10 ms·

In 1973, I invented Baileys

221 points by johnny313 9y ago

veb 9y ago
> Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the real heroes of ideas are not the people who have them – they are the people who buy them. I love this quote. That was a great read.
- gt_ 9y ago
  As a person with a lot of ideas and very little money, I don't like it as much. NOTE: This isn't about what makes money. It's about what makes heroes.
  - greglindahl 9y ago
    It takes money to make money.
  - bigiain 9y ago
    You don't have to like it (most ideas guys" wont).But you do need to acknowledge it's inevitable financial truth. If you don't have ideas that someone else buys, you'll remain the person with all the ideas and none of the money. (And if your ideas are "heroic", it will 100% take a hero to fund them...) I really like that phrase, because it takes the "conventional startup wisdom" that "ideas without execution are worthless" to the next and obvious-to-outsiders step - even a well executed idea than nobody will pay for - is, by definition, worthless.
    - rtpg 9y ago
      Even without the money angle, you still need to convince people that your idea is good in order for it to have "real" value (as in: be used). Ideas are mostly worthless without proponents.
      - gt_ 9y ago
        All fair points here; nothing I don't agree with. I'm not sure they counter what I said, though. As an artist, most of my ideas are artistic and don't require money for the translation to value, but they still require time and skill. I constantly face the reality that I still have to make the art. However we downplay ideas, it remains diappointing how many people lack them, and how often money undermines them.
  - jacobolus 9y ago
    For an idea-buyer hero, how about Licklider? https://amzn.com/0670899763/ https://amzn.com/0670899763/
- Theodores 9y ago
  So true when it comes to founder logic - must have a co-founder or some team to get anywhere in Y Combinator world. It also applies to cults, the mad guy that claims to be Jesus is ignored until his first fan comes along and 'believes' him, this then enables others to 'believe' too.
Larrikin 9y ago
>People nowadays often ask me how much money we get per bottle sold. My answer is that we were paid about £3,000 all-in for the development This is an awful part of a great read.
- sogen 9y ago
  It’s the same for graphic designers, make a logo and get paid once, no matter how large the company...
  - irrational 9y ago
    Sometimes you get paid more than once. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004273/Woman-designed-Nike-swoosh-explains-story-inception-40-years-ago.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004273/Woman-design...
    - sogen 9y ago
      Outlier, had her in my mind her when I was writing my previous response. That’s why Basecamp(37 signals) stopped doing graphic design.
      - jacobush 9y ago
        Because swoosh?
      - irrational 9y ago
        They stopped doing graphic design because one designer got 500 Nike stock shares?
    - wlesieutre 9y ago
      Similarly, Brooklyn Brewery’s branding was done for a 5% stake in the company back before they had any money https://www.fastcodesign.com/3059055/the-true-story-of-milton-glasers-greatest-client https://www.fastcodesign.com/3059055/the-true-story-of-milto...
  - 9y ago
fcbrooklyn 9y ago
"Hugh looked at me with an almost earnest stare. “What would happen if we mixed Irish whiskey and cream?” he said. “That might be interesting.” He sat back and waited for a response. “Let’s try it,” I replied. Where Hugh was more likely to intellectualise and think through the appalling consequences of dropping cream into Ireland’s beloved whiskey, I was all for doing it there and then." Now, I ain't no lawyer, but to me this sounds like Hugh invented it, no?
- vermilingua 9y ago
  He may have had the original idea, but Macpherson refined it into the specific formula that became Bailey's. There is a distinction to be made.
- ProAm 9y ago
  "Idea's are worth a nickel, execution is worth..."
  - 0xbear 9y ago
    That’s what people who never have any decent ideas like to say to those who do.
    - OJFord 9y ago
      It's also what I tell myself to excuse never acting on any ideas.
      - jacobush 9y ago
        Hear you load and clear. Cheers
    - ProAm 9y ago
      Ive never seen anyone make a dollar off an idea. Its always execution
      - 9y ago
hyperpallium 9y ago
> We mixed the two ingredients in our kitchen, tasted the result and it was certainly intriguing, but in reality bloody awful. Undaunted, we threw in some sugar and it got better, but it still missed something. > We went back to the store, searching the shelves for something else, found our salvation in Cadbury’s Powdered Drinking Chocolate and added it to our formula. Hugh and I were taken by surprise. It tasted really good. Not only this, but the cream seemed to have the effect of making the drink taste stronger, like full-strength spirit. It was extraordinary. They iterated, but not because they thought the product would taste great, but because it fitted nicely with business and marketing considerations: tax breaks and diary connotations. I guess it's serendipity that they found the combination so quickly, and would have otherwise given up after a while. Quitters never win and winners never quit, but those who never win and never quit are idiots.
- rxhernandez 9y ago
  Some people only win big in the last few years of their long life. Were they idiots for not quitting?
  - esrauch 9y ago
