I see GoPro’s origin as an example of a business beginning with a personal problem: Nick Woodman wanted to capture his own surfing experience in a way existing cameras did not allow.
GoPro became one of the world’s most recognisable action-camera brands.
Nick Woodman’s original idea was to take better pictures of himself surfing.
In 2002, Australia and Indonesia were where Nick Woodman was travelling while developing his idea.
Woodman loved surfing, but professional surfers had photographers capturing them in the water.
Amateur surfers usually had to settle for pictures taken from the beach, and Woodman wanted to change that.
Woodman’s first prototype was a Kodak disposable camera attached to his wrist using a makeshift strap.
He experimented with waterproof casings and ways to keep the camera secured while surfing.
Existing cameras weren’t built for what he had in mind, so Woodman decided to build his own camera because existing cameras weren’t built for what he had in mind.
In 2004, the first GoPro HERO arrived.
The first GoPro HERO used 35mm film, was wrist-mounted and designed for surfers.
That first HERO was a far cry from the tiny, powerful cameras associated with GoPro today.
The idea eventually reached skydivers, athletes, filmmakers and adventurers around the world.
Woodman didn’t start by trying to build a camera company; he started with an experience he wanted to capture, but couldn’t.
Sometimes, the best businesses begin with a problem you personally can’t stop thinking about.