Thomas Edison: Solving the Problem is the Easy Part

February 19, 2010

The challenge of business is that it is part science, part art, and part relationship with a capricious and stubborn lover. That lover is, of course, the customer.

It’s not enough to solve a problem. It’s not even enough to solve it beautifully. You have to solve it, solve it beautifully, and then fight against the often confused, often slow, and often knee-jerk reaction of the marketplace.

This letter from Thomas Edison, sent to a promising engineer in his company, cautions that the real challenge isn’t in solving the problems after all…

(HT Letters of Note where this was posted.)

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