    In some cases, definitely. Some people play the lottery their entire lives and win in the last few years of their long lives. They were still wrong for not quitting, even though they happened to get their pay out.
    - simonh 9y ago
      Some people I know that play the lottery just view it as entertainment. It's not really for me, but I can see their point.
      - coldtea 9y ago
        Obviously it's not entertainment in any concrete form. It just takes 1 minute every week or so to play the lottery, and that's about it. It's wishful thinking and daydreaming more than entertainment.
bmmayer1 9y ago
> A decade of experience kicked in and delivered a great idea. This reminds me of that quote from Monty Hall about it taking twenty years to become an overnight success. Great read.
justinator 9y ago
Any way to change the title a bit? Calling something, "girly" communicates the idea that anything effeminate is somehow weaker than its more masculine counterpart, and therefore less desirable. Which is sexist. Is HN better than that? Edit: given how many downvotes I've received, I guess the answer is no: Hacker News is not better than this.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- waqf 9y ago
  Hi, I downvoted you because you appear to lack reading comprehension ("girly" is not HN's word or even the article author's word: HN is quoting the author and the author is quoting his critics). Either that, or you have some extreme political ideology under which it's not even permissible to quote people critically when they express inappropriate sentiments — if that's your position, you did a poor job of explaining it. Then I flagged you because, in addition, your wording was pugnacious ("Is HN better than that?").
  - dang 9y ago
    I appreciate the good part of your point, but this sort of thing breaks the HN guidelines: > you appear to lack reading comprehension > or you have some extreme political ideology Would you please re-read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow them when commenting here? They apply regardless of how wrong the other person is. Actually they apply most of all when the other person is wrong, because otherwise you give people a good reason to dismiss your correction.
- dang 9y ago
  waqf is right about the quote, and I don't think what you said about HN is at all fair. Nevertheless I took 'girly drink' out above because such phrases tend to act like sandpaper on the skin regardless of how many quotes they come wrapped in. Multiply that by the number of people who see HN's front page and the business about the quote gets lost. Maybe it shouldn't, but that's the effect and there's no gain in ignoring it.
ams6110 9y ago
My cousin convinced his wife that once you open a bottle of Baileys you have to drink it all or the cream will spoil.
- smcl 9y ago
  Hah, I wonder how many times that's been pulled off. It reminded me of something in Arrested Development: Michael: And you finished off the whole bottle? Lindsay Funke: I had to, it's vodka. It goes bad once it's opened. Michael: I think that's another of mom's fibs, like "I'll sacrifice anything for my children".
- teh_klev 9y ago
  Kinda reminds me of a line from Dogtooth: "If you don't drink your orange juice while it's fresh, it's no use."
  - justifier 9y ago
    That one rings true: https://www.homesciencetools.com/vitamin-c-test-experiment-kit https://www.homesciencetools.com/vitamin-c-test-experiment-k... Though the time frame is probably greater than casually sipping
- rrauenza 9y ago
  Oh it goes bad. Even closed. Found an old bottle (unopened if I recall) and poured out clumps of clotted cream...
  - morsch 9y ago
    It's supposed to last at least 2 years, regardless of whether it's opened. https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/9420/why-doesnt-baileys-go-bad https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/9420/why-doesnt-...
  - nkrisc 9y ago
    We once found a bottle of Baileys in my grandmother's basement. It was probably 20 years old and had completely solidified into Baileys Irish Cheese.
eapen 9y ago
This was the first alcohol that my mom let me have and I still cherish it and often have stock at home — although now I have the Costco version.
kagamine 9y ago
IN this podcast there is an interview with one of the creators from the ad agency. It's short and worthwhile. http://www.modernmann.co.uk/new/2017/2/28/43-the-impossible-cream http://www.modernmann.co.uk/new/2017/2/28/43-the-impossible-...
bambax 9y ago
> He sipped at the muddy brown liquid with absolutely no enthusiasm. And then, it is said, he pronounced the immortal words “That shit will never sell!” Nevertheless, he launched it into the US later that year... Love this. I too find Baileys disgusting, and in that position I would probably would never have launched it. What a big mistake that would have been! Would be interesting to know more about this particular guy: did he come to like it eventually, or did he listen to somebody else, or did sales numbers in other parts of the world change his mind?
- sevensor 9y ago
  > I too find Baileys disgusting I clicked the link hoping for an apology for having invented Bailey's. At least now I have an explanation.
  - zimpenfish 9y ago
    If you mix it with, e.g., toffee Frijj[1], then you can't taste the Baileys at all. But you will wake up 36 hours later wondering what happened to your weekend and the rest of the Baileys. [1] Thick milkshake kind of stuff in the UK
nartz 9y ago
I would be curious to know when "Bailey's + Coffee" became a thing (i.e. drinking it warm versus cold)
- alexasmyths 9y ago
