I want to share a real example from a past business of mine where the business was struggling and I used a creative solution by combining two unlikely things to make something interesting and have that business thrive.

The Struggle

Years ago, over 15 years to be precise, I was trying to start a group hiking website. The problem was that nobody was coming to these hikes because people can just go hike on their own. It was the same old idea—hiking. People didn't need me, or I was kind of a stranger in this. Why would you go hiking with a stranger when you can go by yourself or with friends?

I was really struggling to get any kind of traction for these hike ideas or events. Weeks went by, and I tried one hike after another, but only one or two or three people were joining. I was hoping for dozens of people to come, which would signify a successful group hike. So, I was failing.

The Advice

Then, somebody told me to do something outrageous, almost illegal. Initially, I thought it was a horrible piece of advice. But after thinking about it for three weeks, I realized it wasn't about making something illegal but about making something so unique and interesting out of this regular hike idea.

The Creative Solution

At that time, I was living in San Francisco, a city with unique geography surrounded by water on three sides. Over time, many shipwrecks had sunk, and you could see them during low tide if you knew where to look. I thought, "We can do a shipwreck hunt during a low tide hike." It sounded super cool, almost like pirates looking for a treasure map.

When I scheduled the shipwreck hunt hike, someone showed it to the local newspaper. Because it was so unique, the local newspaper featured it. On the day of the event, 200 people came to the hike, far surpassing my goal of 20 or 30 people. Before that, I was even failing to get up to five participants.

The Breakthrough

I realized that the old idea of hikes with a new combined twist, like shipwreck themes, was the key. I started doing different themes: Star Wars, military, seasonal themes like new flowers blooming in spring (though that one wasn't as successful). These unique takes on hikes that nobody could get anywhere else unless they joined mine made the business thrive.

Conclusion

This creative solution of combining a boring old thing with something unrelated led to a breakthrough idea that ended up working out. It didn't turn into a multi-billion dollar business, but it certainly surpassed my goals for those hikes.