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1-Page Summary of The Creator’s Code
Cracking the “Creator’s Code”
Everyone has the ability to start a business and be successful. Most entrepreneurs aren’t born with special skills, but they can master the Creator’s Code that consists of six skills. These skills are necessary for innovation, leadership, and strategy. If you learn them, you’ll attract people who want to work with you on your ideas because they will be devoted fans of yours.
1. “Find the Gap”
You should look for gaps in your life and work to fix them. For example, a college football player found an opportunity when his shirt got wet with sweat during practice. This led him to start a company that makes athletic clothing. Two people who were visiting San Francisco noticed that there weren’t enough hotel rooms available and started a company that allows apartment owners to rent out their spare rooms.
“Creators” question everything, even conventional wisdom. They seek out anomalies and hidden connections. For example, they ask “Why does space flight have to be so expensive?” or “Why can’t fast food be high-quality?” To invent new questions and answers, consider these approaches drawn from creative entrepreneurs:
The Sunbird’s is a technique in which one takes inspiration from the sturdiness or weaknesses of other products and transposes them into different settings. Craigslist took photos off ads and put it online, while Starbucks repurposed the inviting atmosphere of Italian cafes to American coffee shops. Dean Kamen found ways to make heart stents more sturdy by studying helicopters.
Architects – These people are constantly looking for better alternatives. They ask why things work the way they do and seek out new ways to improve them. Elon Musk wondered why spaceflight was so expensive, so he asked his team of engineers at SpaceX to look for a solution. Their answer? A reusable rocket that’s 90% cheaper than the US government’s space shuttle program.
Integrators combine elements that are incongruous or contradictory. For example, Steve Ells wondered if he could combine the convenience of fast food with the quality of classical cuisine to create a new restaurant chain. With Chipotle Mexican Grill, Ells offers inexpensive food that chefs prepare from scratch with fresh ingredients.
2. “Drive for Daylight”
Business owners are always facing changing trends. They must keep their eyes on the horizon and not get distracted by the problems of the present moment. The best way to do this is by thinking like a race-car driver: focus on your long-term goals, even as you navigate through rapidly changing terrain. Entrepreneurs should monitor what’s happening in their environment, especially if there’s an emerging trend that could affect them in the future. For example, Kodak and Blockbuster failed because they didn’t notice that new technologies were entering mainstream markets; Zipcar was successful because it saw what others couldn’t see and adapted its business model accordingly.
Entrepreneurs need to be able to think of their goals and what they’re going to do next. University of Chicago researchers found that entrepreneurs should concentrate on the future, not the past. They should have a sense of motivation and momentum in order to bring something original into the world.
3. “Fly the OODA Loop”
To be successful in business, you must learn to adapt your working strategy as quickly as a fighter pilot does during a dogfight. A fighter pilot’s success is determined by how well he or she can outmaneuver his or her opponents – even those with better planes and more powerful weapons. Fighter pilots achieve this through the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), which helps them gather information about their situation from all available sources and then discern what is most relevant to their current situation.