  Because they are a perfect combination. Coffee usually needs sweetener + cream. The thick cream + sweetener + special taste + alcohol of Baileys make it a perfect for coffee. It's the easiest, dumbest, best drink possible in a Canadian winter.
  - feintruled 9y ago
    Plus Irish Coffee (just whiskey) has been a thing since forever too.
  - aedron 9y ago
    Does the alcohol evaporate?
    - samfriedman 9y ago
      Based on USDA research [0], it seems like an alcoholic spirit will retain 85% alcohol content after being heated by stirring into a hot liquid. [0] https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/ret...
  - __s 9y ago
    Beats Tim's any day
mks 9y ago
It intrigues me that the experts and their market research told them it will fail. Did they just do a lousy research or was the idea too innovative? How is it possible to distinguish between those cases (bad research vs no one will buy it vs innovative idea people don't understand yet)?
- patrickk 9y ago
  He also mentions that it took several years to really take off. If it was a product launched today, it would probably be killed if it took 3+ years to take off. Look at Hollywood movies judged by their opening weekend or the career of Alex Ferguson, who almost got fired early in his tenure at Manchester United, then went on to become one of the greatest managers in any sport, ever.
  - mks 9y ago
    Maybe the times are different now than in the past or the food industry works on different timescales before they kill off something. Possibly because the investment is much bigger than software - they mention building a whole new factory for an untested product - that made me shiver. I might be just spoilt by ease of pivoting in software, but what led them to believing into the new drink - were they acting just on a hunch and feeling it tasted good?
    - patrickk 9y ago
      > Possibly because the investment is much bigger than software - they mention building a whole new factory for an untested product - that made me shiver. But if businesses are not willing to take on risks in the world of atoms/hardware, not just in the world of software, things stagnate. This is why the world of software moves so quickly and is much more exciting than the world of atoms in general. It's also why someone like Elon Musk is so remarkable - he is willing to take enormous risks in the world of atoms (Tesla, Solar City and especially SpaceX). Almost nobody is innovating like this in the western world at least, and of course Wall Street (or at least some parts) hate him for it. More examples of the lack of innovation in the world of atoms - sectors like construction have been really anti-innovation for a long time, at least until the proverbial wrecking ball in the form of software-powered bricklaying robots come along and disrupt everything. I was at a motor show recently, and I was struck by how unremarkable all the new models from the premium manufacturers are. A button that closes the boot lid automatically is not innovation, neither are interior panels that the customer can customise with their own design. Again, no wonder they are nervous about Tesla. > but what led them to believing into the new drink - were they acting just on a hunch and feeling it tasted good? Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. Focus groups and customer acceptance testing won't give you a full picture. There's a reason why by 'design by committee' and 'analysis paralysis' are considered negatives, not positives. 1970s Ireland was a totally different business climate to the quarter to quarter, Wall-Street driven thinking today which kills any long term horizons for taking on new ideas or projects. Having a clubby business environment where "everyone knew everyone" probably allowed for more breathing space to run with a new idea.
lawlessone 9y ago
Hmmm im not used to seeing articles this interesting in the Irish Times, good read.
LeifCarrotson 9y ago
> We needed what they called an “Anglo-Irish” name. We were sure that a family name might be better than a “thing” or a place name. That was the popular convention of the business in those days. After all, many drinks were named after the people who made them. > We were still struggling to find a name for our revolutionary new drink and there it was; above the door. Baileys. Was it really right in front of my face? It was certainly Anglo-Irish and in a flurry of post-rationalisation I managed to dredge up from my memory a dairy of that name in the Port Elizabeth of my youth in South Africa. This gave it a kind of relevance in my head. > Another “Baileys moment” was the discovery of an attractive, traditional restaurant in Dublin called The Bailey. I could imagine our drink being enjoyed there a long time ago. It gave a gentle nudge of support to our off-the-wall idea. > The headline mentioned R&A, golf’s governing body, and I instantly blurted “How about two initials? How do you like the sound of R&A Bailey? ... Yet as I thought about it after our conversation, a fantasy began to form in my mind. I could see them: R & A Bailey were two brothers, one a distiller and the other a dairy farmer. They had disliked each other for decades. Their father looked to bring them together... He begins with "many drinks were named after the people who made them", and proceeds to follow up with works of complete fiction when creating the Baileys brand. Perhaps I'm a bit too left-brained to understand this creative work, but how does imagining something that didn't happen lend a gentle nudge of support to an idea?

