THE LEGACY OF THOMAS EDISON: WHY YOU NEED TO INVENT & COMMERCIALIZE
Thomas Edison was born 169 years ago on February 11, 1847. A great inventor and businessman, he developed the electric light bulb, as well as the motion picture camera and the phonograph. And although these are his most well-known inventions, he actually held 1,093 U.S. patents in his lifetime.
Now, you may be asking: why should I care? It’s 2016, after all — this seems like ancient history.
I get that. But in this post, I’ll explain a little bit more about Edison’s life, and the lessons that modern entrepreneurs and innovators can take away from it.
A Brief Biography
Edison grew up in Michigan and later moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he established a research laboratory. Then in 1877 with the help of “muckers,” he invented the phonograph, which could record and play back sounds. He quickly gained public notice for this innovative device, and even became known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park.”
One year later, Edison began working on his electric light system, surprising the scientific community yet again. Not only did he create the incandescent light bulb, but he also came up with a way to bring it into people’s homes through a series of power plants. He then went on to build and install this system around the world, growing his initial electric companies until they were brought together to form Edison General Electric. This company later merged with its competitor and became known simply as General Electric — a company which is still a huge player in the marketplace today.
But of course, Edison didn’t stop there. In 1887, he built another laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey. There, he designed a motion picture camera and continued to work on other projects with the “muckers” until his death in 1931.
The Takeaways
Edison is regarded as one of the most prolific inventors in American history. But more importantly, he understood how to take a good idea and turn it into something more. The incandescent lightbulb was a huge step forward in and of itself. But he took this initial concept to the next level by creating a practical way to commercialize it. He also recognized that he couldn’t do so alone, and was not afraid of a little hard work.
A serial entrepreneur myself, I try to follow Edison’s example. At my own company, ZoomInfo, I’m always thinking about how we can continue to grow and improve. And in order to get there, I know that we need more than just innovative technologies.
Edison once said, “Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. Accordingly, a ‘genius’ is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.”
I think this is important to keep in mind. New products don’t just pop up out of nowhere and become instant successes. There’s actually a lot that takes place behind the scenes, from engineering to marketing to sales and client services.
One final lesson from Edison: if you can use technology to provide a service for people or make an existing one even better, grab that opportunity and make it your own.
