Read the chapter "There is no map" from page 174-187 today. Then read this article. How are these people making breakthroughs with no map? Find one other example of a company or individual who either currently (or in the past) created their own map.
Leave your explanation of your individual in the comments section below.
Have a great weekend.
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ReplyDeleteDue to technology changes people can create things for little to nothing that would have cost millions just a few years ago. What wasm unimaginable just a few years ago is now possible. Due to the internet the playing field has been leveled out. Anyone can go on the internet ad and sell their product. These people are making their own way by having a way to sell and manage it on the internet. Making these huge expensive products into small affordable merchandise they have paved their own path.
ReplyDeleteLife stock is creating 3d printers that make real meat. They are paving their own way by making something no one thought of. Who thought we could print our meal. It is supposed to be good for the environment and we will see soon enough. What if every house prints their meals in ten years? That would be a huge market
ReplyDeleteThey are creative, and they're always challenging the norm. They don't give up in the middle of a Dip, they keep slogging through it. They obsess, and they learn, and eventually become the best in the world.
ReplyDeleteMost of the inventions seem to be based on simple ideas that anyone could have done. Only no one before them did. This is similar to what Apple used to do, with their colored computers and special fonts. Even though they no longer offer that same level of customization, they continue to set new trends with every product release.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, as an interesting note, most things that Apple or other companies have made successful weren't invented by that same company. They were created and failed commercially years before, and the new company figured out how to make it marketable.
Apple is a company that is consistently challenging the norm. Every time they launch a new product, the push the limits even further. When they invented the iPod and iPhone, no one saw it coming. They leave their competitors in the dust, never coming close to replicating Apple. Who knows what they're going to come up with next?
ReplyDeleteWith new advances being made everyday, people keep advancing as well making the things that would of cost millions of dollars a few years ago hardly anything today. With things getting more inexpensive to make we are able to come out with more things that would cost trillions of dollars, things that would of been unimaginable to think of back in the day.
ReplyDeleteResearchers at the University of California-Los Angeles created a device that can detect oral cancer with just a single drop of saliva. The device can also be made to use with other types of diseases based on saliva-diagonstic.
These people are creating something without any instruction book. They are doing something risky, because its not guaranteed to succeed. They are taking initiative in something that they believe in. It is innovation, and innovation cannot happen with a map.
ReplyDeleteI found that people of Meta Spaceglasses (www.spaceglasses.com) have created their own map. I found them online a while ago, and I think them a better alternative to Google glasses. Their video demonstrates the capabilities of their product. They are definitely working without a map here.
People have new technological advances which leads to them creating new things without being told. They are willing to take risks in something that they believe can work, but they don't know if it will or not. How can you create something new if you have a map for it? It would have already been made, so you aren't taking any risks.
ReplyDeleteAmazon is a company that didn't follow a map. They were the first company to sell books online, and quickly started selling almost anything you can imagine. They were the first people to revolutionize online shopping; they made their own map.
With technology advancing everyday, people are are creating new items and are willing to take risks to make their ideas work.People are creating their own paths instead of being told what to do. You can't try to create a future that feels safe, if you do so, you will ignore the future that is likely. It is all about taking risks, even if it doesn't work out in the end.
ReplyDeleteRon Stordahl began assembling and selling digital electronic keyers when he was in college. It was called the Digi-Key. Digi-Key has grown significantly since it first began in 1972. They now sell parts across the whole world. Digi-Key is the 5th largest among the 300 electronic distributors in the country. Stordahl didn’t have a map to follow when he was in college. He started from the ground up and built his own business.
They are taking chances and using their creative minds to create something to help this world. What makes this remarkable, though, is the fact that they aren't trying to sell these inventions for millions of dollars. These projects will help us economically.
