How to Become a Successful Innovator

Not long ago, creativity guru Todd Henry recommended to one of his consulting clients, a high-ranking manager, that he set aside one hour a week to generate new ideas — “one hour, predictably scheduled, no exceptions and no violations,”  “This is not time to do work. This is time to think about work.”

This one hour is the time that managers and business owners don’t have. And that exactly is where you come in. The purpose of businesses is to make money and if you are a creative business innovator who brings a business idea that could expand and grow a business, most people will do anything to hire.

There is always a way to make anything better.

You start by investigating a targeted individuals or business owners. You do a survey and do some creative thinking to see how it can be better than the present state which will make more money. Once you come up with an idea, you write a proposal or approach your target with all confidence.

The future is bright because we don’t have so many of them out there. Give it a shot bro.

You don’t need to be Steve Jobs to influence an idea. That idea in tour head might be what that company across the street need.

I think you need to work on your research skills in order to bring the innovation in a certain busniess. You need to start it from the smaller level and then targetting the big entities related to your business. I think you can make a good career in this field as every company requires innovation.

#1. We have to be a startup city / have an epicenter. If I only spend my time there, I’ll make it! 

This isn’t an acting career dependant on you being discovered by peers nor getting trained by the local mentor.

Most successful startups are born out of two places: 1. Innovative companies 2. Innovative Universities. You want to be a successful founder?

Get a job at Facebook or study at a school where you have free reign with the IP you develop.

#2. It was established decades ago that Marketing is the most important investment a startup makes.

Not promotion! Not advertising! Marketing. Marketing is the work of the market. Startups fail because they run out of money, launch the wrong thing, misunderstand their customer, disregard competition….

Addressing those priorities and challenges is called Marketing. If your marketing person isn’t doing that, fire them. If you expect your marketing person to just get you leads, you should be fired. If you’ve built anything without doing all that first, just go home.

Marketing is what you do first, to figure out what to do; including when and if you should promote your business. I can always tell when a startup is going to fail because they say something like, “we want to test Facebook ads.” you’re too late.

#3. Tech and Startup are not industries.

If you’re saying you’re in Tech, or that you want to be where the startups are, you’re wasting your time and resources. Every company works in/with technology. Startup is just a stage.

Surround yourself by peers working in the same industry as you; yes, even among competitors. Startups mostly fail.

Your goal, as a community of industry specific professionals, is to collaborate toward what works; learn from one another, move talent around, and drive efficiency of attention for investors and the media.