--- title: 'How to Think Like the Top 1%' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=mlXxVgBztgs' video_id: 'mlXxVgBztgs' date: 2026-08-03 duration_sec: 799 --- # How to Think Like the Top 1% > Source: [How to Think Like the Top 1%](https://youtube.com/watch?v=mlXxVgBztgs) ## Summary The video discusses how ordinary people can generate business ideas by noticing everyday problems, using examples like a 10-year-old girl who designed a safe spoon and Alakh Pandey of Physics Wallah. It emphasizes that success comes from acting on small ideas rather than waiting for a 'genius' concept. ### Key Points - **Introduction: The difference between you and the 1%** [00:01] — A man who was a simple teacher before Covid now has a net worth of Rs 14,000 crore. The video claims there's only one difference between him and the viewer, which will be revealed by the end. - **Credibility and subscriber trust** [00:42] — The speaker mentions that viewers have started businesses after watching his videos, contributing to the channel's 7 million subscribers. He asks for likes and suggests playing at 1.25x speed. - **Ideas are like butterflies** [00:56] — Referencing Elizabeth Gilbert's book 'Big Magic', he compares ideas to butterflies that come to everyone daily, but most people ignore them. Example: thinking of a handle on a water bottle, then seeing it later. - **Excuses hold you back** [01:36] — The speaker says that thoughts like 'I'm not an expert' or 'I'm too young' are excuses. He wants to help those serious about building their craft, not just passive viewers. - **Identify daily problems** [02:01] — He instructs viewers to recall moments of irritation in the past month, such as shoelaces untying, forgetting the gas, tangled earphones, or helmet smell. These are potential business ideas. - **Misconception: Need original idea** [02:53] — People think success requires a completely original idea, but that's false. He shares the story of a 10-year-old girl who designed a soft, safe spoon for babies and got a Rs 50 lakh deal on Shark Tank. - **Why the girl succeeded** [03:34] — The girl didn't have fears of failure or thoughts that her idea was rubbish. Such fears are instilled by parents, friends, or teachers, preventing action. First step is to believe everything is possible. - **Safety pin example** [04:15] — The safety pin is a perfect design, unchanged for 175 years. Its inventor designed it to pay off a $400 loan, showing that pressure can drive innovation. Create a pressure system around yourself. - **Shark Tank episode: Arpit's thermocol substitute** [05:10] — Arpit created a real substitute for thermocol, used in packaging. He didn't ask for money on Shark Tank, knowing money would come later. This shows innovation out of necessity. - **Padman: Arunachalam Muruganantham** [05:52] — He invented a cheap machine to make sanitary pads, recreating an imported machine for ₹1000. He created employment for 24,000 women, showing ideas can benefit society, not just bring money. - **Small ideas are better** [06:18] — The smaller and more boring the idea, the clearer its path. Most people ignore small problems, trying to create 'another Apple'. The bar is low; many observe but few act. - **Three places to look for ideas** [07:00] — 1) Notice your own irritation. 2) Look at daily hacks like rolling toothpaste or jumping over puddles. 3) Look at ideas normal in Japan/US but not in India. - **Implementation: Helmet smell example** [07:39] — Step 1: Notice the problem and ask friends if they face it. Step 2: Brainstorm ideas (fan in helmet, redesign, spray). Step 3: Search online for manufacturers (e.g., Indamar). Step 4: Get a prototype and get feedback from 20-30 bikers. Step 5: If 3 people say they'd buy, create a pre-order page. - **Another example: Parcel locker** [10:02] — A simple locker for deliveries when you're at work. Behind every idea are the same simple steps. Ideas from US/Europe come to India in 3-4 years. - **Alakh Pandey's story** [10:57] — He started Physics Wallah by buying a camera and tripod, which forced him to make videos. His net worth is now over Rs 14,000 crore. The difference is taking action, not just planning. - **Habit of noticing and acting** [12:30] — The skill is not thinking big but noticing irritation and taking one small step. Not every idea will make you a millionaire, but the habit of acting is key. - **Call to action** [12:44] — Viewers are asked to comment an idea that irritates them and their email ID so others can collaborate. The speaker emphasizes building a community, not an audience. ### Conclusion The video concludes that success comes from noticing everyday problems and taking small, actionable steps, rather than waiting for a perfect idea. The key is to build the habit of acting on your observations. ## Transcript business. A man who was a simple teacher before Covid. Today his net worth is more than Rs 14,000 crore. But until a few years ago, he was just like you. He also used to get ideas that I can do this, I can do that. He also did not have any funding worth crores nor any great talent. please tell us in the comments. And you know, there's only one difference between them and you, and by the end of this video, you'll not only see that difference, but you'll also understand where these ideas come from and how to find them. If that we talk about quality money and authentic ideas. that Vaibhav Bhai, after your video I started this business and earned so much money. And that credibility is one of the reasons why we have 7 million subscribers. So make sure you like this video and play it at 1.25x because this is the this video with a beautiful concept written by Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic. He says, look, these small ideas are like butterflies. I come to you too, I come every day. The only problem is that instead of admiring and appreciating them, you just ignore them. clicks in your mind that if the water bottle had something like a handle, it would be so easy to carry it. You do n't have to carry it