ReplyDeleteAn individual who was very successful not following the map is ironically Henry Ford. Ford was the man who revolutionized the production system. He created the factory system that Godin is talking about. He created the assembly line and it made him millions.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago many student counsel members and I went to East Grand Forks where I met one of the most captivating, inspirational speakers I have ever encountered: Keith Hawkins. He struggled growing up in a tough part of Los Angeles with his mother and abusive stepdad. At one point he wasn't expected to make it to adulthood. He also had a poor education and violent environment. However, he overcame all of that. Now, he is married with children, and the creator of Real Inspiration Incorporated. He now tries to "H.E.L.P. (Honor, Empower, Lead, and Protect)" thousands upon thousands of people by speaking, holding workshops, assemblies, orientations, and things of the like. He is one of the only speakers I have ever sat and listened to four three hours and stayed engaged the entire time. He gets a powerful message out by keeping people interested in what he has to say and by personalizing it with his experiences.
ReplyDeletePeople are making breakthroughs without a map by taking full advantage of technology and thinking in ways others never have before.
ReplyDeleteJonas Salk changed the world in 1955 when he developed the first successful polio vaccine. Imagine living during an epidemic in which you could get a cold one day, and next thing you knew, it would paralyze you. The vaccine helped put an end to that fear. He created a map and gave a gift to the world.
People are making breakthroughs by seeing an idea as it as, or lookung at failed ideas, and makig then markatable. They are being assisted by technology available to them now.
ReplyDeleteAn example of this is Wikipedia, they saw the market for providing information and revolutionized it by bringing it online. They also have people edit information for them for free. It's brilliant. Technology has enabled them to make a breakthrough in their market.
A company that paved their own path is Central Boiler. My great uncle Dennis actually founded the company 32 years ago, and it has since been very successful. He had first considered making lawnmowers, however, the market for that was too competitive so he just did his own thing and made woodstoves. They weren't a very popular thing, but Central Boiler is now a worldwide company. Also, now that they are so well known, they just launched a line of state of the art lawnmowers. With the success of their woodstoves they are expecting a good reaction to the lawnmowers as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is easier to make a breakthrough because while the ideas aren't necessarily better now, the access to the tech to achieve it is available. Obtaining what you need to pursue the idea is cheaper then it ever has before. They are also taking pervious ideas, and building on them.
ReplyDeleteAn example of this is Burton snowboards. There were snowboards before Burton but Burton took the idea and added there own materials and designs and make it 10000X better.
Most people are scared of being an entrepreneur or innovative. They are afraid that they won't be successful, or can't create anything new. The truth is it is now easier than ever to be an entrepreneur. Things that used to cost millions of dollars now cost hundreds. The risk isn't as great if you fail or your idea doesn't succeed because you don't have as much money into it.
ReplyDeleteOne example of a company who isn't following the map is Zappos. Zappos is a company that sells shoes and clothing online. They have free shipping on all orders and have a many employees who are linchpins. Working for Zappos requires extensive training, and they will even give possible employees money to quit, or nothing if they stay working for them. There theory is that if you quit for a couple grand, they don't want you working for them to begin with. They have a system in place to create linchpins and this is why they are the largest online shoe store
All of those people are ignoring the norm by using technology to make a change. They are creatively making new ways to get common problems solved. An individual that challenged the status quo and made their own map is Bill Gates. Gates dropped out of college at Harvard to create a software company. Even though this was a really risky move, Gates saw an opportunity and went all in with it. He founded Microsoft and is now the richest man in America.
ReplyDeleteThe people in this article created their own map by using things that everyone had access to, looking at them in a new way, and creating something unique and innovative with them. They saw something that needed to be changed and took the initiative to actually change it. None of them waited for someone to tell them where to start and no one knew if their efforts would actually be worth anything. They just did it.
