The Toothbrush Test for Business Success
mo_gawdat When Larry Page spoke about the toothbrush test, he wasn’t talking about business strategy, he was...
In the Instagram reel, Mo Gawdat recalls a lesson from Google co-founder Larry Page that reshapes how entrepreneurs think about innovation. Page’s “toothbrush test” isn’t about hygiene—it’s about habits. If your product is as useful and as frequent in people’s lives as a toothbrush, you’re on to something big.
Why it works
Larry Page’s brilliance lay in spotting products that seamlessly fit into everyday life—simple, habitual, indispensable. The toothbrush test forces entrepreneurs to think less about flash and more about function: will people actually want to use this every single day?
The key takeaway
- Create something people use daily, not occasionally.
- Focus on solving a genuine problem that improves people’s lives.
- When your solution becomes essential, growth happens naturally.
Who’s passing the toothbrush test
Google Search is used by billions daily to find information instantly.
Slack keeps workplace communication effortless, becoming a daily necessity for remote teams.
Spotify integrates with users’ daily routines, from workouts to commutes.
Creative Variations
Analyzed by Swipebot
Text Statistics & Scores
An elementary to middle school score is best since it’s simple to understand.
8th-9th grade level
6
Total Words
1
Total Sentences
6.0
Words / sentence
74
Flesch Score