticut clockmaker Eli Terry, it was a matter of getting his product into the hands of people who might not have realized they wanted it.
It’s probably the most popular carbonated beverage in the world, but it wasn’t always an easy sell. Enter Asa Griggs Candler, the man who would take Coca-cola from drug-store remedy to a brand recognized around the world.
I was trying to decide which invention to cover in today’s blog post. Honestly, I was blanking.
So I started poking around the Why Didn’t I Think of That? site, and I ended up in the Inspiration Hall of Fame.