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Our New Daily Player!

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:
Exercise Training Equipment.

Inspiration:
Randy Hetrick, a Navy Seal, was trying to find a way to stay in shape on covert missions. He hand-stitched some parachute webbing with stirrups at each end, attaching one end to a pole while holding onto the other, creating a pulley device for exercise.

About the business:
When Hetrick left the Navy Seals, he got an SBA loan, bought a used sewing machine for $50 and made a prototype. In 2005, he launched the TRX Suspension Trainer. Today, it's a $20 million dollar business.

Axioms:

Related Blog Stories:

Entrepreneur Spotlight: FitDeck - October 25, 2011

What they do: Card decks shuffle workout routines to keep exercise interesting.

About: FitDeck was inspired by a 1990′s card game Phil Black and his college roommates played to make exercise interesting. Every shuffle of FitDeck cards creates a different workout. Today the cards are sold by online merchants like Amazon.com.

Sales: $8-10 Million.

Coming to the Gators’ Aid - December 15, 2009

How a flailing Florida football team led to the most popular sports drink of all time.

WIN Update - November 30, 2009

A couple weeks ago, I covered the story WIN Sports Detergent. A recent article on WIN brought to light a few new details that I thought I’d share with you.

The Sweet Stench of Success - November 17, 2009

Mark had a problem. He used moisture-wicking running clothes, but when it came to odor, the clothes seemed insusceptible to the charms of washing machines and even the most liberal doses of detergent.

Mark had a problem. He used moisture-wicking running clothes

Tony Hawk: Pro Skater - October 23, 2009

Today, skateboarding is a 4.8 billion dollar industry. But it wasn’t always that way. Back in Hawk’s high school years, relatively few people knew or cared about the sport. But there was definitely an underground scene, with competitions, and prize money available to those with enough skill. Needless to say, Hawk had enough skill. In fact, he won so many skateboarding competitions that, by the time he was a senior in high school, he bought his own house.