Innovation Inspiration from the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC
“What will you do to impact the world?”
The sign hangs in the little gift shop at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
The memorial commemorates that famous first flight in 1903 and two genius brothers who worked tirelessly to fulfill their great idea. From bicycles to planes in several thousand fell swoops.
When you visit the memorial, you’re walking the same hill to reach where Orville and Wilbur marched every day for several years.
The only difference between their commutes and those of the tourists who visit from miles and state away is that contemporary visitors aren’t accompanied by the added poundage of a large flying contraption.
Orville and Wilbur lugged their machine up that hill, slipping under the shifting sands of that dune countless times. And let me tell you, even marching up the dune with a toddler in a stroller more than a century later is a feat in an of itself.
My husband and I survived to tell the tale.
The actual memorial is innovative itself. It sits atop a large sand dune overlooking the staggered skyline of wind-weathered beach cottages. From the top of the dune, you see what the Wright Brothers could the air. It’s stunning, really, to be surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on both sides. It isn’t a wonder that the inspiration for flying came from that very spot.
Looking out from on top of that view, you feel like you really could do anything.
From the top of the hill, you see what the Wright Brothers wanted to look out over.
You see the shrines marking the first, second, third and fourth attempts – each just a few feet longer.
The whole experience from start to finish seems almost holy to an aspiring entrepreneur.
You stand on the very same ground where two men saw a need. Saw a way to do travel, to do business, differently. All it took was a few thousand failed attempts for the world to change.
Without their efforts the globalization, the connectivity we have with other humans via the internet, would cease to exist.
How open these two men must’ve been to dream of a different life. To feel the salty wind against their outstretched palms and imagine what could be.
This is how I’m challenging myself and you to live. By imagining possibilities. By looking at our lives, our businesses, our customer relationships; looking up at the sky or down from a sand dune and picturing a different way to everything. And then being willing to fail, and fail, and fail again until we get it right.
I’m not saying that you have to invent a new way to travel (although Elon Musk and Uber are breaking significant barriers in the transportation industry). But, take time to truly think about how your business is run or how your customers are treated.
Could there be a different way to do it all?
Time to Make Your Move:
How is your brand innovating your niche’s industry?
What are a few ways you could impact your customers to make their lives a little easier or better?
When was the last time you were inspired to try something different in the name of breaking up repetitive cycles in your industry, whether in your communication plans or through your social media strategy?
Feel a little stuck? Schedule a free consultation with Valor Media Group for ideas on how you can innovate the digital marketing strategy for your business today!