Make it Better!

Whatever you make, sell, or do, you can undoubtedly make,
sell, or do it even better than you already do.

There, I said it.

It's nothing personal. I'm sure that you already do a great
job, but there is always room for improvement; there are
examples all around us. And I am absolutely certain that
you can find something, however small, that will make what
you do just a little better.

How can I be so sure? I'll tell you.

Someone improved a pad of paper.

I'm not kidding... a pad of paper! It was one of those
"cubes" with a design printed on the sides (which, in
itself, is an improvement over a regular pad of paper). But
they went one step further and drilled a hole in one corner
for a pen or pencil. Ingenious. Simple. Useful. Amazing.

I challenge you to start right away! Don't be intimidated;
your improvements don't have to be quantum leaps in
technology. Little things add up. For example, it is my
goal to improve my website every day. It doesn't have to be
anything huge, but I try to tweak it every day. Sometimes
the changes are big (a new page or feature), sometimes the
changes are small (fixing a typo or changing the color or
size of a word). But they all add up and the website is
lookin' pretty good, if I say so myself!

Just examine how others have improved their products. We
all know and love sticky notes: look at the simple
improvements they came up with for a basically simple
product. Colors, for example. Yellow, blue, green, white.
Then came various sizes (in various colors, of course). Now
they have different shapes for different purposes, which
come in various sizes and colors. For example, you can buy
long, skinny sticky-notes to use as place markers in books
or magazines. A simple idea with a number of simple
improvements.

Here's another example; a rope! Someone actually improved
on a rope that is used for horses. How can something as
simple as a rope be improved? The rope I'm talking about is
called a "lead rope", which is attached to a halter (which
is worn over the horse's head) and used to lead a horse
where you want him to go. Using such a rope can be
uncomfortable for you or your horse due to its unforgiving
nature, so here's the improvement: they made the rope out
of an elastic material similar to a bungee cord. Now, if
the horse suddenly moves one way or another, there is much
less shock to him and to you. And there is an added benefit
if the rope is attached to a fixed object (such as a
hitchin' post). Simple. Ingenious. Effective.

Surely you can come up with something. Start right now.
Invent some little way to improve a single aspect of your
business. It doesn't matter how small it is, DO IT! Try to
come up with something every day, no matter how
insignificant it may seem.

The pad of paper you improve may be your own.