The Ultimate Dream Statement

Creative solutions.

Famous inventions.

Groundbreaking innovations.

All of these bright ideas hinge on your ability to complete the following sentence:

I wish there was a/an (X) so I wouldn’t have to (Y)!

I call this The Ultimate Dream Statement, or UDS for short. And it (might) be the most important idea an entrepreneur could entertain. Let’s explore the two elements within:

1. I WISH THERE WAS A/AN (X)…

So, it’s dream focused. Optimistic. Solution oriented. It’s what customers want in an ideal world. The answer to their problems. The Tylenol for their headache. The relief they so desperately need. The (X).

Then comes the second part…

2. …SO I WOULDN’T HAVE TO (Y)!

As a result of purchasing (X), they’re saving time. Or money. Or energy. Or paper. Or manpower. Or opportunity cost. Whatever. The key is, by eliminating (Y), the customer moves away from pain and towards pleasure.

OK! Now that you understand the root of this concept, let’s try a few. See if you can guess the already existing product that, at one point in time, was considered a groundbreaking innovation:

“I wish there was a way to see our vacation pictures RIGHT NOW so we wouldn’t have to wait until we got home next week.”

So, what’s the product?

OF COURSE! Polaroid and (eventually) digital cameras.

Let’s try another one…

“I wish there was a fast forward button so I wouldn’t have to sit through those atrocious commercials.”

So, what’s the product?

OF COURSE! Tivo, or any other form of DVR.

OK, last example…

“I wish there was a way to keep my kids quiet in the back seat of the car so I wouldn’t feel like stabbing myself in the eye with a plastic spork!”

So, what’s the product?

OF COURSE! Duct tape.

Nah, just kidding.

The real answer is the Almighty Backseat DVD Player. What parent of four doesn’t LOVE that invention!

NOW, HERE’S THE OTHER COOL PART: This innovation process works in reverse, too. You can take any of your most cherished toys, gadgets or products and extract their version of The Ultimate Dream Statement.

For example, think about your iPod. The UDS would be:

I wish there was a way to compile all of my music onto a compact, digital storage device so I wouldn’t have to lug 100 CD’s in my car, to work and on the plane!

You get the point. Make their dreams come true while simultaneously helping them avoid something frustrating.

NOW, HERE’S THE INTERESTING PART: I did some googling with the phrases “I wish there was a,” and “so I wouldn’t have to…”

And after searching through a few hundred blogs, message boards and forums, here are my few examples:

o I wish there was a way to pick the flavors I prefer, so I wouldn’t have to throw any away.

o I wish there was a website that would just tell me where to go so I wouldn’t have to stress about this stuff.

o I wish there was a bridge across Lake Ontario so I wouldn’t have to go from Syracuse all the way around.

o I wish there was a Digg.com that morons couldn’t find so I wouldn’t have to read such dim-witted remarks anymore.

o I wish there was a way on the adapter to turn up the volume a bit so I wouldn’t have to turn the volume pretty high to get “normal” volume

o I wish there was a way to get my seats reassigned online so I wouldn’t have to get up early.

o I wish there was a drive through Wal-Mart where I could just pull up to the window and order what I wanted so I wouldn’t have to wake my baby up and take her into the store.

o I wish there was a way to refresh our brains and wipe the slate clean so we would not have to learn new good habits and relearn not to do bad habits.

o I wish there was a place I could send all stupid people so I wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore!

o I wish there was a tutorial somewhere where I could learn to do this stuff on my own so I wouldn’t have to pester you all!

o I wish there was a dustpan with a long stick on it like the broom handle so I wouldn’t have to hold the dustpan.

o I wish my pump could measure my sugar reading so that I wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of the glucose meter supplies.

o I wish there was a Depresso-Meter that I could use to measure my current mental state so that I wouldn’t have to deal with people asking me all the time “What is wrong?”

Now, obviously, some of these ideas are more far-fetched than others.

But that’s a good thing.

After all, Einstein once said, “If at first your idea does not sound absurd, there is no hope for it.”

SO, HERE’S THE CHALLENGE: How can you plug YOUR needs into this equation?

Well, as an entrepreneur, I suggest you make three lists: one for yourself, one for your customers and one for your employees/partners/vendors/suppliers/etc. Hypothesize how each of those three groups of people would complete The Ultimate Dream Statement:

I wish there was a/an (X) so I wouldn’t have to (Y)!

See if you can come up with ten variations to that sentence for each of your three groups.

And while you’re brainstorming, consider:

What are their pains?

What are their dreams?

What are they tired of doing?

What do they wish they didn’t HAVE to do anymore?

Ultimately, if you can pinpoint those key elements and make your product or service the solution to people’s problems, you win.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you the answer to?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “22 Questions to Sidestep Entrepreneurial Atrophy,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!