Unlike most companies who create a product and then tell the world, Quirky does the opposite.
Quirky is a start up business founded by Ben Kaufman. At the core of the company is an agile, fast-paced environment where something radical happens.
They tell the world (or their community) about a product and then the community helps to make it better. Through Thursday evening product evaluation, they get feedback on their inventions and ideas from a broad community who share ideas on ease of use, pricing, design and ultimately product benefit. By crowd sourcing feedback before launching, they see what features are frivolous and if the value proposition is strong enough to warrant the price.
Their community of 1,000,000 people submits more 4,000 product ideas each week. 4,000 ideas per week!
And then the fun begins.
They compress the time to market into roughly 100 days. They use 3-D printers for modeling and leveraging the power of community. Built into the culture is a passion for smashing through the typical corporate muck that slows down the need to get products to market swiftly. A lot of their products focus on sensors, remote mobility and truly useful products – not the frivolous overpriced trinkets for those with too much money.
Recently they attracted a partnership with GE and were able to develop products like an innovative light bulb and a new air conditioner category in 100 days. In a November 11, 2014 article from Engadget, they provided a brief list of some of the GE joint venture products:
Here’s a quick rundown of Quirky and GE’s new toys:
- Tripper: An inexpensive sensor that can tell when your doors and windows have been opened. ($40 for a pack of two)
- Overflow: A moisture and water sensor. ($35)
- Outlink: A smart wall outlet for power control and energy monitoring. It includes one smart power outlet and a standard one. ($50)
- Tapt: A smart wall switch that lets you control other smart devices, even when they’re switched off. You can also dim lights connected to it from the Wink app. ($60)
- Ascend: Turns most garage doors into smart doors, allowing you to open and close it remotely and detect when it’s been opened. ($90)
- Norm: A “not a thermostat thermostat,” it’s a sensor-packed device that can control your heating and cooling. ($80)
- Spotter UNIQ: A revamped version of the company’s Spotter home sensor, it can be customized online to include whatever sensors you want (above). ($30 to $120)
Their business model involves developing products, distributing and selling them directly to consumers.
Three thought-starters to consider for your business:
- THE 100 DAY CHALLENGE: What happens if you create 100 day challenges? Get everything out of the way for a team, empower them and see how far they can go. There is something remarkable in putting a finish line up for people.
- PARTNERING WITH START UPS: Should you be partnering your expertise (like GE did) with start ups who have agility, passion and a more aggressive work force not constrained by your company’s slow-paced dynamic?
- BORROW SOME QUIRKY JUICE: Could you infuse your organization with a little start up mindset that reinvigorates the work force and helps recharge growth through your existing team? Are their lessons your old school business might learn from some young upstart companies whose pace of action is enviable? Maybe bring in someone from a faster-paced start up to share with your leadership team how they do things.
Black Out Periods
Another aspect I love about the Quirky culture is their black out periods.
When most of us go on vacation, we are always worried about what is going on with the business back home. It is hard to turn everything off. But they schedule 3/1 week periods during the year where everyone in the company takes time off to learn something new, recharge their batteries, visit family, etc. Doing this in sync, allows the company to truly let their team work hard and get real time off and not worry about missing something important at the office.
Quirky: Something strange but cool. Could your business use a little of that?
