It’s far easier to meet demand than create demand. I have been in businesses that are innovative and the proof of concept, go-to-market strategy and target customer all have to be identified. This approach takes a lot of commitment to discovery and gathering feedback. You have to see what sticks and makes sense to aContinue reading “Find Businesses That Already Have Demand”
Tag Archives: innovation
Design for Quick Feedback
“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth” – Mike Tyson The great thing about business is that you can test ideas quickly to see if what you think or want to do is valuable. Small tests done quickly to get feedback from customers will go a long way towards pursuing orContinue reading “Design for Quick Feedback”
The Egg of Columbus
Yes, you could have done that after you have seen it done. We get that benefit today watching how people put together solutions by benchmarking what others do first. The Egg of Columbus story where Columbus challenges his mocking critics to make an egg stand on its end highlights the perception of others’ success. If youContinue reading “The Egg of Columbus”
How Do You Make it More Expensive?
When we think about a problem, we like to solve it. Our brains are suckers for the open loop and we want to close it. If you are asking how to make something cheaper, you get solutions and thoughts on cost-cutting or quality cutting. And those that are super efficient at making things cheap haveContinue reading “How Do You Make it More Expensive?”
Technology Darwinism
Automattic, the makers of this blogging platform, WordPress, bought Tumblr for less than 2% of it’s previous acquisition price of $1.1B. The hype has died with another platform. And technology darwinism, survival of the fittest, the tried and true, is brutally pervasive. Social can make you feel like something is happening. But, it’s hard toContinue reading “Technology Darwinism”
Don’t Be Original
The romantic idea of creating something innovative and new can get us sidetracked quickly in entrepreneurship. There are 28 million small businesses in the United States as of this writing. You are competing with all those businesses, minds and offerings. The likelihood of being original is difficult against such staggering numbers! Think about how youContinue reading “Don’t Be Original”
Learn to Unlearn
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” ~ Alvin Toffler I often think about that phrase, “What got you here won’t get you there.” It’s a powerful reminder that you can’t rest on your accomplishments for long. SomeoneContinue reading “Learn to Unlearn”
Value is Perishable
I keep up with a lot of blogs in my reader and I came across this article from a fun, candid article at Budgets Are Sexy. I like reading articles from bloggers that put the raw truth of their journey out there. It’s bold and courageous of them. This article was a reflection and aContinue reading “Value is Perishable”
It Used to Work and Now It Doesn’t
If you haven’t read business biographies like Derek Sivers of CD Baby or Elon Musk of PayPal fame, it’s well worth the time. There’s a bit of nostalgia as I think back to the 90’s and early 2000’s and what life was like just a short time ago. We didn’t have a world of iPhones,Continue reading “It Used to Work and Now It Doesn’t”
How You Get Conviction
Believe nothing. Move with the popular notions of your peers. Play it safe. Fit in. That’s a good way to blend in without much change. It can work well as a strategy for work that is predictable and factory-oriented. In fact, most people are seeking this kind of stasis. However, the reality of today doesn’tContinue reading “How You Get Conviction”