221 points by johnny313 9y ago

veb 9y ago

> Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the real heroes of ideas are not the people who have them – they are the people who buy them. I love this quote. That was a great read.

gt_ 9y ago
As a person with a lot of ideas and very little money, I don't like it as much. NOTE: This isn't about what makes money. It's about what makes heroes.
- greglindahl 9y ago
  It takes money to make money.
- bigiain 9y ago
  You don't have to like it (most ideas guys" wont).But you do need to acknowledge it's inevitable financial truth. If you don't have ideas that someone else buys, you'll remain the person with all the ideas and none of the money. (And if your ideas are "heroic", it will 100% take a hero to fund them...) I really like that phrase, because it takes the "conventional startup wisdom" that "ideas without execution are worthless" to the next and obvious-to-outsiders step - even a well executed idea than nobody will pay for - is, by definition, worthless.
  - rtpg 9y ago
    Even without the money angle, you still need to convince people that your idea is good in order for it to have "real" value (as in: be used). Ideas are mostly worthless without proponents.
    - gt_ 9y ago
      All fair points here; nothing I don't agree with. I'm not sure they counter what I said, though. As an artist, most of my ideas are artistic and don't require money for the translation to value, but they still require time and skill. I constantly face the reality that I still have to make the art. However we downplay ideas, it remains diappointing how many people lack them, and how often money undermines them.
- jacobolus 9y ago
  For an idea-buyer hero, how about Licklider? https://amzn.com/0670899763/ https://amzn.com/0670899763/
Theodores 9y ago
So true when it comes to founder logic - must have a co-founder or some team to get anywhere in Y Combinator world. It also applies to cults, the mad guy that claims to be Jesus is ignored until his first fan comes along and 'believes' him, this then enables others to 'believe' too.

