James Dyson’s founder story is an epic tale of resilience, curiosity & passion. He built over 5,127 prototypes over 10 years to finally construct the one perfect product. And had to put his house up as collateral. Today it's valued at over $19B. James Dyson started his company Dyson in 1978 because he was frustrated with his vacuum cleaner. In October 1978, Dyson was developing a new powder coating plant where the Ballbarrow (his redesigned wheelbarrow) was manufactured. But they faced a major issue. The dust created during the process would clog up the filters & force them to stop production to clean them. To solve this, Dyson learned about and implemented a large industrial cyclone system - a 30-foot tall cone that spun at high speeds to separate dust particles out of the air using centrifugal forces. This allowed the powder coating operation to run smoothly without stoppages. On the drive home that night, Dyson had an epiphany. The same cyclonic separation principle could be applied to the issues plaguing vacuum cleaners. He quickly ran home and built his first vacuum prototype: 1. He took his old Hoover vacuum cleaner & ripped off the dust bag. 2. Using cardboard & masking tape, he rigged a small cyclonic chamber to the vacuum body replacing the bag. And it worked!! This was a butterfly effect moment in Dyson's life. And the start of a long & arduous journey. James had no formal engineering training or qualifications...but that didn't stop him from building his revolutionary cyclonic vacuum cleaner. Here's how he did it: 1. Self-taught: Dyson had the mindset that "engineering was no more than a state of mind." 2. Prototyping: He followed an "Edison principle" of constant experimentation and testing through building physical prototypes. 3. Obsessive iteration: Dyson had incredible perseverance, building 5,127 prototypes over 5 years until he got the perfect design 4. Learning from doing: He started with a cardboard prototype before truly understanding the technology Dyson then decided to manufacture & market the vacuum himself. On May 2nd, 1992 - Dyson's 45th birthday - he was finally able to look at the first fully operational and visually perfect Dyson Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner. After 10+ years of pivots, Dyson finally achieved his long-held dream: A company bearing his name that could bring his vacuum vision direct-to-market, and on his terms. Today Dyson has an 18% global vacuum cleaner market share. He is a living example of perseverance and passion. The part that still leaves me astonished is how he had no formal education in engineering and yet created better-engineered products than all of his competitors. Wild. — If you enjoy this, ♻️ repost to help your network. Follow me Sean Kelly for more insights on health, investing & entrepreneurship. To learn how to achieve breakout founder performance sign-up for my free weekly newsletter: https://get.founderiv.com
5,127 prototypes to get the perfect design is just amazing. His entire story shows that if we really want something and not give up on it, then we can achieve it. This is a beautiful share, Sean Kelly.
It's always inspiring to read these kind of stories
Great story Sean Kelly. Huge lesson in the power of starting and iterating. If he hadn't done that 5,000+ times, we wouldn't all be benefitting.
One of my favorite founder stories on record.
Resilience and innovation can truly pay off. Talk about brand recognition!
Success is 1% aspiration and 99% perspiration. This story definitely embodies that!
I love his story so much. I think I heard him on the Tim Ferris podcast and it is one of my favorite episodes of all time!
His story illustrates the power of resilience, creativity, and relentless pursuit of innovation, and reminds us that passion and perseverance can overcome any obstacle. Thanks for sharing this journey
Making the intangible tangible! - IPM Consultant and Patent Attorney -Tangible IP
2wHe famously remortgaged his house to pay for his patents. What comes through is his strong conviction that he could develop the product. Not many innovators would persevere at this scale. The pity is that he is rare.