Be innovative. Yes, we`ve heard it a thousand times. But how? Read this story and find out

By Karen Wong

karen@sph.com.sg

DESPITE the millions of dollars he has made, he still works as a baggage handler on weekends.

While that is remarkable, Mr William Boyer Jr`s life story is even more so.

It is a tutorial on how to innovate and succeed.

The story started at a low point in his life.

He was burnt out at college. So, nine months before his course ended, he took a summer job as a baggage handler at the airport.

It was to have lasted only a quarter of his school year, but he never left it.

Mr Boyer also did not go back to finish his industrial technology degree.

Still, that did not stop him from inventing three successful products for the airline industry and selling them for `millions of dollars`.

LESSON 1: KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

His technical background made him quickly see shortcomings and lapses in some areas of airport operations, and come up with ideas to improve them. Or he saw a need somewhere and invented something to meet that.

His latest product, the DigEplayer, is a good example.

It is a portable in-flight entertainment system for smaller aircraft which cannot be equipped with expensive and heavy in-flight entertainment systems.

He has since sold this product which shows movies, through his company APS, to airlines all over the world, including SilkAir, Ryanair, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Canadian Airlines. (See report on facing page.)

LESSON 2: YOU DON`T NEED BIG BUCKS TO HIT BIG TIME

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Mr Boyer, 40, who is in Singapore for three days, said that he has been working in the airline industry for 17 years, since he was 23.

`I worked a lot of hours,` he said.

He worked 24-hour shifts, he worked during Christmas when he would get paid double. The money saved went into helping him develop his products.

But, he added: `You don`t need millions of dollars to develop a product. There are people out there who are willing to be investors.`

LESSON 3: BITTER FAILURE CAN LEAD TO SWEET SUCCESS

He has since invented three money-spinners, but not without first tasting failure.

The first product he invented in 1992 failed.

He said: `I didn`t give up. I picked myself up and moved on.`

Four years later, he came up with his second product. It was his first successful product for the airline industry - a belt loader nose device, a cargo door protector and a cockpit protection door - to solve the aircraft loading door damage problem.

After he invented the DigEplayer about three years ago, he went on to develop OnBoard Pay, a billing and accounting system for alcohol and meals sold by flight attendants.

He said: `I always dreamt I would be financially stable by 40. And I did it.`

LESSON 4: LISTEN TO YOUR BETTERS

Hard work is his mantra.

He said: `My mum, who is Korean, is a kind of entrepreneur. She had a restaurant. She`s always telling me to work hard and never give up. `Work hard when you`re young and you can retire younger`, she says. I`ve stuck with that advice.`

He said that when he is back home in Tacoma, Washington state, he opens the doors of the two coffeehouses that he owns at 4.45am and 5am.

By 7am, Mr Boyer, who also owns a day spa, is in his APS office.

LESSON 5: YOU DON`T NEED A BIG OFFICE

It was about three years ago that he came up with the DigEplayer.

It was conceived on a paper napkin in one of his coffeehouses.

He said the idea came after he read, in an airline newsletter, a response by airlines to complaints by passengers about the absence of entertainment on short-haul flights.

He said: `I started thinking of how to fix the problem and sketched out a box on the napkin. Then I started talking to some computer guys about how hard drives work and what I can do with them.`

He then got an artist`s impression of the product and presented it to the head of marketing at the airline where he works, and they were sold on his idea.

He also obtained the digital copying rights to download movies into the DigEplayer.

LESSON 6: NEVER FORGET YOUR ROOTS OR FRIENDS

Today, Mr Boyer is a millionaire, holding the title of `Entrepreneur of the Year` for Washington state, but he still loads and unloads baggage for Alaska Airlines, during the weekends.

Why? Mr Boyer replies: `It`s stress-relief for me. I like airplanes and being with the people I`ve known for a long time.`

He has a girlfriend from Hawaii, and he works out, travels and plays basketball.

He is currently working on a book based on his life story which details how to go about being a successful entrepreneur.

