I visited Google a few months ago with some friends and, after almost getting arrested, my mind was blown…
First, we wandered into the garage where they were actually making or fixing the driver-less cars.
When they finally realized we were wandering around, security had to escort us out.
We got scared and we thought we were going to get in trouble or thrown out.
But then we met with a friend high up at Google and learned some of the things Google was working on instead….
Nothing was related to search.
Everything was related to:
- Curing cancer (a bracelet that can make all the cancer cells in your body move towards the bracelet)
- Automating everything (cars are just one of those things)
- WiFi everywhere (Project Loon) and solving other “billion-person problems”
A problem wasn’t considered worthy unless it could solve a problem for a billion people.
A billion!
When you solve problems that big it doesn’t create a ripple effect… it creates a surging crashing mile high wave that reshapes the world.
And the opportunities that I watch for are in that chaos.
It’s dangerous and unpredictable and exciting.
But at some point there is a flash of clarity. That’s when you know that the future isn’t abstract and “tomorrow” bleeds into today.
In Google’s totally off-limits-to-the-public testing garage I tripped and fell with absolute certainty into what will be one of the most disruptive and lucrative trends of the next decade.
Driver-less cars, autonomous vehicles… disruption on a billion-person scale.
You’ve seen bits of this story here and there, or maybe you already follow things like this closely.
Here is what’s important:
Right now there is a Cold War era style arms race between Google, Tesla, Apple, and Uber.
Oh and now others are putting huge amounts of energy into this space as well….
GM recently announced a $500 million investment into a strategic partnership with Uber competitor Lyft.
You can’t throw around half a billion without people noticing…
When you notice a trend, you immediately have a handful of choices because :
- It might indicate what stocks to buy.
- It might indicate what businesses to start. And for every one trend there are many different businesses you can start.
- If it’s a negative trend, it might suggest how you can position your family to survive.
- It gives you something to talk about with your friends.
- It gives you ideas that may morph into revenue streams that nobody has ever thought of before.
I will tell you that the way I make money is through the first and last items listed…
I think of ideas for other companies who call me, and my “business” is to them help them implement those ideas on their own and become massive successes.
If you combine the ideas that trends give birth to with an understanding of demographic trends, there are trillions of dollars waiting to made.
But the easiest (and fastest) way I make money is simply by investing in mega-trends.
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“What is the one sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!” – Google CEO Larry Page
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Not everyone wants to create a driver-less car. Or clean energy. Or solve a billion-person problem.
But I have a list of things that are uncomfortably exciting to me.
Some are small, stupid things…
- Writing novels.
- Performing stand-up comedy.
- Or maybe starting another business based on my ideas for helping people.
Some things are big, life changing things. Like pushing myself to keep my eyes open and my idea muscle strong. Just in case I need to change the world.
Every day I wake up a tiny bit afraid.
But I also try to push myself a little closer in those directions. I know then that’s how I learn and grow.
Sometimes I push forward. Sometimes I don’t. I want to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
And that’s how I profit off of trends.
How Will You?
Here it is again, step by step…
- You have to understand what economy we are living in right now (the idea economy)
- You then have to build the foundation of the daily practice (10 ideas a day!)
- You have to observe trends, pick one or two that you’re most interested in, and watch them. Research them. Invest in them. Remember you don’t have to understand how they work. Just use your well-honed idea muscle to figure out what opportunities these new trends will create.
By doing that you can then develop the skills and habits I’ve described, and then build or participate in a community of like-minded people. You will also be able to benefit from the trends that are affecting your and everyone else’s lives.
That’s exactly how I did it. It’s how you will do it too.