Larrikin 9y ago

>People nowadays often ask me how much money we get per bottle sold. My answer is that we were paid about £3,000 all-in for the development This is an awful part of a great read.

sogen 9y ago
It’s the same for graphic designers, make a logo and get paid once, no matter how large the company...
- irrational 9y ago
  Sometimes you get paid more than once. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004273/Woman-designed-Nike-swoosh-explains-story-inception-40-years-ago.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004273/Woman-design...
  - sogen 9y ago
    Outlier, had her in my mind her when I was writing my previous response. That’s why Basecamp(37 signals) stopped doing graphic design.
    - jacobush 9y ago
      Because swoosh?
    - irrational 9y ago
      They stopped doing graphic design because one designer got 500 Nike stock shares?
  - wlesieutre 9y ago
    Similarly, Brooklyn Brewery’s branding was done for a 5% stake in the company back before they had any money https://www.fastcodesign.com/3059055/the-true-story-of-milton-glasers-greatest-client https://www.fastcodesign.com/3059055/the-true-story-of-milto...
- 9y ago

fcbrooklyn 9y ago

"Hugh looked at me with an almost earnest stare. “What would happen if we mixed Irish whiskey and cream?” he said. “That might be interesting.” He sat back and waited for a response. “Let’s try it,” I replied. Where Hugh was more likely to intellectualise and think through the appalling consequences of dropping cream into Ireland’s beloved whiskey, I was all for doing it there and then." Now, I ain't no lawyer, but to me this sounds like Hugh invented it, no?

vermilingua 9y ago
He may have had the original idea, but Macpherson refined it into the specific formula that became Bailey's. There is a distinction to be made.
ProAm 9y ago
"Idea's are worth a nickel, execution is worth..."
- 0xbear 9y ago
  That’s what people who never have any decent ideas like to say to those who do.
  - OJFord 9y ago
    It's also what I tell myself to excuse never acting on any ideas.
    - jacobush 9y ago
      Hear you load and clear. Cheers
  - ProAm 9y ago
    Ive never seen anyone make a dollar off an idea. Its always execution
    - 9y ago

hyperpallium 9y ago

> We mixed the two ingredients in our kitchen, tasted the result and it was certainly intriguing, but in reality bloody awful. Undaunted, we threw in some sugar and it got better, but it still missed something. > We went back to the store, searching the shelves for something else, found our salvation in Cadbury’s Powdered Drinking Chocolate and added it to our formula. Hugh and I were taken by surprise. It tasted really good. Not only this, but the cream seemed to have the effect of making the drink taste stronger, like full-strength spirit. It was extraordinary. They iterated, but not because they thought the product would taste great, but because it fitted nicely with business and marketing considerations: tax breaks and diary connotations. I guess it's serendipity that they found the combination so quickly, and would have otherwise given up after a while. Quitters never win and winners never quit, but those who never win and never quit are idiots.

rxhernandez 9y ago
Some people only win big in the last few years of their long life. Were they idiots for not quitting?
- esrauch 9y ago
  In some cases, definitely. Some people play the lottery their entire lives and win in the last few years of their long lives. They were still wrong for not quitting, even though they happened to get their pay out.
  - simonh 9y ago
    Some people I know that play the lottery just view it as entertainment. It's not really for me, but I can see their point.
    - coldtea 9y ago
      Obviously it's not entertainment in any concrete form. It just takes 1 minute every week or so to play the lottery, and that's about it. It's wishful thinking and daydreaming more than entertainment.

bmmayer1 9y ago

> A decade of experience kicked in and delivered a great idea. This reminds me of that quote from Monty Hall about it taking twenty years to become an overnight success. Great read.

