Skip to content

Killer Question #7

When things get tough, the common reaction is to scale back and standardize the processes. The objective is to take costs out of the business. What would happened if you went the opposite direction? Rather than standardize, why not customize?

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney
1 min read
Killer Question #7

Killer Question #7: Could you customize a mass product?

When things get tough, the common reaction is to scale back and standardize the processes.  The objective is to take costs out of the business.  What would happened if you went the opposite direction?  Rather than standardize, why not customize?

The perfect example of this is the recent phenomena of custom motorcycles.  Like other forms of transportation, motorcycles are mass produced with the biggest choice being what color you want.

Paul Teutul, Sr. began his business of building custom choppers out of the basement of his home. With the creative help and following of his oldest son, Paul Jr., the two were soon on their way to the top with the success of Paul Sr.’s first bike, “True Blue” at Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999. From that point on, Paul Sr. knew he had something and established Orange County Choppers, Inc. that same year.

The Teutuls were quickly becoming recognized by chopper enthusiasts everywhere. They were not only making a name for themselves in the custom choppers world, but were picked up by the Discovery Channel in 2002 as the basis of what is now the hit television series, American Chopper. Their popularity has led them to build custom theme bikes for some of the biggest names in corporate America such as Microsoft, Lincoln and Coca-Cola.

Paul Sr took what many were convinced was a mass produced category and created one of the world’s premier builders of custom motorcycles.

What would happen if you customized your standard product or service.

To receive the weekly twit of killer questions, then follow on twitter….

twitter-bird-1
Source: Orange Country Chopper site
BlogKiller QuestionsmotorcycleOCCTeutul

Phil McKinney Twitter

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

Comments


Related Posts

Members Public

The Punctuality Paradox: The Ethics of Time

Time is our most valuable resource, yet it is finite and fleeting. It cannot be saved, paused, or rewound. It is constantly moving forward, regardless of how we use it. Therefore, we must use our time wisely and purposefully to make the most of every moment.

An image of clock and child presenting to idea of time and how to use it.
Members Public

Automaticity: A Thinking Trap?

Just as a car can be driven more smoothly and efficiently when the driver doesn’t have to think about each action, so can our lives run more smoothly when some tasks are done automatically. For example, if you’ve ever ridden in a car with someone learning to drive, you know it’s not a very smooth […

A child learning match by building automaticity
Members Public

Future Faking Innovation

Future faking is a term that has crept into the lexicon that originated from a harmful dating practice. When applied to innovation, someone is predicting a future to get others excited about it, with no intention of making that future a reality.

Future Faking Innovation Image