Why Didn’t I Think Of That? 40 Clever Product Ideas

By Igor Ovsyannykov

Let’s be honest, when you see a creative product you tend to mentally kick yourself for not coming up with the idea first. This is definitely true among designers. When you see a beautiful design, you smile and say: “Wow, this is incredible. Why didn’t I think of doing that?” We all get a little jealous inside when we see a great idea. The wrong thing to do is get mad at the people whom came up with that idea. In my life, I’ve experience this first hand. I had a friend that was jealous of someone for what they had and how successful they were. Instead of wishing them more luck and being happy for them, they constantly complained and talked about that person’s flaws. “I could do better than that.” “His idea is not that great.” Why didn’t he do this?” If I was him I would have done…” That kind of attitude is so ugly. It irritates me to even talk about it. Saying “I could have done that,” isn’t doing anything. Talk is cheap. Always let your actions do the talking rather than blabbing about how smart you are and your creative ideas. When you see somebody successful, smile and be happy for them. Hating somebody for their accomplishments is simply gross.

Here’s a great quote from the movie Pain & Gain. “There are two types of people in this world: A doer or a don’ter.” While this quote might seem funny, it’s 100% true. Think about it. There are people in this world who constantly complain about their life, but take no action. How are you supposed to reach your goals if you’re sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games? Simple, you won’t. Get a pencil and a piece of paper and start writing down what you want to accomplish in your life. Allow your emotions to bleed. After you write down what you want to do, that "want" will become an "I will". Figure out what steps you’ll need to take to get there, and constantly push yourself. Make yourself succeed. I constantly use the death-bed example for this. If you’re laying on your deathbed and look back at your life, would you be happy with what you’ve accomplished? Or would you have uncountable regrets? ”I wish I would’ve done…” Make sure won’t have any "I wish" thoughts. The most successful people in the world started out just like you. Sure some are born into rich families, however if they’re not smart or don’t have the proper skills, they won’t achieve much in their life.

If you have a unique product idea, then chase it. You no longer need to ask a bank or a venture capital firm to fund your business ideas. Get on Kickstarter and see if people are actually interested in your idea. From then on backers will vote with their money. In the past year I’ve seen numerous Kickstarter success stories. I don’t see why that success story can’t be about you. Below you will find clever products that will have you kicking yourself for not thinking of them first. We hope the following ideas and designs will inspire you to use the Rip, Pivot, and Jam method. This method is commonly used by entrepreneurs to find a niche, apply known business practices, and create a successful product line. Here’s how it works: