It’s funny how small frustrations often lead to big breakthroughs.

You know the Aeropress — that odd-looking plastic coffee gadget that looks like a cross between a syringe and a space rocket?

It was invented by Alan Adler, a bloke who also designed flying discs (yep, the Aerobie ring).

He wasn’t even a coffee guy.

He just thought coffee makers took too long and didn’t taste great, so he started experimenting at home with air pressure, filters and hot water.

A year later — boom — the Aeropress was born. Cheap, light, and somehow capable of making café-level coffee without the faff.

Now here’s the interesting part...

When Adler first launched it, it wasn’t an overnight hit. Coffee snobs laughed at it. It looked weird. Too simple. Too plasticky.

But slowly, word spread. People tried it. Tasted it. Loved it.

Now it’s a cult product with world championships, fan clubs, and copycats everywhere.

And the marketing lesson?

You don’t need to reinvent the world — just make something better, simpler, or more enjoyable than what already exists.

Adler didn’t build a new coffee industry. He just looked at a common frustration and fixed it with a clever twist.

That’s marketing in a nutshell:

Find a small problem, solve it simply, and then show people why it matters.

Tom

P.S. Want to learn how to apply that same thinking to your emails and offers? Check this out: https://fo20.com/EmailG

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