Kyle Macdonald was meant to be looking for a job. He was at that point in his life where he wanted his own house. But how could he get a house if he didn't even have a job? Drawing inspiration from a game called Bigger or Better, in which players start with a small object and trade it for a bigger or better object, MacDonald took one red paperclip, which was previously holding his CV together, and started trading. One year and 14 trades later McDonald signed the deed to his new house.

MacDonald's project illustrates that success, however that may be defined, can be achieved without adhering to the status quo. We also see how value other than monetary value can come into play in economic system, revealing that there is still room for the human aspect within economic exchanges.