The cliché image of someone being struck by a billion-dollar idea is a bright lightbulb glowing over their head. But in the case of Sir James Dyson, the inventive mastermind behind the iconic Dyson vacuum cleaner, a more apt image is a lightbulb over his head that keeps flickering on and off, giving him a headache.
The legendary engineer and entrepreneur — whose name is now synonymous with innovative products — says the root of his big idea was annoyance. He was using a vacuum cleaner that just didn’t do the job he needed it to do, got angry about it, and so went to work building something that totally sucked in the best way possible. He accomplished that goal and a whole lot more.
Dyson spoke with me on our show, How Success Happens, about his process and his passions, which extend beyond household products to sustainable farming and supporting the next generation of problem-solvers with The James Dyson Awards. He was funny, inspiring, and eager to share his approach to innovation, which has earned him global recognition and billions in sales.
Watch the full episode above or listen here, and check out his success takeaways, which you can use to help your personal success take off in three, two, one!
Subscribe to How Success Happens to get a dose of inspiration twice a week! Apple | Spotify | YouTube
Three Key Insights
The Joy of Failure
Dyson built 5,127 prototypes before getting his first bagless vacuum right. “Every day you do experiments, and they fail, and you just have to get used to that failure. I always get quite excited. The more failure there is, you realize it’s a difficult problem you’re attempting to solve.” Instead of fearing setbacks, Dyson genuinely relishes the process; each failure means he’s getting closer to a breakthrough. “It sounds tedious, building all these prototypes, but it’s fun actually,” he says. “I enjoyed it — you’re in pursuit of something.”
Takeaway: Every failure is a valuable teacher on your road to innovation.
Subscribe to the How Success Happens newsletter for more insights and inspiration.
... continue reading