Radio Stations |
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 [...]
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.
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.
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.
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.
What they do:
Market a musical instrument application for the Apple I-phone.
Inspiration:
At the suggestion of his friend Jeff Smith, Ge Wang, an assistant professor of computer music at Stanford University, created a musical application for Apple's i-Phone.
About the business:
Wang and Smith created "Smule," short for Sonic Mule. Their first application, Ocarina -- named for an ancient flute like instrument -- lets you blow into an i-Phone microphone while pressing buttons to create music. The 99-cent virtual flute became the best-selling app in over 10 countries, pulling in a half million dollars in its first six months.
When 28 year old entrepreneur Patrick Buckley heard that his family and friends were reluctant to switch over to an e-reader because they strongly preferred the sensation of holding a book, he had a great idea. He created the DODOcase, an e-readers, tablets, and phones, manufactured using traditional bookbinding methods.
Amazon.com Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says that they’re “the only tech company with low margins.”
Low margins is an understatement. The company is losing money on every single Kindle Fire tablet they sell. But it’s all part of Jeff Bezos plan to conquer the Universe. He may or may not succeed, but one thing’s clear: With the Kindle Fire, he has single-handedly created a low-end tablet market where there was none, and for that reason alone, he’s about to change the tech industry forever.
What is success? The founders of start-ups might have a very different answer than the rest of us. For some, success would be landing on the cover of Fortune or Forbes Magazine. For others, having their product become a household name would be success.
For new start-ups, it’s a lot more fundamental than that: Swim. Don’t Sink.
