Find a Need and Fill It

Out-of-the-Box Thinking This very simplistic phrase, “Find a need and fill it,” has been around for a very long time. I first read about it in Entrepreneur Magazine many decades ago. They explained this strategy was the #1 rule for business start-ups.

I later heard Zig Ziglar, one of the nation’s most highly regarded motivational speakers, share the virtues of this very successful approach to life.

I then read that John Deere, the respected blacksmith who later became the world’s leading producer of farm equipment, claimed the phrase as his personal inspiration and philosophy back in the 1800s.

Regardless of its origin, it continues to produce creative ideas that have enhanced society in many diverse and productive ways.

The interesting thing about this simple battle cry is the modest fact that many people struggle with the challenge of “finding a need” … and yet they exist all around us.

For instance, consider a basic common obstacle confronting football players, firefighters, industrial and hazmat workers, and even racing pit crews—the need for quick heat relief.

It’s an elemental challenge, yet critical to anyone having to deal with it. Well, someone has recognized that need and obviously filled it.

For apparent reasons, they call it the Cool Shirt®. It was designed to maintain or quickly return core body temperatures to normal levels, reducing heat-induced fatigue. It also cools the body and allows it to radiate its heat, thus reducing the risk of heat stroke.

Weighing a mere 4 lbs., this unusual shirt contains more than 50 feet of medical-grade capillary tubing securely stitched on the front and back of the shirt. It is connected to a compact cooling unit via insulated hose with quick, dry disconnects. The cooling unit contains ice, water and an internal pump that supplies cool water to the shirt as it covers up to 40% of the body. The shirt pumps 40 degree water through 50 feet of tubing to keep the wearer cool.

Being made of lightweight cotton, it can be worn comfortably for long periods of time and quickly connected and disconnected to the cooling unit as needed. Cool Shirt® will return the body’s core temperature to normal levels within minutes.

The temperature-controlled cold water provided by the refrigeration unit to the Cool Shirt® is between 50 and 65 degrees. Studies have proven that cool water will transfer body heat 28 times faster than cool air. This allows faster, more efficient maintenance of the body’s optimum core temperature.

The Cool Shirt®, while quite fundamental in its construct, has provided relief and assurance to many employees working under challenging conditions day in and day out.

This is a perfect example of identifying a need and producing a solution to fill that need.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services.