Nuts About Curiosity

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it might just save our (coco) nuts.
They say that curiosity killed the cat. Luckily, they have nine lives.
Curiosity is a crucial element to creativity, but how best to explain it?

The best explanation of curiosity I have found came from a conversation I had with one of our early guests, a serial entrepreneur named Glen Boyle, on The Common Creative Podcast.

In his early twenties, Glen cut the roofs of cheap cars and rented them as convertibles on the Sunshine Coast. He went on to be a successful restauranteur, among other things.

A few years back, he was attending a kid's birthday party when he started talking to a woman who was a researcher at the University of Queensland working on a project on the propagation of coconut palms. I am sure most people's reaction would have been polite: "That is nice." Oh, excuse me. I need another drink, or my kid needs me. Sorry, is that the time? I have to go.

But Glenn said, now that is interesting, tell me more.
The research's motivation is the rapid decline in the productivity of the world's coconut palms. Most coconuts come from small plantations and villages across the Asia Pacific. The palms have a limited productive life span, but most of the farms are subsistence farms, so the farmers have never been able to afford to replant crops.

So, the University of Queensland was researching how to clone fast-growing, high-yield coconut palms.
And instead of politely excusing himself, he said, Oh, that is interesting, tell me more.
After speaking with her for over an hour, Glen went home, did more research, and realised that there was a huge potential for her to commercialise this opportunity.

So, he gave up his lucrative real estate agent career and founded KocoNiu, a commercial enterprise that propagates cloned coconut palms globally.
Have you ever tried to dehusk and crack open a coconut without the right tools? As a kid, I remember trying for hours to get the husk off to access the coconut juice and fruit. But with the right tools, often just a spike out of the ground, an experienced person can dehusk and crack open a nut in less than a minute. All you need is the right tools.

Curiosity is a great tool to crack open the hardest problems; you only need a simple tool.
"That is interesting. Tell me more."

I am curious. Does this resonate with you?

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