Horace Luke is not a fan of the word “no”.
“If I ask the first time [whether] I can do something and it’s a ‘no’, I’ll find another guy to ask. If the second guy says no, then I’ll do it,” said the businessman.
“I’m just going to do it myself because I really believe in the idea.”
His philosophy of “don’t ask third parties” has led the 52-year-old Until now, he is the founder of Gogoro, a Taiwanese electric scooter manufacturer and battery sharing network.
Launched in 2011, the startup says it has since built a network of more than 2,300 swappable battery stations, powering 350,000 daily battery changes for two-wheelers.
“By the end of this year, we’ll have more locations than gas stations in Taiwan,” Luke told CNBC Make It.
Its investors include Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management, Foxconn, one of Apple’s biggest suppliers, and Indonesian app GoTo.
Despite his success, Luke’s focus on urban mobility and sustainability was not always well received.
“Not only was no one working on it, at the same time no one believed in us… when we launched our flagship store, people came in [and] asked: ‘Who will be the owner [this] battery when you file for bankruptcy?'”
The CEO added with a laugh, “That’s a really rude question. But I think the ease of use and convenience of changing the battery really grabbed the hearts of consumers.”
I think of innovation as an upward spiral and my daily job is to keep that spiral going.
Horatio Lucas
Founder, Gogoro
Luke is no stranger to innovation – he has worked at Microsoft, where he led product ideation and brand development for its major products, including the original Xbox and Windows XP.
Before founding Gogoro, he was also chief innovation officer at smartphone manufacturer HTC.
With over 15 years of experience under his belt, Luke has a number of tips for developing new products. CNBC Make It finds out what they are.
1. Listen to others
When it comes to innovation, it’s never your job and yours alone, Luke said.
“If you come to my office, you will find that my office is very noisy. A lot of people come and go… chatting and talking about things.”
The most important part of creating new products is really using “your ears,” he added.
“It’s the ability to listen to 1,000 ideas and choose those [that work]combine them and then bring people together so that they are now culturally working in the same direction.”
You have to provide something that puts a smile on people’s faces. [faces] when they use it, then they will adopt it.
Horatio Lucas
Founder, Gogoro
However, having great ideas is not enough: it is the ability to execute them that is “really important”.
“The guy who says a car can fly, but he never made the car fly, he’s just crazy. But the guy who made the car fly, he’s a genius,” Luke added.
So beyond listening to his team’s ideas, he sees himself playing a very important role in bringing them together to work toward the same goal of creating new products.
“I think of innovation as an upward spiral and my daily job is to maintain that spiral.”
2. Think outside the box
Something Luke would never do? He works on projects where “someone might say, ‘Is this what you mean?'”
“That project is instantly canceled because I don’t want there to be an example out there. You have to come up with your own idea… think outside the box,” he added.
That, he said, was the approach that led to the creation of the original Xbox.
“That’s why the Xbox was born: It was a box that provides computing technology, that goes beyond what a game console could do,” Luke said.
“Instead of a device that plays games, what about a PC that entertains?”
3. Find the right product
Convincing consumers to use electricity is a challenge. But Gogoro’s mission to provide a seamless experience when it comes to loading vehicles has paid off.
Its battery change system allows passengers to change batteries in a matter of seconds, unlike charging points, which can take hours to turn electric vehicles back on.
“You have to provide something more convenient, with a better user experience to turn people around. It’s not about price,” Luke said.
“No matter how cheap something is… nobody wants to use it. You have to provide something that puts a smile on people’s faces.” [faces] when they use it, then they will adopt it.”
Source: www.cnbc.com