Why Real Innovation Comes from Play, Not Purpose
1. Introduction: Why Most Startups Suck Today
Most startups today are dead before they even begin. Why? Because they're not born from real insight or original impulse — they’re just copies of copies. I’ve seen too many pitch decks where the “big idea” is just a local spin on something that worked somewhere else. These aren’t companies — they’re simulations.
But once in a while, something real emerges. Something strange, different, alive.
So what makes the difference?
It’s not funding.
It’s not a niche.
It’s not a “pain point.”
It’s play.
2. Where Innovation Really Comes From
Innovation doesn’t come from productivity hacks or creativity workshops. It doesn’t come from a McKinsey PDF. And it certainly doesn’t come from a “purpose-driven” marketing seminar.
Real creation is not an act of utility.
It’s not even born out of necessity.
It’s an act of divine play — a spontaneous expression of curiosity and exploration.
You can feel it when you see it. You can sense when a product or brand was born from exploration, not execution. It’s alive. It has spirit.
3. The Difference Between Creators and Copycats
Here’s the distinction:
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The innovative kind play first — and purpose follows.
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The copycats start with purpose — and borrow someone else’s work to fulfill it.
This should be obvious to anyone paying attention. Look at the founder story.
How did the company start?
Was it built in a lab, or in a garage?
What role did money and fun play in the early days?
If it’s just spreadsheets and slide decks, you’re not looking at a founder — you’re looking at a manager.
4. Liquid Death: A Case Study in Play
Take Liquid Death. It’s one of the clearest modern examples of play-driven innovation.
What’s the purpose behind it? There isn’t one. That’s the point.
It’s water. In a can. Branded like a death metal band.
It’s hilarious. It’s ridiculous. And it works — precisely because it was born from fun, not function.
They exposed the raw joy of creation, the absurdity of branding, and the humor of product culture. And guess what? A legitimate business was born. Instinctively. Naturally.
5. From the Studio to the Lab: How Play Became Practice
I studied design at university. While the business and engineering students were “working,” we were playing — with wood, metal, plastic, resin, and ideas.
By the fourth year, we were blending materials, exploring composites, experimenting.
It wasn’t work — it was exploration.
It wasn’t serious — but it was real.
This is what design is. This is what innovation is.
Exploration. Curiosity. Wonder.
6. Applying Play to Brutal Salty Energy
When I launched Brurutal Salty Energy, I was obsessed with having our own production facility. Why? Because creation happens there.
You don’t invent flavor on a spreadsheet. You invent it by getting your hands dirty — tasting, mixing, failing, laughing.
The first time I brought our product to a village market, one of the big nutrition CEOs asked me:
“How did you come up with this idea?”
I told him it felt natural to explore.
But today, I’d say something sharper:
“It felt natural to play.”
7. No Creation Without Play
You want to innovate? Start by playing.
You want to build something no one else has? Put your hands on the material.
Laugh. Fail. Tinker. Taste. Repeat.
There is no creation without play.
And without creation, you don’t have a startup. You have a spreadsheet with a logo.
Let the children play.
