You’re a small business owner. How can you manage innovation more effectively?

Unlike big corporations, small companies can’t innovate through sheer investment volume alone. You must obsess over crucial trade-offs to focus limited resources. Resist chasing every customer whim and feature suggestion. Prioritize game-changing quick wins over incremental with marginal ROI. Place some bigger bets instead of thinly spreading efforts. Cut stagnant projects sooner even if you’ve emotionally or financially sunken costs. Invest more in prototyping for customer validation than full-blown production. With constraints come creative breakthroughs, not just restrictions. Do less, but better. Core offerings that perfectly nail niche jobs-to-be-done unlock value and scale. Trade-offs enable focused innovation velocity.

Auch und gerade für kleine Unternehmen gilt, so früh wie möglich (potenzielle) Kunden einzubinden und Feedback zu bekommen. Auch im industriellen B2B - Umfeld kann oft mit wenig Geld dieses Feedback gewonnen werden (Customer Discovery). Eine einfache LinkedIn-Kampagne mit überschaubaren Budgets (<300€) plus einer Handvoll Telefoninterviews (Messebesuche, Branchentreffen o.ä.) kann bei der Bewertung früher Innovationsideen dramatisch helfen. Wer sich nicht traut über seine Ideen zu sprechen, wird es schwerer haben.

Através da adoção de novas tecnologias, processos mais eficientes e práticas inovadoras, uma empresa pode otimizar suas operações, reduzir custos e aumentar sua capacidade de produção. Isso não apenas melhora a rentabilidade da empresa, mas também permite que ela invista em novas oportunidades de crescimento.

Nesse contexto, a análise começa com o entendimento de que para gerenciar a inovação de forma eficaz, é crucial ter uma visão clara do que se deseja alcançar. Isso significa estabelecer metas específicas, mensuráveis, alcançáveis, relevantes e temporais (conhecidas como metas SMART). Por exemplo, um pequeno empresário pode ter o objetivo de lançar um novo produto no próximo ano, que resolve um problema específico do cliente e tem potencial de mercado. Para identificar esses objetivos, o empresário pode realizar um brainstorming com a equipe e clientes para entender as necessidades do mercado, analisar a concorrência, e determinar quais inovações teriam o maior impacto no negócio.

Las pequeñas empresas deben priorizar sus objetivos de innovación para poder concentrar y optimizar sus recursos. Para ello deben identificar claramente los proyectos de innovación de la empresa, bien sea en el ámbito de sus productos o de sus procesos, o bien de sus modelos de negocio. En muchas ocasiones, las pequeñas organizaciones dan el paso a la innovación optimizando sus procesos, o bien haciendo mejoras increméntales en sus productos, pero deben ser conscientes de que también pueden plantear objetivos mas ambiciosos tanto en los procesos empresariales como en el lanzamiento de nuevos productos que les diferencien de la competencia.

Small businesses normally lack access to expensive advisors or closed doors meetings. One way to still receive the most updated information is to connect with communities on strategic hot topics. Using open ecosystems strategies can lead to a position of advantage.

Innovation is one of the fundamental pillars of small business success. If you want to grow your small business effectively, you will need to implement these innovation tactics that will set you apart from the competition and build brand awareness in the process. Initially, we must create and encourage an innovative culture in our company to allow your employees to speak up, bring amazing ideas to the table, and put innovative strategies into effect. As a leader, you need to break the barrier between employees, and enhance brainstorming sessions. You need also to increase the awareness and build the mindset among your employees. You need employees who are good at thinking of innovative ideas and even turning them into reality.

To implement a collaborative and innovative approach, start by cultivating a culture that values diverse perspectives and encourages open communication. Obtain leadership buy-in and communicate the importance of collaboration. Empower teams through training programs, cross-functional collaborations, and the creation of a safe environment. An area that needs continuous focus is involving customers throughout the development process and seeking continuous feedback leading to a customer-centric mindset.

Innovation may be driven by customer demand - or it may create customer demand (few people knew they needed an iPhone). However, in both cases customer centricity is key to innovation. Innovation for the sake of innovation will not succeed - innovation will only succeed if it brings something forward that people want / need, if it makes your team lifes easier (and thereby reduces costs and boosts output), … Therefore, the entire organization needs to put its customers into the center of attention and most (if not all) decisions should be taken in light of how they are benefiting a customer.