ReplyDeleteI think any successful business owner had to have created his/her own map. Whether the business changes the world and rakes in billions of dollars or simply provides the owner with a comfortable living, you can't start up your own business by following someone else's map. I would definitely say that Bird and Shirley Szeto created their own map. From what I know, they worked at a restaurant in Duluth before coming to Thief River to run their own restaurant, which has been running for 25+ years. The culture they created and all of the hard work they put into it is definitely the reason they've been able to make it work. I'm not interested in going into business, but their work ethic and Shirley's connections with costumers is definitely something to look up to. It's impossible not to appreciate what they do there, especially seeing the behind the scenes work that goes into it every day.
They are stepping outside of their comfort zone to see if something will work or not. If it fails then they just create a new path until it will work. When it does work, then they are creating their own map, but they never had to be told what to do.
ReplyDeleteAn example of a company that created their own map is Zappos. Nick Swinmurn was shopping at a mall one time and he was getting frustrated with the lack of shoes they had. Instead of whining about it, he broke through his frustration and used those stores failures as his motivation. He wanted to be able to sell any shoe color, size, width, or style and for customers to get it quick. But one of the most unique things about this company is that unlike most other online stores, when something isn't in stock, then it won't even appear on the site. This is done so that someone won't have to go through the disappointment of realizing that the shoe they want doesn't come in their size or style. By breaking through his frustrations and avoiding whining about it all, he created his own map... and no one had to lead him through the process. He is a linchpin!
These people keep leaning into their Dips. They embrace the struggle and go against 'the right or smart' way to do things. They do not listen to those around them and aren't afraid of failure. A company that has created their own map is Wikipedia. They allow anyone any information they want. It is also edited by anyone who wants to for free.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need millions of dollars to create something that will help the world anymore. All you need is passion and knowledge on the subject. What is great is that the people the author mentioned in the article aren't creating these things just for the money. They are trying to enhance the world as we know it. The money is just a bonus.
ReplyDeleteAn example of this is Kevin Plank, the CEO and Founder of Under Armour. He walked on to the University of Maryland, and quickly became the special teams captain. He was tired of cotton undershirts and ho heavy they were when in contact with liquid. He would have to change shirts at halftime because it would become too wet from his sweat. He knew that there had to be a way to prevent that. There had to be a more practical fiber out there. Then he created moisture wicking shirts, that would absorb the sweat to make you feel dry. His product quickly became a sensation, because there was nothing else like it. He created his own map, not for the money, but because he was passionate and knew that there needed to be a change. Now Under Armour is worth 1.7 billion dollars.
ReplyDelete(*how) not "ho" in line 3
DeleteThese people are pushing their limits, they are expanding their comfort zone and creating something that the whole world can use. They aren't necessarily millionaires; just as long as your have an idea and you know what to do next. If their idea does fail, they just create a new path and try that one. If it works than they have created their own map by never being told what to do next.
ReplyDeleteA retired advertising executive by the name of Trevor Fields invented the PlayPump system. He developed the idea after watching mostly females of households in South Africa spending long periods of the day collecting and carrying water. Fields knew that there had to be a better way of obtaining water that wouldn't take as much time and energy. With the PlayPump, not only do the women get more time to spend with their children, but they also get to watch their kids enjoy playing on the merry-go-round, a privilege that they never had before. Fields solved two dilemmas with one solution. Fields' goal was to build thousands of PlayPump systems for people in need of water in South Africa and to expand to other countries in Africa. His goal was achieved and his idea revolutionized the way many people in Africa obtain their water.
The companies in this article do things out of the ordinary. They do not follow the map: they make their own map because none of the things they are doing have been done before. They are using the resources they have very well and making many technological advancements with them.
ReplyDeleteI would say my dad is an example of a person who created their own map. He moved up here from Breckenridge when he was just a few years out of college on his own to start a business. He opened his own grain company and bought land to start farming. He had very little guidance. He created the map for my brothers and other members of my family.
They are not following any maps at all, they are following their own ideas in their own minds. They don't care about cost, they just care about making things better than things currently are. Which is just a great way to think about making innovations. They are all linchpins in there environments.
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