His next stop? He said: `I want to start an airline. That`s my dream.`

This baggage handler is a millionaire

Be innovative. Yes, we`ve heard it a thousand times. But how? Read this story and find out

By Karen Wong

karen@sph.com.sg

DESPITE the millions of dollars he has made, he still works as a baggage handler on weekends.

While that is remarkable, Mr William Boyer Jr`s life story is even more so.

It is a tutorial on how to innovate and succeed.

The story started at a low point in his life.

He was burnt out at college. So, nine months before his course ended, he took a summer job as a baggage handler at the airport.

It was to have lasted only a quarter of his school year, but he never left it.

Mr Boyer also did not go back to finish his industrial technology degree.

Still, that did not stop him from inventing three successful products for the airline industry and selling them for `millions of dollars`.

LESSON 1: KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

His technical background made him quickly see shortcomings and lapses in some areas of airport operations, and come up with ideas to improve them. Or he saw a need somewhere and invented something to meet that.

His latest product, the DigEplayer, is a good example.

It is a portable in-flight entertainment system for smaller aircraft which cannot be equipped with expensive and heavy in-flight entertainment systems.

He has since sold this product which shows movies, through his company APS, to airlines all over the world, including SilkAir, Ryanair, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Canadian Airlines. (See report on facing page.)

LESSON 2: YOU DON`T NEED BIG BUCKS TO HIT BIG TIME

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Mr Boyer, 40, who is in Singapore for three days, said that he has been working in the airline industry for 17 years, since he was 23.

`I worked a lot of hours,` he said.

He worked 24-hour shifts, he worked during Christmas when he would get paid double. The money saved went into helping him develop his products.

But, he added: `You don`t need millions of dollars to develop a product. There are people out there who are willing to be investors.`

LESSON 3: BITTER FAILURE CAN LEAD TO SWEET SUCCESS

He has since invented three money-spinners, but not without first tasting failure.

The first product he invented in 1992 failed.

He said: `I didn`t give up. I picked myself up and moved on.`

Four years later, he came up with his second product. It was his first successful product for the airline industry - a belt loader nose device, a cargo door protector and a cockpit protection door - to solve the aircraft loading door damage problem.

After he invented the DigEplayer about three years ago, he went on to develop OnBoard Pay, a billing and accounting system for alcohol and meals sold by flight attendants.

He said: `I always dreamt I would be financially stable by 40. And I did it.`

LESSON 4: LISTEN TO YOUR BETTERS

Hard work is his mantra.

He said: `My mum, who is Korean, is a kind of entrepreneur. She had a restaurant. She`s always telling me to work hard and never give up. `Work hard when you`re young and you can retire younger`, she says. I`ve stuck with that advice.`

He said that when he is back home in Tacoma, Washington state, he opens the doors of the two coffeehouses that he owns at 4.45am and 5am.

By 7am, Mr Boyer, who also owns a day spa, is in his APS office.

LESSON 5: YOU DON`T NEED A BIG OFFICE

It was about three years ago that he came up with the DigEplayer.

It was conceived on a paper napkin in one of his coffeehouses.

He said the idea came after he read, in an airline newsletter, a response by airlines to complaints by passengers about the absence of entertainment on short-haul flights.

He said: `I started thinking of how to fix the problem and sketched out a box on the napkin. Then I started talking to some computer guys about how hard drives work and what I can do with them.`

He then got an artist`s impression of the product and presented it to the head of marketing at the airline where he works, and they were sold on his idea.

He also obtained the digital copying rights to download movies into the DigEplayer.

LESSON 6: NEVER FORGET YOUR ROOTS OR FRIENDS

Today, Mr Boyer is a millionaire, holding the title of `Entrepreneur of the Year` for Washington state, but he still loads and unloads baggage for Alaska Airlines, during the weekends.

Why? Mr Boyer replies: `It`s stress-relief for me. I like airplanes and being with the people I`ve known for a long time.`

He has a girlfriend from Hawaii, and he works out, travels and plays basketball.

He is currently working on a book based on his life story which details how to go about being a successful entrepreneur.

His next stop? He said: `I want to start an airline. That`s my dream.`