Peep in other Homes

Dhokla is a tasty snack. However, very few people can make it soft, light, and fluffy. People add baking soda to the dough. But it comes from multiple sources, and its quality varies. Therefore, it is impossible to get the same quality of Dhokla every time. Bharat Bhai Patel from Rajkot serves Dhoklas in bulk. They are consistently good. He adds Eno to his recipe instead of the usual soda.

Many of us would have seen a washing machine used as a lassi maker in Delhi or sat in a bullet rickshaw.

Each of us desires that divine inspiration that could change the world. But, new ideas are rarely original. They are built on existing things that are repurposed with a new vision. Of course, I am not taking away the credit from Bharat Bhai for his Eno hack. But, this method of remixing and repurposing the existing solutions from different domains gives us all hope. We all can use it to find innovative solutions to our problems.

For example, consider a resort grappling with the problem of low occupancy on weekdays. It can look at how gyms, restaurants, and clubs handle similar challenges. It can also look at how caterers fill their capacity in the off-season. The advantage of using ideas from other domains is that they are already embedded and tested in that business. They, therefore, have a higher chance of success.

Metrics:

1. Identify the biggest challenge for your business.

2. Look at other domains that could have similar challenges.

3. Pick solutions from alternate industries and repurpose them.

4. Thoroughly test the idea before rolling it out.
   

• Subodh

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