around like this. And then after a few days you see that someone has made the same thing. Just a little bit of and you say, hey, I also thought of this idea a few Do you think you can't do all this ? You cannot think of such ideas. You were also thinking the same thing. But when it was your turn to do it , you stopped. And as soon as you stopped, those Look, the ideas you have And if you are thinking here that I don't have or I am not an expert or I am too young, then brother, these are all the excuses that your mind has always been giving you. Today I am not going to tell you what you can do. Because if I say it, you will listen , nod your head and go watch the next video. I don't want that today. I want people who seriously want to build their craft. So first of all do one thing for me. Think back to the past month. Remember a time when you thought, why is this thing like this? Or why hasn't anyone fixed it travel a lot or while sitting at home, something like this might be coming to your mind. If you find it, grab it because that's your idea. Just identify your daily problems. Like the shoe laces getting untied again and again or forgetting to leave the gas on or the earphones getting entangled again and again or even the packaging of the online order getting opened before it is delivered or that smell coming from inside the helmet, all these things have happened to you too and still you were stupid or someone must have already made it. Do you remember the time when I started making YouTube shots in 2021. At that time I used to be very camera shy. So much so that if you see my old videos, not even look towards the camera. I thought that many people are already doing all this. Look, I have observed one thing. People always have this misconception that to be successful we need a completely original idea. prove it, let me show you something. There is a 10 year old girl. Now the girl realized that it is risky to feed small children with a normal spoon. They may get hurt. So he designed a soft, safe spoon for babies. That's all the idea. That little girl went on the Shark Tank stage. All the sharks were happy with the girl's idea. He also got a deal worth Rs 50 lakh and today that spoon is sold all over the country. Now tell me, was your idea bigger than that spoon or not? It was off course. a small 10 year old girl executed that idea and went Now do you know why all this became possible? There that she might fail or that her idea was rubbish or that the world does not work like this. And that is why she was able to do it. But such emotions have already been put into your mind. Maybe your parents might have put them , maybe your friends might have put them, maybe your teacher might have put them. Believe it or not, these emotions exist in your mind. That's why you haven't been able to do anything till date. And that is why the first step is to believe that everything in this world is possible. Now after that pick up one thing which is lying in your house right now. A safety pin. Look, it looks just this small but it is probably the most perfect design in the world. Because from 175 years till today there has been part is, the guy who designed this needle did it so he could pay off his $400 loan. Look, there was a loan running on him. That means there was a pressure system above it. What happens now? If you throw a person into water, he learns to move his hands and legs. And a similar thing happened to that guy because he was in a pressure system. Now you have to create this pressure system around you. Whatever problem you may have in your life, pick it up and imagine that there is shortage of food at home, there is no electricity and there is no good roof over the head. I know you have it all. Just fool your mind a little and then go into that imagination zone and think about what such problems exist around you. This is a little psychological hack that works really well. Now tell me do you remember that Shark Tank episode with Arpit above? He episode with Arpit above? He real substitute for thermocol and thermocol is used in every type of product packaging in the world. So what did they do? I did n't go on Shark Tank and ask for some money. He knew the money would come later. And later, with this idea, he n't seen this episode, then go and watch it once. In my opinion, this has been one of the best episodes of this season and shows how innovations are created out of necessity. Recently, a Bollywood movie called Padman was released which was based on Arunachalam Muruganantham who invented a cheap machine to make medical pads. He realized one thing that Because the machines used to make it are imported. It is worth crores. So he recreated the same machine for just ₹1000. If he wanted, he too could have earned crores of rupees. But he did something even better than that. Created employment options for 24,000 women who work in their factories. So not necessarily every idea will bring you money. Some ideas are actually for the benefit of the society also. And it completely depends on you how you are monetizing it. People often think that a big business requires some crazy genius opposite happens. The smaller the idea, the more boring it is, the clearer its path becomes. most people do not pay attention to the problems that arise. Everyone is trying to create another Apple in the world. But nobody is looking at the small problems all the things I have told you till now, none of these things were rocket science. Everything was in front of you. The only difference was that someone just saw it and someone that this bar is very low. A lot of people are just observing it. No one is acting on this. Now let's move on to the next thing. Look, I have studied business very closely for many years. And one thing I not magic. You just have to learn to look in three places. First, learn to notice your own irritation. Whenever you feel that why is this happening to me, then remember that you will find some business potential there. Secondly, tricks you do every day like rolling up