21 Days to a Big Idea summary

The teenage Mark Zuckerberg had a problem: no girls wanted to date him! Facebook turned out to be his attempt at a solution, and while it may or may not have made him dateable, it certainly made him wealthy. Facebook, therefore, like most inventions, began as a solution to a problem. To create your own solutions, you need to identify problems that are worth solving.

Of course, the world seems to be full of problems! So how do you find the right one? Start by sniffing out everyday problems that bother you. Getting a dry mouth at night, feeling guilty after eating a sugary dessert, dragging luggage through a huge airport – these problems are just a few of the author’s examples to get you started.

Which of the following do you consider a better idea: one that’s entirely original? Or one that just borrows bits and pieces of other people's ideas? Beware – the latter type actually has the potential to be groundbreaking as well!

Think about it: thousands of entrepreneurs have used the invention of the smartphone as the home for their inventions – apps! You needn’t feel shy about making the most of other people’s great ideas and hard work.

Before the invention of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell’s idea to send voices through a wire would have seemed like childish nonsense. However, children have also been proven to have more creative minds than adults. If we want to bring great ideas into the world, we need to help our inner child team up with our rational, adult selves.

Back in 1968, social scientist George Land gave a NASA creativity test to 1,600 children and got them to repeat it every five years. The results were, to put it bluntly, a bit depressing. As five-years-olds, nearly 100 percent of the children showed creativity at the highest levels, yet just five years later only 30 percent of the children displayed the same level of creativity.

Can you think up a new invention in under 30 seconds? You might consider it impossible, but a simple technique might prove otherwise! Enter, the “and” technique.

In 2015, the author joined the librarians of the Chicago Public Library to help them work on their creativity. He challenged them to come up with a brand new idea in just 30 seconds; he also taught them the “and” technique to help them along the way. The result? Every librarian came up with something original.

How productive do you feel after sitting and surfing the web for a few hours? Chances are you don’t feel productive at all! Well, it’s time to rethink that assumption; the internet is a fascinating, dynamic source of inspiration that might just get those creative cogs turning.

Today, blogs and websites are updated constantly. This makes the internet a reliable source of information about what’s going on right now, from fashion trends to current affairs. While some companies request you pay for their trend reports in certain industries, a lot of great information is yours for free online.

Do you know Bounty Paper Towels’ famous slogan? “Bounty – the quicker picker upper.” Even if you’re not familiar with it, you can’t deny that it’s catchy! Slogans like these are also a good litmus test for uncovering what’s special about your product, which is why the author recommends trying a simple method called billboarding.

Billboarding helps you identify what makes your product stand out using three steps. First, be clear about what your idea is and what problem it solves for customers in their everyday lives. And don’t forget to create a catchy name for your product!