Courtesy of Tony Robbins
Robbins told a story about his friend's grandmother to explain.
At the Inc. 5000 conference in October 2016, performance coach Tony Robbins shared advice about what it takes to push a business toward success.In a video published by Inc, he urged audience members to figure out what business they are really in, and create for what those users want.
"To jump to where you are to where you want to go just requires a different psychology than you have right now," Robbins said.
"You're not going to get to the next level without energy and innovation," he continued. "And innovation isn't a once-a-year rain dance. It's a different way of thinking and it's bringing people into contact with you that will stimulate you."
He used an anecdote about a friend's grandmother and the state of the near-bankrupt Apple in 1997 to explain:
"When Steve Jobs took back over Apple in 1997 … it was on the verge of bankruptcy," Robbins said. "How did he innovate with no money, no new technology to keep the company alive?" he continued. "It wasn't this massive change in technology, it was understanding the needs of the client much more effectively, and it was so cheap it was ridiculous because he had no money."
He then recalled a friend's grandmother who had suddenly wanted a computer around that time. When asked what type she would like, she responded, "a pink one."
Jobs was able to think about what consumers craved, Robbins said. The company came out with candy apple red and green computers, when the competition still used "throw up gray" and tan computers. "He understood that pink was worth $1 billion," he said.