Think Outside the Odds

Vedika Dayal

• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781637305720
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Entrepreneurship
• Index: Business

What's the secret to achieving the impossible? This thought-provoking book will take you through the lives of underdog innovators and help you discover the answers along the way.

We are often told to "think outside the box" when solving problems. But in the real world, constraints around our innovation are more real than cardboard. From inaccessible resources to low self-esteem, they stack the odds against us. We are told that success lies in overcoming these disadvantages. But what if the key to innovation is harnessing them instead? 

Vedika Dayal set out to find answers. She sought a diverse group of underdog founders and discovered that obstacles can be your biggest asset for innovation-if you're intentional about it. In Think Outside the Odds, Dayal weaves together psychological insights, entrepreneurship case studies, and thirteen captivating stories of innovators to show how you can harness the same power of intentionality. 

How do you start a million-dollar movement making bracelets out of shoelaces? How do you go from housing insecurity to pioneering 3D-printed homes for families in need? By delving into the outer edges of entrepreneurship, you will find unorthodox ideas on how to optimize your environment, conversations, and movement through life's opportunities. In the process, you will unearth a world brimming with possibility-to seize it, all you have to do is dare to Think Outside the Odds.

Introduction

Making Space for Your Toolkit

Her patronizing tone left my lips pursed and jaw clenched. “You’re one girl in a sea of men,” she told me, “so don’t be disheartened if you don’t do well.” She gave my body a pointed glance. “And for God’s sake, please wear heels.”

I was in high school at the time. I had just told my teacher about my decision to participate in a statewide public speaking competition. It wasn’t the first time I had been reminded I was short (or a woman). I was 4’10” and hadn’t grown an inch since the fifth grade.

You can’t do that, it’s impossible. It’s the universal underdog experience. We are told to be more realistic with our goals, to know our place, to sit down.

Yet nothing makes us want to stand up more.

It’s a sentiment passed down for centuries. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius famously declared that “the impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”1 The same obstacles that make us the underdog can help us find success. Albert Einstein claimed that “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”2 Adversity gives us a reason to create. Even Oprah encourages us to turn our wounds into wisdom.3 The things that cause us the most grief also provide the strongest foundation for our success.

Despite all of this, there is a key piece missing: how?

In the media, the “how” is often portrayed as a combination of hard work and luck. They say to work hard and good things will happen, but millions of people still fail to achieve their dreams due to factors beyond their control, like poverty or a lack of opportunity. The Oprahs and Albert Einsteins of the world are few and far between. Is anything in our hands?

* * *

My high school was situated in a majority immigrant district. The pressure was high to be successful and to make our parents’ sacrifices in coming to a new country worth it. Many of us had been reading college admissions books for fun since the fourth grade. If you studied for your algebra exam at homecoming, you weren’t a nerd. You were normal.

As a result, our students did well in everything from tennis to debate to business strategy. The public speaking competition was a rare exception. We sent our best speakers every year and always managed to come back empty-handed. So, when I decided to compete, my teacher wasn’t the only one who was skeptical. “No offense, but you don’t look the part,” one person told me with a shrug.

I had never given a speech before. I prepared the only way I knew how: through brute force. I wrote and rewrote my speech, practicing it out loud every day until my voice was hoarse.

The night before the competition, I had a stare-off with my reflection in the mirror. I met my gaze and told myself that being short was a superpower.

I wore flats and placed first.

There is a myth we have all been told about being an underdog: we need to overcome our disadvantages to be successful. To start a company that helps millions of people or use our voice to enact change, we have to succeed against the odds. We have to persevere.

After my public speaking escapade, I began wondering if this was true. Before the competition, I’d never been a strong speaker despite trying many times to get better at the craft. I did well because my teacher’s words had fueled me instead of discouraged me. In a space where I knew nothing, being the underdog had given me the fire to be bold.

But how could I know it wasn’t all a fluke? This question lurked in the back of my mind. What if luck had graced me this one time and would never come back? It seemed likely. After all, I was shy and a pretty average speaker. But as other opportunities to prove myself popped up, I wanted to figure out if I could get lucky again. This book is a product of the journey I went on to find answers.

So, can we be intentional about using our disadvantages to find success? Let’s start by looking at the word “underdog.”

* * *

In 43 AD, the Romans invaded Britain. Both sides brought gleaming swords, raging spirits, and fighting dogs to the battlefield. The war instilled a fascination for fighting dogs in the Romans. In the years that followed, large audiences would gather in the Roman Colosseum to watch gladiator dogs pitted against other animals, such as wild elephants.4

The practice retained its popularity until the nineteenth century. When the cost of large animals began to rise, people turned to dog-on-dog combat. It was then the word underdog was created to define the dog who lost the fight. Its rival, the expected winner, was called the top dog.5

It’s been a few centuries since. In most countries, society has evolved past dogfighting. Along with society, the word “underdog” itself has evolved to mean the entity most likely to lose. Often, that entity is no longer a dog trying to battle another dog, but a person trying to battle something more abstract—like stigma, discrimination, or someone else’s expectations.

As a society, we celebrate these people. We are drawn to competitions where there are disparities of power, and we cheer on the most disadvantaged person, the fated loser. In psychology, this pattern is called the “underdog effect.”6 It’s somewhat paradoxical—we root for the underdog, but no one likes rooting for a loser. So, why do we do it?

Psychologists suggest it’s because we all feel like underdogs sometimes. When they succeed despite the odds, we feel hope we too can succeed. While not everyone identifies with the term “underdog,” struggle is inherent to the human experience. If you picked up this book and have made it this far, I’d venture to say you’ve felt like your dreams were out of reach before.

But can our struggles truly be the reason for our success?

After winning the public speaking competition, I had many opportunities I didn’t take advantage of because I wasn’t confident enough. I resorted back to th...

Table of contents

• Making Space for Your Toolkit
• Intentional Environment
• Play Your Cards
• Where the Frontier Lies
• Pry Open the Oyster
• Be Your Own Air Purifier
• Intentional Conversation
• Curiosity Never Killed the Underdog
• Throw the Dinner Party
• Nod with Purpose
• Tug on the String
• Be the Peacock
• Intentional Movement
• Knock on the Door
• Defy the Pincers
• The Art of Naivety
• Enjoy the Ride
• Some Parting Words
• Acknowledgments