justinator 9y ago

Any way to change the title a bit? Calling something, "girly" communicates the idea that anything effeminate is somehow weaker than its more masculine counterpart, and therefore less desirable. Which is sexist. Is HN better than that? Edit: given how many downvotes I've received, I guess the answer is no: Hacker News is not better than this.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
waqf 9y ago
Hi, I downvoted you because you appear to lack reading comprehension ("girly" is not HN's word or even the article author's word: HN is quoting the author and the author is quoting his critics). Either that, or you have some extreme political ideology under which it's not even permissible to quote people critically when they express inappropriate sentiments — if that's your position, you did a poor job of explaining it. Then I flagged you because, in addition, your wording was pugnacious ("Is HN better than that?").
- dang 9y ago
  I appreciate the good part of your point, but this sort of thing breaks the HN guidelines: > you appear to lack reading comprehension > or you have some extreme political ideology Would you please re-read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow them when commenting here? They apply regardless of how wrong the other person is. Actually they apply most of all when the other person is wrong, because otherwise you give people a good reason to dismiss your correction.
dang 9y ago
waqf is right about the quote, and I don't think what you said about HN is at all fair. Nevertheless I took 'girly drink' out above because such phrases tend to act like sandpaper on the skin regardless of how many quotes they come wrapped in. Multiply that by the number of people who see HN's front page and the business about the quote gets lost. Maybe it shouldn't, but that's the effect and there's no gain in ignoring it.

ams6110 9y ago

My cousin convinced his wife that once you open a bottle of Baileys you have to drink it all or the cream will spoil.

smcl 9y ago
Hah, I wonder how many times that's been pulled off. It reminded me of something in Arrested Development: Michael: And you finished off the whole bottle? Lindsay Funke: I had to, it's vodka. It goes bad once it's opened. Michael: I think that's another of mom's fibs, like "I'll sacrifice anything for my children".
teh_klev 9y ago
Kinda reminds me of a line from Dogtooth: "If you don't drink your orange juice while it's fresh, it's no use."
- justifier 9y ago
  That one rings true: https://www.homesciencetools.com/vitamin-c-test-experiment-kit https://www.homesciencetools.com/vitamin-c-test-experiment-k... Though the time frame is probably greater than casually sipping
rrauenza 9y ago
Oh it goes bad. Even closed. Found an old bottle (unopened if I recall) and poured out clumps of clotted cream...
- morsch 9y ago
  It's supposed to last at least 2 years, regardless of whether it's opened. https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/9420/why-doesnt-baileys-go-bad https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/9420/why-doesnt-...
- nkrisc 9y ago
  We once found a bottle of Baileys in my grandmother's basement. It was probably 20 years old and had completely solidified into Baileys Irish Cheese.

eapen 9y ago

This was the first alcohol that my mom let me have and I still cherish it and often have stock at home — although now I have the Costco version.

kagamine 9y ago

IN this podcast there is an interview with one of the creators from the ad agency. It's short and worthwhile. http://www.modernmann.co.uk/new/2017/2/28/43-the-impossible-cream http://www.modernmann.co.uk/new/2017/2/28/43-the-impossible-...

bambax 9y ago

> He sipped at the muddy brown liquid with absolutely no enthusiasm. And then, it is said, he pronounced the immortal words “That shit will never sell!” Nevertheless, he launched it into the US later that year... Love this. I too find Baileys disgusting, and in that position I would probably would never have launched it. What a big mistake that would have been! Would be interesting to know more about this particular guy: did he come to like it eventually, or did he listen to somebody else, or did sales numbers in other parts of the world change his mind?

sevensor 9y ago
> I too find Baileys disgusting I clicked the link hoping for an apology for having invented Bailey's. At least now I have an explanation.
- zimpenfish 9y ago
  If you mix it with, e.g., toffee Frijj[1], then you can't taste the Baileys at all. But you will wake up 36 hours later wondering what happened to your weekend and the rest of the Baileys. [1] Thick milkshake kind of stuff in the UK

nartz 9y ago

I would be curious to know when "Bailey's + Coffee" became a thing (i.e. drinking it warm versus cold)

alexasmyths 9y ago
Because they are a perfect combination. Coffee usually needs sweetener + cream. The thick cream + sweetener + special taste + alcohol of Baileys make it a perfect for coffee. It's the easiest, dumbest, best drink possible in a Canadian winter.
- feintruled 9y ago
  Plus Irish Coffee (just whiskey) has been a thing since forever too.
- aedron 9y ago
  Does the alcohol evaporate?
  - samfriedman 9y ago
    Based on USDA research [0], it seems like an alcoholic spirit will retain 85% alcohol content after being heated by stirring into a hot liquid. [0] https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/ret...
- __s 9y ago
  Beats Tim's any day

mks 9y ago

It intrigues me that the experts and their market research told them it will fail. Did they just do a lousy research or was the idea too innovative? How is it possible to distinguish between those cases (bad research vs no one will buy it vs innovative idea people don't understand yet)?

