#300 James Dyson (Against the Odds)

**David Senra** (0:00)
I want to tell you about a one-time only limited event that I don't think you're going to want to miss. I am doing a live show with Patrick O'Shaughnessy from the Invest Like the Best podcast in New York City on October 19th. Patrick has interviewed over 300 of the world's best investors and founders for his podcast. I've read over 300 biographies of history's greatest entrepreneurs for my podcast. We'll be talking about what we learned from seven years of podcasting, sharing our favorite ideas and stories, and doing a live Q&A. There will also be special event-only swag. If you live in New York City, I think it's a no-brainer. But if not, I think it's a great excuse to fly in. I've already heard from a bunch of people that bought tickets, they're flying in from other cities. Some people are flying in from other countries. That's setting the bar really high, so I will have at least four shots of espresso, or four energy drinks before or during the show, so we can make it a night that you'll never forget. If you're interested in attending this unique live event, I will leave a link down below. I highly recommend you get your tickets today, and I hope I get to see you in New York on October 19th. So in the episode you're about to hear, you're gonna hear James Dyson describe the very primitive environment in which he had to build 5,127 prototypes of his vacuum cleaner. He didn't have plumbing, didn't have electricity, didn't have internet. And slowly over time, and with much difficulty, he was able to add all those things. What's interesting is that it's very easy today to get power and water into your commercial space, but it's still a pain and a headache to get fast, secure, reliable internet and Wi-Fi. And so one of this episode's sponsors is actually solving this problem. METER is actually making fast, secure and reliable internet that's as easy to switch on as water or electricity. That is actually why the company is called METER. There's power meters and there's water meters for every building. There should be one for internet networking and Wi-Fi. METER now makes it way easier for you to get faster, simpler and more secure internet and Wi-Fi wherever your business operates. METER works in all commercial spaces, offices, warehouses, labs. It doesn't matter, it works everywhere. METER has designed an all-in-one solution. They give you streamlined design and installation, powerful hardware and smart software. That's all fully managed and give you expert support. And one of my favorite things about METER is how easy they make it for the customer. All you have to do is give your address and your square footage of your commercial space and METER takes care of the rest. Even better, there is no upfront cost to you. As a business owner, you're gonna love METER because it's gonna save you money and your IT team will love METER because it saves them time. Check out their website. It's absolutely beautiful and it explains all the value that METER can provide your business and you can see it at meter.com forward slash founders.
This episode is also brought to you by Tiny. Tiny is the easiest way for you to sell your business. They provide straightforward cash exits for founders. You're gonna hear James Dyson struggle with his first company, this company called The Ball Barrel, winds up getting kicked out of his company and then winds up after that being sold off. But not before having to deal with a bunch of headache and hassle. If Tiny had existed back then, James could have just emailed hi at tiny.com and sold the business very quickly and easily. Tiny is doing this for founders of businesses of all sizes. They have bought businesses in the past for deals ranging for as low as a million dollars to deals ranging well over $100 million. So if you have a business that you wanna sell now or in the future, get in touch with Tiny. You can actually email them. They respond within 48 hours. You can email them at hi at tiny.com. This works for founders and investors in businesses that aren't going to raise again, but are looking for a quick and painless exit. Make sure if you have a business that you wanna sell today or one in the future, make sure you go to tiny.com.
It must have been sometime in 1979 that I first heard the words, but James, if there were a better kind of vacuum cleaner, Hoover would have invented it.
That was just before I left the first company that I had set up. I gave up security, income and respectability and persuaded an old friend to come in with me on a project that I was developing in the garage behind my house.