Instant Traction Myth: BUBBLE WRAP

In this Episode: Instant Traction is not a real thing for products ** I am going to tell the story of a supposed instant traction product ** The product was invented as a textured wallpaper in 1957 ** This would eventually become Bubble Wrap ** When you get into IP, you learn that you can patent a process ** In trying to create textured wallpaper, they failed horribly ** They came up with 400 uses for their product ** They founded Sealed Air Corp. in 1960 ** We frequently say, "Do you have an idea, or do you have a business?" ** What turned the tide for Bubble Wrap? ** Packing for IBM computers. ** There are externalities that had to exist for the product to find its home. ** It's not instant traction. It's the right resources at the right time. ** The point is that they grew over time into a multi-billion-dollar company. ** The perfect is the enemy of the good. ** I love this story because it has so many threads we hit on all the time. ** They diversified their product base and that stabilized their operation. ** Original Bubble Wrap received six patents. ** As of 2017, sales totaled 4.5 billion dollars with 15,000 employees. ** That is the non-instant traction myth of Bubble Wrap. ** It's about the journey and the theme. They had failures and listened to the market. Sponsor this Podcast