Hatching the Big Green Egg

Here's how Big Green Egg founder Ed Fisher made a weird-looking grill the fastest-growing product in the barbecue industry: He started with the right product. Then he found its flaws and fixed them. He joined hands with the right partners and never stopped coddling customers. Finally, he let the ideas for promotion flow. If you have a similar quirky product, you can make it work, too. Back in 1974, I came across a new product that I knew was a winner: a unique barbecue grill that can cook everything from steaks and whole turkeys to pizza, cherry pie, and low-and-slow brisket. The meat keeps its natural flavor and comes out unbelievably tender and juicy. Unfortunately, there were several problems when it came to marketing the grill. To begin with, it looked completely different from any other grill, like an egg standing on its chopped-off end. It was made of Japanese ceramic that goes back 3,000 years. And it was green.