patrickk 9y ago
He also mentions that it took several years to really take off. If it was a product launched today, it would probably be killed if it took 3+ years to take off. Look at Hollywood movies judged by their opening weekend or the career of Alex Ferguson, who almost got fired early in his tenure at Manchester United, then went on to become one of the greatest managers in any sport, ever.
- mks 9y ago
  Maybe the times are different now than in the past or the food industry works on different timescales before they kill off something. Possibly because the investment is much bigger than software - they mention building a whole new factory for an untested product - that made me shiver. I might be just spoilt by ease of pivoting in software, but what led them to believing into the new drink - were they acting just on a hunch and feeling it tasted good?
  - patrickk 9y ago
    > Possibly because the investment is much bigger than software - they mention building a whole new factory for an untested product - that made me shiver. But if businesses are not willing to take on risks in the world of atoms/hardware, not just in the world of software, things stagnate. This is why the world of software moves so quickly and is much more exciting than the world of atoms in general. It's also why someone like Elon Musk is so remarkable - he is willing to take enormous risks in the world of atoms (Tesla, Solar City and especially SpaceX). Almost nobody is innovating like this in the western world at least, and of course Wall Street (or at least some parts) hate him for it. More examples of the lack of innovation in the world of atoms - sectors like construction have been really anti-innovation for a long time, at least until the proverbial wrecking ball in the form of software-powered bricklaying robots come along and disrupt everything. I was at a motor show recently, and I was struck by how unremarkable all the new models from the premium manufacturers are. A button that closes the boot lid automatically is not innovation, neither are interior panels that the customer can customise with their own design. Again, no wonder they are nervous about Tesla. > but what led them to believing into the new drink - were they acting just on a hunch and feeling it tasted good? Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. Focus groups and customer acceptance testing won't give you a full picture. There's a reason why by 'design by committee' and 'analysis paralysis' are considered negatives, not positives. 1970s Ireland was a totally different business climate to the quarter to quarter, Wall-Street driven thinking today which kills any long term horizons for taking on new ideas or projects. Having a clubby business environment where "everyone knew everyone" probably allowed for more breathing space to run with a new idea.

lawlessone 9y ago

Hmmm im not used to seeing articles this interesting in the Irish Times, good read.

LeifCarrotson 9y ago

> We needed what they called an “Anglo-Irish” name. We were sure that a family name might be better than a “thing” or a place name. That was the popular convention of the business in those days. After all, many drinks were named after the people who made them. > We were still struggling to find a name for our revolutionary new drink and there it was; above the door. Baileys. Was it really right in front of my face? It was certainly Anglo-Irish and in a flurry of post-rationalisation I managed to dredge up from my memory a dairy of that name in the Port Elizabeth of my youth in South Africa. This gave it a kind of relevance in my head. > Another “Baileys moment” was the discovery of an attractive, traditional restaurant in Dublin called The Bailey. I could imagine our drink being enjoyed there a long time ago. It gave a gentle nudge of support to our off-the-wall idea. > The headline mentioned R&A, golf’s governing body, and I instantly blurted “How about two initials? How do you like the sound of R&A Bailey? ... Yet as I thought about it after our conversation, a fantasy began to form in my mind. I could see them: R & A Bailey were two brothers, one a distiller and the other a dairy farmer. They had disliked each other for decades. Their father looked to bring them together... He begins with "many drinks were named after the people who made them", and proceeds to follow up with works of complete fiction when creating the Baileys brand. Perhaps I'm a bit too left-brained to understand this creative work, but how does imagining something that didn't happen lend a gentle nudge of support to an idea?