Finding inspiration for innovation

For many fledgling entrepreneurs, coming up with an innovative business idea can be a daunting task. Even in today’s technological age, with so many possibilities, it may seem that every idea you come up with has already been turned into a business by a competitor.

Although it may not be an ideal business plan, many entrepreneurs choose to follow their counterparts’ lead and look to make innovations to an idea that may already be successful.

This is something that should not be seen as a negative or dirty business practice, but as something that can advance technology and give the very best product to consumers.

Chris McGoff, author of the recently published book, ‘'Match in the Root Cellar: How You Can Spark a Peak Performance Culture” notes, “I tell (businesses) that trying to create a culture of innovation doesn't work. It's a fool's errand. Innovation is the wrong thing to chase. And if you do chase it, you certainly will not achieve it.”

McGoff lays out a plan advocating that businesses look to achieve certain advancements in their field within a set time frame rather than chasing innovation.

As an example, a local web design company may want to increase its efficiency in dealing with customer complaints, whether online or via phone. Instead of looking for a creative new idea to communicate with clients, an entrepreneur may tell his employees to come up with a useful solution to the problem and give them an end-of-the-week deadline. With this method, the workers can look for the best solutions available that they are not currently using, whether it's an automated phone system or a 24/7 customer service chatroom. Neither are new concepts, but both would provide innovative remedies to the problem.

Read more articles by Sean Brock.

A native of Western New York, Brock has worked in the field of writing and public relations over the past several years, while also gaining a master’s degree from Canisius College this May. He has worked for several universities and professional sports teams in a public relations capacity during that time, and has always kept a love for writing. In his free time Brock enjoys hiking, history, reading and watching as many baseball and football games as he can.   
Signup for Email Alerts