Eric Ryan: Product innovation should steal from distant industries, not direct competitors
Eric Ryan · Serial founder Eric Ryan: How to disrupt a sleepy category | Masters of Scale · Apr 23, 2026 · at 4:49
Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method and Olly, discusses his core mental model and innovation playbook for designing consumer products.
0:00 / 0:10exact quote · 10.0s
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube → 720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“I never steal from our competition because then you're just a hack. That's embarrassing. I try to steal from as far away from what we're working on as possible.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Eric Ryan
Eric Ryan: Method was first to combine high design and sustainability
“And so I guess I'm going to take credit for it because nobody's told us they've done it first of really combining high design and deep sustainability.”
Eric Ryan: Startups must create new categories to avoid incumbent line extensions
“When you're building a brand, if anybody else can line extend their way In, and compete against you. You're really going to struggle to compete against a big company unless you can create a great, you know, a huge lead.”
Eric Ryan: Consumer research keeps CPG companies from true innovation
“And I think that's go goes back to why some of these companies can't innovate is because they have to rely on the consumer and consumer research. To be able to make decisions and drive their vision, which is always going to be a rearview mirror.”
Eric Ryan: Selling a startup too soon is better than too late
“People have made a fortune by selling too soon. It's better too soon than too late.”
Eric Ryan: Touring foreign grocery stores with designers sparks best product ideas
“I think it's still arguably my best tactic for developing new ideas is to be in a foreign market, ideally with a creative or a couple of creatives with you. So you can sketch as you go, cup of coffee in hand, incredibly jet lagged. Nobody can bother you becaus…”