One Idea can Grow Your Business

Sylvan Goldman, the Oklahoma grocer who invented the shopping cart in 1937, had a problem that prevented him from increasing sales at his store. The women who frequented Goldman's stores (and in the 1930s, they were mostly women) stopped buying when their hand baskets were full. I can imagine Goldman sitting in his office after a long Saturday, thinking about the problem and thinking, “How can I grow my business by making it easier for these women to shop?”

With a larger basket, his customers could buy more things. Since the basket would be too heavy to lift, Goldman put it on wheels, using a folding chair for the frame. His “prototype” was a bit bulky, but Goldman thought it was good enough for a market test.

Like most entrepreneurs, Goldman found that his target market was extremely resistant to change. He studied his customers’ complaints: women said the cart reminded them of a baby stroller, and men objected because pushing a cart didn’t seem “manly enough.”

Convinced he had a good idea, Goldman hired men and women to push the carts. He also added an assistant to offer the carts to customers at the entrance to the store. It worked. The carts caught on, Goldman patented his invention, and made enough money to become one of Oklahoma’s multimillionaire philanthropists.

Goldman also sought to grow his business by offering better service to his customers. And like any successful entrepreneur, he had a solid exit strategy, licensing his shopping cart patent to a company that improved the product to the telescoping baskets we use today.

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