iRobot’s been making Roombas — the semi-autonomous robotic vacuum and floor mop — for years now. But for most households, this technology is just seen as a gimmick — and an expensive one at that. Most don’t realize how far Roomba technology has come or the time they’d save with a device like the newest s9+. This model takes what worked in previous iterations — shape and self-emptying functions — and improves them with four times the sucking power, as well as the ability to handle liquids in addition to solid debris. It’ll also learn the layout of your home over time, meaning it gets faster and more efficient as it ages — unlike the rest of us! Once it’s done, the Roomba s9+ heads back to the mothership — in this case, the “clean base” — where it dumps out its trash and lives when it isn’t working. All you have to do is change a bag in the clean base once in a while. The iRobot’s newest offering also comes with voice command (similar to Alexa or Siri devices) as well as app capabilities. In fact, you can even connect it to your other smart home devices, allowing you to sit back and let everything take care of itself. TIME FOR A ROOMBA? The s9+ Could Come Home With You
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
No Way to ‘Mask’ BreezeBubble’s Success
What’s one advantage startups have over established businesses? They’re really good at pivoting. And for the past year, it’s been nothing if not a pivoter’s economy. While big businesses were trying to work remotely — and manage toilet paper supplies — smaller startups were able to tweak their mission just in time to achieve more relevance. And it’s hard to imagine a business more relevant right now than the mask manufacturer BreezeBubble. Founder Arohi Jain has put together a company so simple that it’s brilliant. Everything is based on one idea: a more comfortable N95-type mask that’s easy on the wearer’s face and doesn’t break the bank. She actually got the idea a few years back after visiting Japan and noticing that in many Asian cities, mask wearing has long been de rigueur. Sensing a huge market, Jain began to put together BreezeBubble by garnering funding and lines of supply. But when the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep the globe last spring, Jain realized it was time to execute her plan. The new demand for N95 masks in hospitals and other front line health care operations meant she’d be able to help as many people as she could make masks for. It was a small pivot away from focusing on the East-Asian smog market, but it was one that only a startup could have made. Created out of soft silicone rubber, BreezeBubble’s masks also feature removable filters. The company only sells one kind of mask at $35 per unit, with discounts for buying in bulk. You can also get a set of filters for around $10. And that’s it — BreezeBubble is a startup that only has one product. Like we said before, it’s simple but genius. As you can imagine, funding has not been a problem since the virus spread across the United States, and BreezeBubble is now one of the fastest growing medical device manufacturers in the world.
Randolph’s “That Will Never Work” AZCOMP LEADERSHIP LIBRARY
Former Netflix CEO Marc Randolph’s favorite place? The office building in Dallas where Blockbuster had its corporate headquarters. In his new book, “That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea,” Randolph says, “To start with, everyone hated Blockbuster.” He isn’t one to mince words, nor is he afraid to debunk myths. He spends much of the first chapter debunking the stories that grew around who had the idea for Netflix and whether or not it was actually an epiphany: “That story is beautiful. It’s useful. It is, as we say in marketing, emotionally true. But as you’ll see in this book, that’s not the whole story.”
If you’re looking for a man to follow, check out Randolph’s book. How does your business test new ideas? Can it happen faster? What’s the cost of having sloppy content hit the internet if it gets you out there sooner? How quickly can you put an idea in front of a customer, where, Randolph writes, “you will learn more than you could in five months of R&D.” He addresses all of this and more in the book. “That Will Never Work” is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the 21st century’s most lucrative and secretive companies. It really is a page-turner.
It all goes to show that if you do one thing — and do it well — success will follow!
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