Category: innovation

This week I am reading "The Pixar Touch," which gives a detailed history of the company. One great nugget: "The odysseys of… Pixar as a whole, bring to mind the observation of the maverick economist Joseph Schumpeter that successful innovation "is a feat not of intellect, but of will." Writing about the psychology of entrepreneurs… Continue reading Risk: An Essential Ingredient to Innovation

I am reading the book Blue Ocean Strategy. It centers on the metaphor that red oceans represent the market space where all of your competitors operate. It is red, because it is bloody with competition. (sorry about the graphic imagery, I didn’t write the book!) On the other hand, blue oceans are uncontested new markets… Continue reading Swimming the Oceans: Finding New Markets

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." — William Morris People don’t read online, they scan. They are offered unlimited options on where to click, or what to search on. Their lives are busy; their minds are full; their TiVo is calling. So how… Continue reading How Clutter Prevents Greatness

We all live in bubbles. Bubbles that protect and comfort us. That are filled with familiar people, places and processes. But these same bubbles have another side. That keeps us from exploring. Keeps us from growing. Keeps us from learning that there are other ways. Other people who are foreign… yet brilliant. Other ideas that… Continue reading The Value of Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Where do new ideas come from? Ideas that move your business forward. Ideas that take you to your goals. These ideas come from problems. Problems that your customers face everyday. But don’t always know they have. Sure, you need to talk to your customers. And watch your customers. To understand the needs they don’t even… Continue reading The Birth of a New Idea

Magazines. Websites. Tradeshows. Newsletters. Services. Everything a publishing & media company does. What are the goals? How do you achieve them? When I look at a brand like Apple. And ask: why do they succeed? Where do they set their focus? I can’t help but feel. That they follow nature’s lead. A mixture of two… Continue reading Utility & Elegance

Your readers, your audience, and your customers are changing their habits; how they get information; how they interact with media; how they manage their professional network; how they do business. These changes will, inevitably, affect how they interact with your brand; their needs will evolve; their expectations will shift. Perhaps it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps… Continue reading Jazz, Art, Play, and Abstracting Your Business

I found an inspiring video online this week, where a former LEGO employee shares how the company began opening themselves up by using a community strategy to tap into the passion of their biggest fans. This had a very real impact on product development, marketing and sales. Plus, it was fun. You can find the… Continue reading The Path to Growth: The LEGO Way.