Being aware of the world around you is important. It makes life more interesting. It’s the foundation for creativity. It can also make you rich.
I’m reminded of this fact by Sam Farber, founder of OXO. How did Sam, a 65-year old retiree at the time, find inspiration to found yet another company? He did what he always did: pay attention.
In this case, he was cooking with his wife, who complained about the tools she was using. “Why can’t someone make more comfortable tools?” turned into OXO, a company with 500 kitchen and home products and $120 million in annual sales.
Maurice Kanbar, in his book Secrets from an Inventor’s Notebook, shares similar insights on how he came up with the D-Fuzz-It Sweater and Fabric Comb (leaning up against a concrete wall, then noticing the pilled wool on his sweater cling to it as he moved away) and the multiplex cinema (he noticed most theaters had about 100 people in them, no matter the screen size).
Stupidly simple, right? Right. It all starts with always being aware.