toothpaste and attaching a clip or jumping over a puddle in the rain with your pen topper. After that, thirdly, look at such ideas which are normal in Japan or US but not in India. You just have to remember these three things to discover any idea. you an idea and show you how to actually implement it because everyone has ideas but not the processes. So let's use the idea that we discussed earlier in this video, the Look, it is so hot in India that there is a smell coming from inside every biker's helmet. It is a common problem. Now look carefully at how many small steps it takes to make this a business. Step number one: First of all, you noticed the problem and asked your friends if they also faced the same problem? That's all. The first step is done. It cost zero money. It's just your energy that's involved. After that step number two. Now you will think about all the ideas that come to your mind. Like for example number one, you fitted a fan in the helmet. But then what is the problem with this is that there is a safety After that, idea number two, you thought of changing the entire design of the helmet. so that air can circulate properly. But then the same problem arises that able to compete with big brands? In just 2 days any big brand will launch the same design as yours and you will be out of the market. Then a why not make a spray which can solve this problem of bad order. And that idea brings us to step number three. Now you go on the internet and ? For this you can use Indamar. And then step number four is to get a prototype made from that manufacturer and show it to the 2030 bakers around you. And you can take their feedback whether you will use it, how much will you pay for it? This will basically be your market research. Again it costs ₹ Yes, it will cost you a little money to get a prototype made. But in the end, if the product turns out to be good, it will all be worth it. And then last comes step number five. If even three people tell you that yes, I will buy this product and will buy it at such and such price, then create a simple page on your hosting and start taking pre-orders. You do n't have to build any factory brother. Nowadays, there are many third party factories available from which you can get your products manufactured. You have to work on your own website , on your own branding and it is very easy to create it because nowadays if you can explain to someone in simple words what type of website you want, then you can easily create it. You do not need any technical skills or any type of coding. If you also want to learn how to create such a website, then I have already made a video on it. Do go and you will know in advance whether any product will sell or not. And none of these steps are big. You don't have to set up a factory anywhere, steps in a correct sequence. example. Such ideas are scattered everywhere. There is a problem with the society's parcel. What do you do when you are at work and the delivery arrives at home? To solve that problem, you can make a simple locker in which you can put things but you will need a key to take them out. See, behind every interesting idea are the same simple past steps. must have been started by someone in some corner of the world. that whatever comes first in the US and Europe, comes to India in the next three-four years. You might have noticed this with many recent startups. So now look at your own situation. You have already seen it. You understood the process of how to create it and then your website has also been created for online presence. So now all your excuses are over. But I still guarantee you that a lot of you wo n't do anything because it will be very difficult for a lot of you to take that first step. Look, your mind makes that first step bigger than it needs to be and this is where we come to the man I talked about at the beginning of the video. Probably that I was talking about Alak Pandey Sir who is the co-founder of Physics Wala. Do you know how he started his YouTube channel? Look, he did not like teaching children but there was neither growth nor scope in offline classes and no one was doing online classes at that time. So he kept thinking for a long time but then suddenly one day he bought a camera and tripod and this became his first step. Those things were just in his mind until he bought it. But as soon as he took a step and bought a liability that brother, once I have invested Rs 10-15,000 on this tripod, I will definitely make videos. When this situation came upon him, he slowly started making videos. Then when Covid came, all offline coaching was closed. Then he looked at the problems of the children and came up with an idea that why only Maths and Physics? started with physics. And today his net worth is more than Rs 14,000 crore. Just not bought that camera and tripod at that time, he would not have reached anywhere today. Do you remember not much difference between you and them. There is only one difference. The one difference is that instead of planning everything in his mind, he went straight and bought the camera. And you are so different from them because till now you have kept your ideas written only in one book of yours. Look, here the skill is not about thinking big or doing something big. The skill here is basically to notice your irritation and take one small step today to fix it. every small thing will make you a millionaire. Some of them may also fail. But it's not about ideas. It's about that habit. The habit of noticing and the habit of acting on them. So now do one thing. Before you close the video, think of one thing that irritates you or that you think could be fixed or improved and write it in the comments. And also mention your email ID there so that if other people who are watching this video also find any potential in your idea, they can also connect with you and work together on it. This is the power of a real YouTube community. subscribe to the channel because here we are building a community, not an audience. A Community of Creators of the Future.