In Sweden I was once asked by some government body to suggest where new enterprise ideas might be found. I told them to look in the 'bankruptcy files'. A company may go bankrupt because it is under capitalised; because it is badly managed; because the timing is wrong; because technology does not yet support the idea. All these factors are quite separate from the basic idea being a bad one.
An idea which did not work at the time might well work today because computers and other technology make possible (and less expensive) what was impossible before. The market may have changed and now suits an idea that was ahead of its time. Private postal services disappeared when the state took over document delivery. Today, private document delivery is emerging again as a viable business, in addition to courier services.
As services get larger they have to cater for a wider range of customers. So the old idea of very specialised services can re-emerge: private banking; old style 'Cook's Tours', etc. Recently shoe-shine services have begun to expand. People have less time but more money, so there is more to spend on personalised services - if they are available.
In the old days with more affluent households, the maid did the shopping. That became too expensive and no one wanted to be a maid. Today professional shopping services are starting to emerge. Someone will do all the shopping for you and charge a small commission. Chauffeurs will probably start coming back - and governesses. If personal services became tax-deductible, there would be a surge in employment.
RESTRICTED CREATIVITY
Most people's view of creativity is very restricted. They think of creativity as the production of wonderful new ideas that no one has ever thought of before. This is indeed creativity and even the most spectacular part of creativity. There are many other aspects:
1. A slight change in a very old idea that makes it much more powerful.
2. The design of new values that an old idea can deliver.
3. The assessment of old ideas to see if they could be revived to fit new conditions.
4. The combination of existing or old ideas.
5. Market preparation to value old ideas.
6. The revival of an old concept with a new way of delivering it.
These are only some of the additional uses of creativity.
An idea may emerge and be very successful with young people. The idea reaches fad status and then gradually dies. But there are always new generations of young people. So if the original idea appealed to the 'human nature' side of young people, that idea should also be successful if used again. If the idea had depended on local circumstances, a revival would not necessarily work.
The great success in the UK of Teletubby dolls bears a strong resemblance to the successful Cabbage Patch dolls. Fundamental human nature does not much change. Fashions come and go, but usually cycle back to something which was successful in its day.
There is always an element of boredom, saturation and 'out of fashion' with any very successful idea. So the idea dies out. All those aspects, however, fade with time. So an idea that was killed by boredom will succeed again with a generation that did not suffer that boredom.
The entertainment world is usually very conscious of these matters and is forever remaking old films. The 'Son of Lassie' approach is an attempt to continue the success with some variation on a successful theme. Investors prefer to invest in something which has been shown to work before.
UNNECESSARY
In some places in North Africa there are letter-writers who sit in the market place. These people will write letters for young men who want to woo young maidens. It may be that the young men cannot write. If the young maiden cannot read, then a relative would have to read the letter to her. It may also be that the young man can write but is seeking the superior poetic expression of the professional letter-writer. So the letter-writer is no longer strictly necessary, but the value provided is still an important value.
With the development of the telephone, people no longer 'needed' to write letters, so the habit of letter-writing dropped away. There are, however, values in a letter which are not present in a phone conversation (more florid expression, ability to re-read, rhetorical questions, etc.). I suspect there would be a place for courses in letter-writing and even a place for professional letter-writers.
The value to the recipient is that the sender wants his or her feelings expressed that way. The letter-writer is as neutral as an interpreter. If a young man chooses jewellery for his girl friend, he does not actually make the jewellery, but selects it. When a young man sends an established poem to his girlfriend, he does not write the poem, but chooses it because it expresses his sentiments. So a 'professional' letter is a chosen expression.
Concepts and ideas that died because they were no longer 'necessary' may still have a high value quite apart from their necessity. Some of the old civilisations in South America made much use of nose plates which hung over the mouth. It may be said that these were necessary because the teeth were in such a poor state that a smile was actually very ugly. Today, teeth can be very beautiful. Nevertheless the nose plate could still be an attractive form of jewellery.
INEFFICIENCY
Things which were pushed out of the market by more efficient substitutes may yet have other values. Today's cars are all extensively tested in wind tunnels to reduce the drag and to increase fuel efficiency. The result is that all cars look alike, because the laws of physics are constant. There could be the value of nostalgia and individuality in going back to some of the old car shapes. People who did not drive long distances might be willing to trade off some efficiency for a more distinctive shape. We might even go back to the days of 'coachbuilding'. The car manufacturer simply built the chassis and engine and then separate coach-builders designed the body and interior.
Cost is a key competitive driver. Something offered at a lower cost will drive out of the market what is at a higher cost. Yet the success of luxury goods and designer goods suggests that people are willing to pay more for certain values. Almost all watches tell the time equally well. The quartz movements are all more or less equally accurate (for normal purposes). But people may pay anything between $20 and $20,000 for a watch. The more expensive watch is now jewellery and a simple way of showing status and wealth.
Certain holiday resorts and areas become very fashionable - like the Italian lakes in Edwardian days. Then fashion moves on and it is no longer smart to be using last year's resort. Yet the intrinsic attractiveness of the resort means that it is ripe for revival. The same principle applies to almost all fashions.
VALUE SHIFT
Many of the above are examples of 'value shift'. The original value might have been necessity, cost, efficiency, fashion, etc. But there may have been other values which were hidden by the dominating value. While the dominating value is no longer active, the other values are still there to be enjoyed. In some cases the value is that of nostalgia or 'quaintness'. Old-fashioned telephones have no functional advantage but they are quaint and attractive. As mass production goes in one direction, then craft and customisation acquire a new value.
It is sometimes possible to use an old idea directly. For example, feather boas could come back directly into fashion. More often a modification is needed. If personal service became tax-deductible, some people might want to employ domestic staff again. A barrier against this would be the social perception of 'maid' and its class echoes in some countries. So there may need to be a central 'People Agency' which would employ the people. Individual households could then contract out these 'domestic operatives'. Any mistreatment would be reported back to the Agency. Wages would be uniform, with local bonuses. The old idea would come back, modified for modern conditions.
The old idea of the marriage broker is much needed today when 75% of people marry someone with whom they work (a rather limited selection). Marriage agencies do exist. Newspapers run personal 'encounter advertisements' and there is computer dating. One of the key values of the marriage is still missing. The marriage broker in the village knew everyone personally and all the families involved. That aspect is absent.
In the past the local bank manager knew the people to whom money was being lent. Today there are formal profiles which borrowers have to fit. There is a need for a local 'money doctor'. This person would know the community. People would go to this person for advice. This person would put people in touch, with recommendations, with a supplier. The person would not be a broker pushing certain products, but more of a doctor. Any sort of commission would be paid to a central body which would then pay out absolutely uniform commissions to the 'money doctors'. This way neutral judgement would be maintained.
SUMMARY
Creativity is usually about new ideas. But there is a great deal of value locked up in old ideas which are no longer in use. It is part of creativity to find and use that value. Creativity is not just novelty for the sake of novelty. Novelty is only a step towards delivering value.
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