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Back to #400 The Stubborn Genius of James Dyson, with David Senra.

Why Did James Dyson Become So Competitive?

David Senra, reading James Dyson, says the loss of Dyson's father made him very competitive, and the response became a principle he kept: difference for its own sake.

Dyson was nine when his father died of throat and lung cancer at 40. No one was there to teach him how to run or tell him how great he was, so running became an obsession. He read a few books about Herb Elliott, the world's greatest middle distance runner of his era, and found that Elliott's coach built stamina and leg strength by running up and down sand dunes. Dyson started doing that.

He got a terrific buzz from doing something no one else was doing. Everything ties back to difference. Difference for the sake of it. Originality for its own sake. As he started to win by greater and greater margins, he did it more, because he was training himself to do something better than anyone else would be able to.

Grokipedia·James Dyson·David Senra

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#400 The Stubborn Genius of James Dyson ·

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  1. What Is James Dyson's Business Philosophy?David Senra, reading James Dyson's two autobiographies, says the business philosophy is difference and retention of total control.
  2. Why Does James Dyson Skip Experts and Just Build?David Senra says James Dyson learned from Jeremy Fry to skip the calculations and the experts and just build, and Senra thinks the habit is now foundational…
  3. Why Does James Dyson Refuse to Sell a Half-finished Product?David Senra, reading James Dyson, says selling a half-finished product dooms a project from the start.
  4. Why Does James Dyson Refuse to Copy What Already Exists?David Senra, reading James Dyson, says Dyson refuses to copy what already exists because following the herd is more dangerous than building something better.
  5. Why Did James Dyson Start His Own University?David Senra says James Dyson started a university of his own because he was not getting anywhere with the education system in his quest to raise the number…
  6. How Many Prototypes Did James Dyson Build?David Senra says James Dyson built 5,127 prototypes of the world's first cyclonic vacuum cleaner, and that it took 14 years. A clever person does not do that.
  7. How Did James Dyson Sell the Dual Cyclone?David Senra says James Dyson sold the Dual Cyclone by telling the story of how the vacuum was made.
  8. Why Did James Dyson Build the Vacuum Himself?David Senra says James Dyson dropped licensing and built the vacuum himself after almost all of the license agreements failed and precious time was wasted.
  9. How Did the Dual Cyclone Lead to Later Dyson Inventions?David Senra, reading James Dyson, says the Dual Cyclone led to later Dyson inventions because developing that first vacuum cleaner over the next dozen years…
  10. What Kind of People Does James Dyson Admire?David Senra says the people James Dyson admires are obsessive, impractical, product-driven enthusiasts, and Dyson belongs in that group.
  11. Why Didn't James Dyson Sell His Company?David Senra reads James Dyson's reason for refusing to sell once the company succeeded. Dyson did not set up the company to make money.

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