Today I found an excellent quote that I believe encompasses the meaning behind entrepreneurship perfectly. This quote comes from Henry Ford:
Henry Ford:
“If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a better horse.”
What I love about this quote is that it highlights a few things:
- Entrepreneurship requires vision.
- Customers don’t always know what they want.
- Entrepreneurs can exceed expectations.
- Success is often obtained by thinking outside of the box.
- Things don’t have to stay the way they are.
Obviously, Henry Ford revolutionized the way automobiles were manufactured, but he also broke the mold of current (at that time) thought. People only had one mode of transportation on their mind: horse and carriage.
Entrepreneur Quote Insights
People may think they know what they want, but an entrepreneur doesn’t have to stop there! Why not reinvent your customers expectations? Think outside of the box and figure out how you can do it better.
Sure, Henry Ford could have done what many other people did: breed horses for strength, stamina, and speed, but instead he decided to reinvent transportation.
You can go with the flow, but if you want to change the world, you have to do things differently.
Entrepreneurship Quote & Customer Feedback
This isn’t to say you should disregard customer feedback, but instead of taking their request at face value, dig deeper. Henry Ford’s customers wanted a better horse, but did they truly want a better horse? What his customers were looking for was:
- Faster Transportation.
- More reliable transportation.
- Low maintenance transportation.
His customers could only speak in terms they understood. Customers won’t come out and tell you that they want a car when cars weren’t widely known about, but they can still tell you what their needs are.
Your job is to determine what your customers actually want. Could all of those things be embodied in a better horse? Of course! But in reality his customers didn’t care if it was a horse specifically.
Read into the needs of your customers. They might say they need a better horse, but what do they actually need? This might help you to think outside of the box.
Entrepreneurship Quote & Bravery
Stretching a bit, we can also see a hint of bravery in this. I believe nearly all entrepreneurs have a level of bravery within them that allows them to go against the grain. Most entrepreneurs that come to mind have taken enormous risks that went against popular opinion. They’ve also had plenty of people tell them they are crazy and will never succeed.
It takes a lot of bravery to overcome such criticism, and it takes a huge amount of bravery to take the needs of your customers and design something they’ve never seen before, and hope that they will like it. Entrepreneurship is often about thinking outside of the box, and doing what your gut tells you is right.
I’m not saying to throw caution to the wind, but I’d be lying if I said that entrepreneurship wouldn’t require uncomfortable decisions that many say is wrong.
About Wealth Artisan
What a keen insight and observation of such a simple quote, Timothy. Henry Ford, although attributed with the invention of a modern production line, gave so much more to the consumer and entrepreneurs. His forward thinking changed the face of America by giving Americans an opportunity to travel further and faster than previously known for the average person. His leadership principles are still setting up new generations of business leadership and “out of the box” thinking.
Think about it-it took you approximately 300 words to say what he said in just 15!
As aways, Great Job! God Bless.
Steve
Hey There Steve!
There’s no kidding around that. Henry Ford was a rare mind from what I know of him, and anytime I read interviews with him, I’m often astounded by the insights that he has.
I definitely think that he is trivialized often by people by only giving him credit for the assembly line process. I think we’ve gained, and will continue to gain great knowledge from him.
Thanks and God Bless,
Timothy
That is a very interesting concept and I do agree with you in needing to think outside the box. If Henry Ford would have kept a closed mind only on how to improve a horse instead of finding a better alternative (car) then the mass manufacturing of cars would have not happened.
I do think of a saying I have always heard, “customers know best” This of course has some truth to it but like you mentioned you must think and analyze the situation and not just go by the exact words your customers will tell you.
The saying should definitely be, “you know what’s best for your customers”
Hey There Will,
I was thinking of that when I heard this quote. I was thinking “aren’t we always told the customer knows best?” I think the better saying is “the customer knows their needs.” Beyond that, I think the entrepreneur should do their absolute best to blow away all expectations. Thanks for dropping in!
Thanks,
Timothy
Great quote, Timothy! While a lot of entrepreneurship can be finding ways to compete more effectively, it’s also about seeing gaps that others don’t, and then moving in to fill those gaps. That is why entrepreneurs deserve the profits they’ve legitimately earned, through the voluntary means of the marketplace.
Hey There Kevin!
Thanks for dropping in! Great analysis on the quote. I think “filling in the gaps” is the perfect illustration. That is also why I agree that entrepreneurship deserves the profits that come with it.
I hope all is going great for you in your entrepreneurial endeavors!
Thanks,
Timothy
Great stuff! It’s important to know how to balance market research and getting feedback on customer needs, while understanding the true unmet needs of the market. Quite a balance for the entrepreneur, but true innovative success comes with the latter.
There are different applications for this concept even beyond entrepreneurship. Even with decisions in your own life – it’s not always what others identify as being what’s best for you, but what you uncover. Not a perfect analogy, but it’s the mindset of vision and thinking outside the box independently that matters.
That’s a great quote. Thinking outside the box is totally right. It’s not always easy but it can be done and gets easier with practice. It does take bravery to take a leap and become an entrepreneur. It may not always turn out the way one wants but is one hell of an experience and is a definite life changer.