Build A Better Mousetrap

While trying to pay for parking in Boulder last week, I had an ahhhhh moment, a flashbulb of light, an idea, a solution to what I deemed a problem or at least an experience that needed a better solution.

How was I inspired and what did I come up with? Well, before I share, let me just say you heard it here first.

Many of you may be familiar with the machine that sits on the sidewalk between five or six cars, that you have to line up to pay for a certain amount of time to park your car, and then once you get your ticket, you put it on the dashboard in full view so the meter attendant can give you a ticket if your time runs out before you add more time or leave before it has expired.

As I stood in line in the pouring rain/sleet/snow, freezing and impatient, waiting for the people ahead of me to figure out how to use the machine, I kept thinking, “There has to be a better way!” And my better mousetrap idea would be to have an app, or something that would allow me to pay my parking charges simply, without having to wait in long lines or go back to my car to place my ticket on the dashboard. Presumably this would be a technological wonder that someone with the right energy and know how or ability to find someone with the know how would create. I’m not that person, but of course I think it is a brilliant idea and would certainly solve my problem with the parking meter machine and create a better experience for me, and……. I would be more than willing to pay for an app like that!

But…. even though I’m not going to create that app, it still got me to thinking that, as a business, we could all take a closer look at our business model from time to time and figure out how we could build a better mousetrap for our product or services. Figure out how to serve and deliver more to our customers. It will keep your business fresh and your customers happy and coming back.

xo, jan