Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

5.2. Lesson 34: Identify Markets

Edison formally researched potential new markets, often collecting data on the annual sales of various products that he thought he could improve either in terms of design or in terms of manufacturing method (mainly to reduce production costs). He also kept his eyes open for untapped markets. Toward this end, he earnestly pondered letters he received from friends, business associates and even strangers suggesting that he get to work on this or that invention. While on his honeymoon in the American South, he even conceived an idea for a cotton picker, and he actually began work on the machine after a plantation owner, James Richardson, wrote specifically asking him to develop one.

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