108 • 100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS
Everyday life provides people with a large number of small
challenges. By considering potential solutions to these challenges,
it is possible to develop a new product that will be used regularly by
many people.
The idea
Creating innovative products for day-to-day convenience combines
the fi nancial benefi ts of being a fi rst mover with the reward of
creating a product that is used every day by many people.
An example of an innovation in day-to-day convenience occurred
in 1938, when Lazlo Biro, while working as a journalist, noticed
that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly. He worked
with his brother, the chemist Georg Biro, to produce a pen with
a rotating socket that picked up ink as it moved. The BIC version
of this innovation is now a ubiquitous possession, with 14 million
pens sold every day.
Another example of the drive for everyday convenience is the
BlackBerry device. The BlackBerry fi rst made headway into the
mobile communications market by concentrating on a portable
email device, but now incorporates text messaging, cellphone, web
browsing, and other wireless services. An impressive participant
in the all-in-one convenience trend in modern technology, the
BlackBerry is now a common reference in popular culture and a
favorite of businesspeople across the world. However, it is possible
that BlackBerry did not innovate as far as it could have, with a storm