My First Million Brainstorming $100M Ideas with the $1B+ King of Brands
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Oct 8, 2025 
Eric Ryan, founder of Method, Olly, and Welly, shares his secret to spotting $100M product ideas. He emphasizes the importance of identifying 'sea of sameness' in markets and using cultural shifts for innovative design. Eric discusses creative brainstorming methods and the power of travel to fuel ideas. He proposes exciting concepts like rebranding fiber products and creating vibrant, communal dining experiences. Eric also dives into effective naming strategies and fostering creativity in teams, shifting from founder to coach as he inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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Find Missed Cultural Shifts
- Look for cultural shifts that a category has missed and position your product at that intersection.
- The space between trend and category is where the business opportunity lives.
Steal From Faraway Categories
- Steal ideas from distant categories and adapt design, color, or ritual to your target category.
- Use far-away inspiration (personal care, housewares) to make commodity products feel like objects of desire.
Iterate On Familiar Categories
- Favor iterations of existing categories instead of inventing entirely new ones to avoid heavy consumer education costs.
- Apply a clear model or twist to a known market to scale faster.