New Innovation Tweet Group

In addition to being able to follow me on twitter, I created a new innovation tweet “group” that is open to the public.  This is a chance to post questions and ideas to other like minded people.  Join here.

It make take a little while for things to heat up.  But once we hit critical mass, I think we’ll have some great conversations.

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Do Your Innovation Efforts Work?

Sometimes the question you ask is more important than the actions you take.

During President Obama’s inauguration speech, he said…

“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.”

This is brilliant in its simplicity.  The same thought applies to innovation.

The question you need to ask is not whether you are developing creative products, processes or business ideas, but whether your innovation efforts work – whether they serve your customers, serve your employees, and ultimately serve your shareholders.

Innovation is not about change for change sake.  It is about purposeful change that creates value that reduces costs, increases sales, or improves cash flow.

In these troubling times, asking the right question is more important than ever.  Do your innovation efforts work?

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A Business Idea Every Day

Could you develop a new business idea every single day for an entire month? That’s what my friend Susanne Goldstein has been doing since the start of the year. She is a “business accelerator and experience architect,” and she wants to find a source of passive income; money that comes in without her having to do all of the work.

Each day she calls me with her idea. I can’t share them with you, but all have been extremely interesting and varied. One is her idea for the next “pet rock.” Another is linked to travel, and in particular the airport. Others include an iPhone app, shopping aids, and a web business.

Here’s what is amazing about Susanne. In all of my years of working with innovation personality styles, I have never met someone who has mastered every style. She is creative (diamonds) and can develop a different, GOOD idea every day. She is incredibly disciplined and organized (clubs). We call her the “empathizer bunny” because she is so good at relating to people (hearts). And she can be strategic with a focus on value (spades). Learn more about Innovation Personality Poker.

Could you develop a new business idea every day? If so, maybe you should give it a try. If not, why not?

Here’s your homework…if you choose to accept it.

• Develop a new business idea every day.
• Honestly (with feedback from others) assess the quality of the idea.
• Monitor your progress and commitment to the process. Are you doing it every day? Are you fully engaged in the process?
• If you are not making “ideal” progress, ask yourself why. Are you lacking the creative skills? Are you lacking the discipline? Is it something else?
• Finally, ask yourself, “What does this tell me about my innovation style? And what can I do to be more successful in the future?”

I am a high diamond. This means I am experiential – wanting to try lots of new things. Although I am less cerebrally creative than low diamonds (I’m more experiential), I am still quite creative. But I have almost no low club (planner) in me, therefore I lack discipline. That is why I partner with others who are a bit more anal retentive.

What’s your strength? What’s your Achilles’ heel? Who can you partner with to make you and your business more successful?

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Johnny Cupcakes

What do T-shirts and cupcakes have in common? A guy by the name of Johnny.

Today I spoke at an event for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).  They are an amazing organization that teaches entrepreneurship to high school kids, many of whom are in the inner city.

I did a breakout session for about 50 students.  We had a blast.

The keynote speaker was Johnny Cupcakes (that wasn’t his given name, but is the name he now uses).

Ever since he was in high school, he has been an entrepreneur.  He bought candy in bulk at Costco and sold it to students.  He bought gag items (whoopi cushions, itching powder) and sold those – until one student had a bad allergic reaction that landed that kid in the hospital.  He made buttons that were sold in a comic book store.  While there, people gave him various nicknames – Johnny Appleseed and Johnny Cupcakes, for example.  One day, as a gag, he made a Johnny Cupcakes T-shirt.  People loved it.  He made more designs.  After selling them out of the back of his car for a while, he started selling them on the web.  His fan-base grew until the point he opened a store on Newbury Street in Boston.  This is a VERY fancy and expensive retail street.

Johnny is a great role model for the students.  He has never had a drink, never did drugs, and has dedicated himself to his business.  He said his happiest moment was when he could hire his mother as his bookkeeper so that she no longer had to do a job she didn’t like.  When I spoke with him after the event, he said he would never sell the company for any amount of money.  The business is now pulling in millions of dollars per year.

What does this have to do with innovation?  Quite a bit actually.

Johnny has dedicated his life to his business.  He even left college to stay focused in his business.  Most of the money he makes he puts back into the company.  He took big risks.  He signed a multi-year deal for $7,000 a month retail space.  You have to sell a lot of T-shirts to recover that kind of money!  He did a brilliant job with word-of-mouth marketing.  He has never done any advertising. But people line up days in advance when he launches a new line of limited edition T shirts.

And this is his brilliance.

Although he had requests to sell his shirts in all of the big stores, he declined.  He wanted his T shirts to be exclusive.  You can (for the most part) only buy his items from his stores and online.  The stores are AMAZING.  They are done up just like a bakery.  He has been meticulous with the details.  Mock ovens that open randomly shooting off steam.  Cupcake scent.  The doors to the storage room are made from huge 10 foot tall oven doors.  The T-shirts are displayed in bakery cases and refrigerators with the motors removed.  The labels in his T-shirts are in the shape of oven mitts.  The boxes are beautiful and are in the shape of a muffin box. He even sometimes throws random things in the boxes of T shirts ordered online (e.g., a battery, 37 pennies, or a baseball card).

I could go on and on.

In previous articles I describe the bell curve of innovation.  Johnny has been masterful at working the right side of the bell curve.  Exclusivity.  Creating an experience.  Limited editions.  Attention to details.  A conversation piece.  Johnny is not about T-shirts.  He is about a life style, a story, and an experience.

If you are not familiar with Johnny’s work, please visit his store or his website.  He’s an inspiration.

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