My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
One Change Rule
A principle that limits innovation to changing only one major element of an existing product or service to maximize probability of success
How It Works
Consumers can only process limited change at once. Changing multiple elements simultaneously creates confusion and rejection. Single changes are easier to understand, communicate, and adopt
Components
Analyze existing products/services in your target category
Identify the most impactful single element you could change
Resist the temptation to change additional elements
Focus all innovation energy on executing that one change excellently
Test consumer understanding and adoption of the single change
When to Use
When entering established categories, launching new products in competitive markets, or trying to improve existing offerings
When Not to Use
When creating entirely new categories, serving completely different user needs, or when single changes aren't sufficient to create meaningful differentiation
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Olly vitamins changed only the shape (from round bottles to square) and benefit-focused labeling (from ingredient names to function names like 'Sleep') while keeping everything else familiar.”