The Big Idea [Paperback]

Steven D. Strauss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2001

Innovate, and Grow Rich! What does it really take to create an amazing, ultimately market dominating product? Attorney and business writer Steven Strauss goes behind the scenes to find out.

Strauss believes that the best way to learn and understand what it takes to innovate is by looking at people who have done it. In The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market, Strauss tells the real life stories of 30 different products that were truly unique, started as an idea in someone's head, and went on to become household names. He also profiles dozens of creators who helped launch inventions like cell phones, Post-it notes, Gillette's Mach 3 razor, Velcro, Xerox machines, Viagra, Silly Putty, Tupperware, Prozac, Palm Pilots, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; 1st edition (December 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793148375
• ISBN-13: 978-0793148370
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,752,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven D. Strauss, often called "the country's leading small business expert," is an internationally recognized author, lawyer, and speaker. His column in USATODAY.com is one of the most highly syndicated business columns in the world. The author of fifteen books, including The Small Business Bible, he is also the President of The Strauss Group, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Big Idea, May 30, 2002

By 

Martin Schray (West Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Idea (Paperback)

The Big Idea is a great view into the world of great business innovation. The Big Idea looks in detail at some of the great innovative products of our time such as: the remote control, Teflon, liquid paper, Velcro, Microwave oven, USA today, Silly Putty, post-it notes and many other innovative products.

The Big Idea is good at is getting to the story behind the story. I was amazed that many of these innovations where thought of in a flash of inspiration, but took many, many years to be realized as products (Xerox, Polaroid and Barbie). I was also reminded of the personal and financial hardship that many of the entrepreneurial innovators faced. Many innovators had several (many) failures among the way to reaching their success.

The Big Idea also impresses the need to copyright, patent and trademark your creation so that you can reap the rewards from the creation. There are also a couple of interesting examples of innovation within a corporate setting.

If you want to innovate you need the commitment and persistence to stay with it for the long term. The Big Idea closes with the following lessons from innovators The Big Idea covers.

1. Think of things that never were and ask, "why Not" - innovations is doing what others don't see
2. The Power of One - Behind every great innovation there is typically a single individual driving it forward
3. Keep It Simple, Stupid - complexity kills innovations
4. First is best - own the consumers mind by being first
5. Try, try again - when you fail... try again
6. Risk Business - to hit homeruns you have to swing for the fence
7. Synergy is necessary - know you strengths and weaknesses and let other's strengths offset your weaknesses

The Big Idea builds these lessons out with a good level of detail and it worth the purchase price.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and helpful, January 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Idea (Paperback)

I heard about this book on the radio and picked it up. It was easy to read, entertaining, and very informative. The stories were great too - how people invented and marketed things like Post Its, the computer mouse, Trivial Pursuit, Kitty Litter ... It would be good for anyone who is an inventor, entrepreneur, or simply likes pop culture. It's like those Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" stories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and fun!, April 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Idea (Paperback)

This book is perfect for any entrepreneur who would like a dose of inspiration and a quick read. Strauss describes the design process and marketing of many of our favorite products (Palm Pilots, Barbie dolls, Tupperware, cell phones) along with the difficulties these entrepreneurs encountered. Although the word "visionary" is overused in today's business world, these men and women were truly visionaries who marched to the beat of a different drummer. Strauss focuses on different rules of innovation in each chapter, and the book becomes a cohesive (although certainly not exhaustive) lesson on building a business.