Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Wednesday 4th November 2009 | 4 comments
Many people have a perception that innovation is about complex research and scientific laboratory work, years of burning the midnight oil and developing a mad scientist persona.
Maybe sometimes that's true, but there are plenty of good Aussie stories of 'ordinary' men and women who saw a problem and came up with a (generally very simple) new and better way to solve it.
From time to time, I'm going to share some of their stories in this blog, because I think that real case studies about real people are the best way to inspire us to get off our bums and do something ourselves. I'd love to hear from you if you know of other tales of frontline innovation...
It seems to me that most of these innovators share three common qualities:
For more on all this, check out my other blog posts on specific techniques, such as questioning assumptions or using SCAMPER. You could also tune in to Radio Australia's Innovations program (or podcast it..).
Today's story is about the beginnings of Surf Hardware International. Founder Bill McCausland started seriously thinking about the elements of surfboard design while running Australia's first learn-to-surf school, because he had to break down the whole process of surfing into teachable bits.
At the same time, there were lots of new surfboards around and he noticed that older surfers were struggling to get their foot far enough back to get a good ride.
Bill got together with his mates Gary (a plumber) and Graham (who ran an engineering workshop) to create a little wooden block stuck on the back of a surfboard to mark the place for the back of your foot. They called it the 'Rocker Block'.
Bill describes what happened next, in an interview on the fabulous Radio National program Ideas with Wings: 'I went away and thought about ripping up a pair of board shorts and taking the velcro fly material out of the board shorts and gluing it to the board and gluing it underneath a block which I changed from being wood to a little piece of foam, of firm foam and made up a sample of it and went and surfed it. I showed it to [Gary and Graham]. I said, "What about this for an idea?" and they said that sounds great and we formed in 1984 the company. We went and got some money. I remember borrowing $3,000 off my dear old mum, much to my dad's disgust. He said don't lend it to him, he'll waste it. In all fairness it was one of those things which sure it sounded like a crazy idea at the time. We put $3,000 in each and started the business. All of a sudden we were thrown into nights and weekends with our wives and families and whatever manufacturing these things in a garage.'
And that lead to forming Surf Hardware International, now a major industry player with offices all over the world. And that lead to other products including the development of the FCS interchangeable fin system, winner of major design awards and used by top surfers, including Kelly Slater and Layne Beachley.
This story shows that you can start with a small incremental change to an existing product or service. Like the guys from Surf Hardware International did, have a look at every aspect of your industry or business and assume there's a better way to do things.
So, what small but significant change could you make to what you do or how you do it?
I'd love to hear your ideas on coalface innovating - or stories of other interesting innovations, whether large or small, famous or not!
Tags: innovation, creativity, story
Hi Joanna :-)
Another great post.
I wish I could share such a happy story, but I'm not dead yet :-)
As you know, I've regaled much of my story on Paul Hassing's fine Small Business Owner Blog at myBRC ( http://mybrc.myobnet.com/ ), and now on my own blog. You are most welcome to take what you wish if it is in any way useful.
2 months out from launching my business, and having been effectively small business supported into oblivion, I find myself in a position where I now have to innovate from the ground up, once again :-P
For me, a most basic innovation will involve simply including more people. It seems that trying to start a small business by one's self is secretly frowned upon by financial institutions et al?
My mobile wood-fired pizza is in the minds of some that encounter it, quite an innovation in and of itself...though I cannot claim to be the first to come up with the idea, I have had cause to innovate along the way. Example: The fine folks from whom I acquired my beeeyoootiful hand-forged stainless steel oven tools ( http://www.slowfoodandhandforgedtools.com.au/ ), turned a couple my ideas into reality. e.g. A small round pizza peel that makes it so much easier working in a small space.
Anyway, stay tuned for my upcoming innovations as I embark upon the re-invention of my entire business.
Thanks again.
Cheers
Stephen G
Hi Stephen
Thanks so much for this post - I think it's really important to stress the reality of running a business and the risks we all take with new ventures and new ideas. On re-reading my original post it does sound a bit Disney fantasy, whereas I'm sure it wasn't for them like that at all! In my own business I am now reaching a measure of success, but that's after 7 years of trial and error, going forward 3 steps and back 2 (or sometimes 4...). So here's to the courage to keep it going - and I absolutely wish you all the best.
Thanks for sharing
Joanna
Hi Joanna. Ace post, as always. My good mate Adam ( http://www.lifeonearthcartoons.com/ ) got me into systemising my copywriting business.
As it's a complex, nebulous caper, we were forever repeating ourselves and coming unstuck with flaky briefs and so forth.
We therefore created a suite of very groovy tools for naling down slippery concepts in double quick time.
Now, when we need to explain something technical or extract info from a recalcitrant client, we have the scientific tools to do so.
I've not seen one other copwriting place that does anything like it. I'm rather proud of this. And very grateful to Adam. :)
PS: Many thanks for your kind mention in dispatches, Stephen!
Thanks for this, Paul. It's that balance between systems or rules and creative flashes, isn't it? A bit like my post last week about needing to work out when to follow rules and when to break them. I often refer back to the Emyth book for ideas about systemising my business - I wouldn't be able to work under his system to the letter, but it's a great guide...(BTW, I like the sound of your copyrighting tools!)