The Magic That Only Chemistry Can Do: Thomas Edison

My visit was for work and learning, and I did both in abundance. I worked on things that I had put to the wayside, inspired by the brilliance of the city and its constant moving. In business, you can't stay still, and New York can never be accused of that.

I was also there to learn and grow, and that too, came in the most unexpected way. As part of #YPOInnovationWeek I was able to visit the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, and learn some lessons from what many would say was the greatest innovator of all time. They say that 1 in 4 jobs are a result of his innovations, which is very impressive. 

We all know the famous Thomas Edison quotes that inspire generations of entrepreneurs, but one that sticks with me is "There's a better way to do it. Find it." There is so much truth in that statement. There always is a better way and constant, relentless improvement is always necessary. If you don't believe this, you may end up being the next Kodak - and no entrepreneur wants to be that.

John Keegan said in his opening speech on the day, "One cannot fall in love with every new idea that comes along, but one should be perceptive enough to see a good idea and then bring it to fruition with the proper team, insights and analysis."

Somethings that embody Edison include:

Failure is not an end point, it's a pivot point.

Thomas Edison, one of the most successful innovators of all time, said "I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

Collaboration is the new competition.

If there is one thing that is associated with makers, it is community. Makers support each other's endeavours, share best practices and even share tools and space. Whether it's co-marketing with competitors that serve a similar market, mastermind groups that can share experiences or just having other entrepreneurs that can give you moral support, embracing the makers' spirit of community and collaboration can be a differentiating factor for success.

Always be selling.

While being a maker is about creating a solution to a problem, being a great maker is also about selling the solution. You can no longer be a successful entrepreneur without being a marketer too.

Think big but keep it simple.

The vision should be big but the milestones along the way should be clear. The most successful businesses are those who can keep the big vision, but simplify the execution of it.

Don't just find a solution, find the best solution.

While technology can do just about anything these days, sometimes that extra effort is necessary to create an elegant solution to the problem. Keep striving to make sure that what you are offering is really needed and is the best way to address your market.

Keep learning.

A thirst for continual learning can help any entrepreneur be more successful.

There was magic in the chemistry department on Friday at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Ideas were being generated, and appreciated. People were thinking different. We all went back in time, to find ourselves standing where we are today and thinking about where we want to be in the future. 

I cannot accurately communicate what going to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park did for me on that day, but I know that chemistry overtook reality, and reality became a new tomorrow with brighter, faster, smarter and a more hungry appetite for entrepreneurship and innovation.

**Note many of these extracts come from the speech by John P Keegan.