The power of Otis…

So…

Have you ever ridden in an elevator?

Of course you have.

Everyone has had the joyful experience of riding an elevator.
(I think)

Anyways…

When you did ride in that elevator, did you ever take the time to notice the company label on there?

You did?

Good stuff!

And I bet, maybe it wasn’t, but if it was…I bet the name you saw was “Otis”.

And there is a good reason for that.

I mean, sometimes it isn’t Otis, but many, many times it is.

Even here in Japan, I see the Otis name on elevators.

And the credit for that goes to Elisha Graves Otis.

So let’s go back to 1800s, and see what benefits we can gather.

Elisha Otis was born August 3, 1811.

Otis was an inventor and liked to tinker with things. He got his start as a wagon driver, and later worked making dolls. And then later working in an industrial factory. And, around age 40, working one day and cleaning up the factory he started wondering how he could get all the old debris up to the upper levels of the factory. He had heard of hoisting platforms, but these were known to often brake, and he wasn’t up for dealing with that level of risky stuff.

But…

That’s when the magic happened. Together with his sons, he created a “safety elevator” and tested it successfully.

It worked.

And then Otis took the opportunity to make an elevator company out of it. First the company was called “Union Elevator Works”. However, it was later changed to “Otis Brothers & Co”.

At first, no orders came in.

But then, again, the magic happened…

He went to the New York World’s Fair, in 1853.

And, here’s what happened…

Otis gave a live demonstration, and a REAL gutsy one of his “safety elevator”. He had the only rope holding the platform, on which he was standing, completely cut. So the axe-man cut the rope, meaning now, he was operating without a net.

And when the rope was cut, the platform began to fall, and the crowd gasped…

But…the platform fell only a few inches before coming to a complete stop. The safety locking mechanism had worked.

And it was through this demonstration that people came to trust elevators, which in turn gave birth to Sky Scrapers.

And…

He didn’t stop there. In fact, after the World’s Fair, Otis continued to get orders. And he had growth, because the orders were doubling each year. Otis also kept at it innovating and making new improvements. He developed different types of engines, like a three-way steam valve engine, which could help the transition of the elevator between the up and down action, and even stop it quickly too.

So…

The keys here are:

1. Most importantly, “the power of demonstration”. Last week we looked at Brinkman, who used this to build power and continue his phony operations. But, Otis used it for good. And many wonderful things came out from that.

2. Innovation–never stop learning, thinking, exploring, innovating and growing.

3. It’s okay to go with a fresh new start. Otis went through many paths before becoming a leader in elevators and elevator safety.

4. Otis was in his 40s when he STARTED his elevator company, not some young spring chicken. So it’s NEVER to late to start. And that’s not only business, it could be anything. A diet, a new hobby, learning a new skill…anything, it’s never too late.

5. Many other “gems” to gather from this, especially if you look deeper into the full story. But I’ll leave that for you to ponder and explore.

And…
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