We All Need Heroes

TOOTHPASTE TUBE

Chapter: Simple Solutions

Back in the 1950s a man approached one of the large toothpaste manufacturers and said that he had an innovation which would cost them almost nothing to implement, but would yield an immediate 40 percent increase in their business. He offered to sell them the exclusive rights to the idea for $100,000. This was a huge sum at the time, but given the high volume of toothpaste sales, it would be recouped rapidly. However, the executives of the company were greedy and would not spend such money if it could be avoided. They thanked the man and said they would get back to him.
    Clearly interested in the man’s innovation, the toothpaste manufacturer held a big meeting with the company’s marketing and technical staff. They were tasked with proposing ideas for increasing business by 40 percent for little cost. Two weeks later, no useful ideas had emerged. So, they called back the man and said he had got a deal. After the legal niceties were completed and the money handed over, he gave them a brown envelope containing a small slip of paper. On this slip were the words: “Make the hole bigger”.
    By increasing the diameter of the hole from 5 mm to 6 mm, the volume of paste squeezed out for any given length of toothpaste along the brush is increased by 40 percent. So, most users will consume the tube that much faster and need to buy more.

Possible Moral
This story serves to illustrate that simple ideas can come from simple imaginative thinking. Never question simple ideas for being “too simple”. It’s indeed easy to overlook these. Yet sometimes the best solution is to simplify the issue you’re struggling with instead of looking for groundbreaking solutions.


Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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