When Life Gives You Melons | Timur Daudpota | TEDxYouth@Houston
A dyslexic speaker posits that dyslexia is merely a difference in processing that history's greatest innovators, including Einstein and Picasso, proved was not a barrier to world-changing success. The speaker illustrates this using personal anecdotes of entrepreneurial beginnings, such as trading Coke bottles for yo-yos, to argue for the necessity of relentless forward momentum, or *Kaizen*. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker: An individual who openly identifies with dyslexia, frames dyslexia as a processing difficulty affecting letters and numbers. - Context: Presenting ideas about overcoming perceived limitations to achieve entrepreneurial success. ## Theses & Positions - Dyslexia is not a barrier to success, but a difference in processing that history's great thinkers overcame. - The common thread among dyslexic innovators—such as Einstein, Branson, Jobs, and Picasso—is an *"uncommon courage to change the world."* - Dyslexia can transform from a perceived difficulty into a gift for innovation. - Success requires continuous improvement, represented by the Japanese concept of *Kaizen*. - The ability to keep moving forward despite failure is crucial: *"when in battle there is no retreat."* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Dyslexia:** Simply means mixing up numbers and letters, making reading and writing difficult. - ***Kaizen***: A Japanese term meaning continuous improvement. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Bartering/Trading:** The speaker gained $150 by finding half-empty Coke bottles and trading 30 of them for 30 yo-yos at a South Asian wedding, which were then sold for $5 each. - **Product Evolution:** Started by solving practical problems (like carrying gear to class after getting towed/losing a computer) by creating a light, portable, and affordable board. - **Business Growth Trajectory:** Moved from initial idea to securing major distributor contracts across the US within three months, achieving international status by the fourth month. - **Innovation Application:** Using the initial product concept (the board/wheels) to interact with a city environment, specifically suggesting a product for nighttime writing experiences for skateboarders and longboarders. ## Named Entities - **Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Muhammad Ali, Alexander Graham Bell, Pablo Picasso:** Listed as dyslexic figures who achieved greatness. - **Houston:** City mentioned as a potential testing ground for their wheel-based product. ## Numbers & Data - **40%:** Percentage of self-made millionaires who are dyslexic. - **60%:** Percentage of self-made millionaires who do not have dyslexia. - **$2:** Cost of one bottle of Coke. - **$1:** Cost of one yo-yo (in the initial trade estimate). - **30:** Number of Coke bottles traded for 30 yo-yos. - **$150:** Total money made from the yo-yos after the wedding. - **Three months:** Timeframe to enter every major distributor in the United States. - **Four months:** Timeframe to become an international company. ## Examples & Cases - **The Yo-Yo Trade:** Initial scenario where the speaker traded half-empty Coke bottles to gain yo-yos, which were then sold for $5 each. - **College Living Experience:** Initial period in college spent living out of a car, followed by the car being towed and the computer being stolen. - **Board Development:** Creating a board designed to be light, portable, easy to carry, and affordable, initially solving transport challenges. - **International Expansion:** Achieving major US distribution and international status. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Board/Skate Product:** Lightweight, portable, easy-to-carry board designed initially for transit challenges. - **Wheels:** The core component of the final product, designed to interact with a city environment. - **Yo-Yo:** The initial trade item. - **Coke Bottles:** The initial commodity used for trade. ## References Cited - **South Asian wedding:** Context for the first entrepreneurial experience. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Initial Trade Assumption:** The speaker noted that a trade relying on $2 Coke for $1 yo-yo "doesn't seem like a fair trade." - **Board Purpose:** The initial design was *not* for saving the planet or taking the family to the seaside, but to "make you laugh make you smile." ## Counterarguments & Caveats - **The initial hurdle:** Being seen as lazy or stupid due to dyslexia. - **The failure point:** The business was initially "shut down, booed out, kicked out." ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Everyone has the potential to become a success story regardless of dyslexia. - The core recommendation is maintaining forward momentum via *Kaizen* and leveraging perceived weaknesses into unique strengths. - Final invitation: To *indulge* them to help revolutionize the world. ## Implications & Consequences - The ability to overcome perceived limitations (like dyslexia) and maintain drive allows for massive commercial and societal impact. ## Verbatim Moments - *"so what happens when life hands you melons well it just means that you're dyslexic"* - *"how the dyslexic person see the best example of this is to go online and look at capture you know the security boxes"* - *"Albert Einstein Richards Branson Steve Jobs mola Tesla Henry Ford Tom Cruz Steven Spielberg Muhammad Ali Alexander granbell and Pablo Picasso besides all being dyslexic shared a Common Thread of having that uncommon courage to change the world"* - *"I don't have any money in my pocket so I had to get creative"* - *"I pour them all together made 30 Coke bottles traded in for 30 yo-yos and after a wedding I sold each one for $5 that day I made $150 in my pocket"* - *"we got the best industrial designers and graphic designers on our team we made a board that was light portable easy to carry around"* - *"Japanese term called kaizan that means continuous Improvement"* - *"when in battle there is no retreat"* - *"what does this dyslexic entrepreneur create well let me show you"* - *"now imagine using these wheels to interact with a city like Houston"* - *"I'd like to invite you to indulge us so we can revolutionize the world"*