The cliché image of someone being struck by a billion-dollar idea is a bright lightbulb glowing over their head. But in the case of Sir James Dyson, the inventive mastermind behind the iconic Dyson vacuum cleaner, a more apt image is a lightbulb over his head that keeps flickering on and off, giving him a headache.
The legendary engineer and entrepreneur — whose name is now synonymous with innovative products — says the root of his big idea was annoyance. He was using a vacuum cleaner that just didn’t do the job he needed it to do, got angry about it, and so went to work building something that totally sucked in the best way possible. He accomplished that goal and a whole lot more.
Dyson spoke with me on our show, How Success Happens, about his process and his passions, which extend beyond household products to sustainable farming and supporting the next generation of problem-solvers with The James Dyson Awards. He was funny, inspiring, and eager to share his approach to innovation, which has earned him global recognition and billions in sales.
Watch the full episode above or listen here, and check out his success takeaways, which you can use to help your personal success take off in three, two, one!
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Three Key Insights
The Joy of Failure
Dyson built 5,127 prototypes before getting his first bagless vacuum right. “Every day you do experiments, and they fail, and you just have to get used to that failure. I always get quite excited. The more failure there is, you realize it’s a difficult problem you’re attempting to solve.” Instead of fearing setbacks, Dyson genuinely relishes the process; each failure means he’s getting closer to a breakthrough. “It sounds tedious, building all these prototypes, but it’s fun actually,” he says. “I enjoyed it — you’re in pursuit of something.”
Takeaway: Every failure is a valuable teacher on your road to innovation.
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Ignore the Naysayers
Dyson’s journey is packed with instances where expert advice told him an idea would never work—like his transparent vacuum bin, which retailers thought looked “disgusting.” Still, he stuck to his vision, saying, “We engineers quite liked seeing the dirt collect in the bin, so we said sorry, we’re keeping it,” he says. “You’ve just got to believe in yourself and ignore everybody else.”
Takeaway: Trust your instincts and keep pushing forward, even when others tell you no.
Related: DuckDuckGo CEO: Why Progress Feels Very ‘Black Mirror’ These Days
Solving Real Problems Starts With Annoyance
Dyson says, “Inspiration comes from being angry about something…something that doesn’t work properly, or something breaks.” That spark of annoyance led him to invent better solutions, including the world-famous cyclone vacuum. He encourages would-be entrepreneurs not to simply “grit your teeth and bear it”—but to channel frustration into creativity and problem-solving.
Takeaway: Let frustration guide your search for innovation—write down what annoys you, and make fixing it your mission.
Two Ways to Learn More
One Question to Ponder
What is one problem in your everyday life that annoys you—and how might go about fixing it? Email your thoughts to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com and your answer could be read on a future episode!
About How Success Happens
Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It’s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.
The cliché image of someone being struck by a billion-dollar idea is a bright lightbulb glowing over their head. But in the case of Sir James Dyson, the inventive mastermind behind the iconic Dyson vacuum cleaner, a more apt image is a lightbulb over his head that keeps flickering on and off, giving him a headache.
The legendary engineer and entrepreneur — whose name is now synonymous with innovative products — says the root of his big idea was annoyance. He was using a vacuum cleaner that just didn’t do the job he needed it to do, got angry about it, and so went to work building something that totally sucked in the best way possible. He accomplished that goal and a whole lot more.
Dyson spoke with me on our show, How Success Happens, about his process and his passions, which extend beyond household products to sustainable farming and supporting the next generation of problem-solvers with The James Dyson Awards. He was funny, inspiring, and eager to share his approach to innovation, which has earned him global recognition and billions in sales.
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