If one person has an opinion, that is a person with an opinion. I f many people share the same view, there is something to look into there. Speaking to costumers for me is critical, companies often implement solutions before asking costumers. And the cuestión is never : ‘what do you want?’ But ‘what is your objective here?’, once this is clear, everything comes alone. And maybe a 15 minutes call to 100 costumers with the relevant questions, is enough.

Otto Scharmer's U theory is not an innovation management methodology, but a change management methodology. These 2 themes are often confused, as they are directly connected. Because in every innovation there is change, but the opposite is not necessarily true. Not every change generates innovation. The difference is in capturing value, something mandatory for innovation, but not for change.

Before committing your resources, consider using the 2x2 confidence-competence map to get an initial gut test whether you are on the right track. Some questions to ask yourself: 1) Do you have high confidence to pursue this opportunity? 2) Do you have the competencies required to succeed? Depending on which quadrant your idea lands on, you can plan out your next steps with additional certainty.

Para ajudar micro e pequenas empresas a desenvolverem processos que possibilitam a inovação de forma estruturada e eficaz, usamos o framework da Fábrica de Soluções que foi criado justamente para trazer um novo mindset a pequenos negócios. Na Fábrica o empresário ou gestor, mapeia várias etapas usando modelos mentais diferentes, com objetivo de encontrar Soluções inovadoras para o seu mercado ou para problemas internos da sua empresa. Além disso, uma outra ferramenta sensacional que ajuda a alavancar negócios é o Radar da Inovação que leva o empresário a olhar para 10 dimensões diferentes do seu negócio, e identificar onde estão suas principais oportunidades alavancar resultados através da inovação, e onde estão seus maiores gaps.

Design Thinking is a powerful framework that helps people regain their creative confidence through a guided process that unlocks their potential.

The Double Diamond Design Process with its diverging and converging phases in each stage of the process, is a model we use in our company for any kind of innovation process. And the main focus for us is to learn from each stage. Research and learn - Ideate and learn - Prototype and learn - Test and learn. Implement and learn. A design mindset is intertwined with a growth mindset.

Collaborating with external partners grants access to their expertise, resources, and market knowledge, reducing the cost and risks of innovation - e.g. collaborating with flavour houses on food, drinks, perfumes etc. Also, outsourcing R&D to specialized firms can trim costs while leveraging their advanced capabilities. Joint ventures or strategic partnerships spread risks while sharing costs, enabling innovative projects without overwhelming financial burdens especially on small business owners.

Small businesses often do not have spare capacity in the resource base. Bringing in those experienced in the project who can hold your hand as well as provide accountability to meeting milestones goes a long way to getting the job done done. Small businesses that take on a big and innovative transformation themselves may find it goes slowly due to the competition for resources.

Innovation, guided by Steve Jobs' principle that "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower," is central to my role as a small business owner. I leverage strategic collaborations and diverse resources, seeing online platforms and communities as gateways to invaluable partnerships. Aligning with other businesses and institutions, we bolster our innovation, fostering a culture of growth and adaptability. This approach goes beyond resourcefulness; it's about embracing continuous exploration and seizing new possibilities. In doing so, we not only navigate our industry but lead it, resonating with fellow small business owners who understand the strength in unity and shared vision.

Absolutely! For small businesses lacking innovation expertise, forming partnerships is a great starting point. This approach can advance innovation goals while optimizing both internal and external resources. Consider hosting an innovation workshop with an external partner to gain fresh perspectives and develop a future action plan.

Lean into personalization and A/B testing tools to help you understand where innovation efforts will have the greatest impact on customer experience, conversion, retention, or any other core indicator.

I agree, but also be aware not to try to measure everything or measure the wrong metrics. Metrics are a tricky thing, because who is to say you are measuring the right things or even making the right conclusions. The difference between a causal effect or a correlation is important to keep in mind. Also in my experience it is good to be on the lookout for ‘happy accidents’. Sometimes an experiment or new idea can have surprising effects you did not anticipate. For example a rebranding of a product could accidentally boost the sales of another product.

I agree, monitoring and evaluating innovation performance is been crucial for small business. We track various indicators and metrics to assess our progress and impact. Revenue growth, market share expansion, and customer satisfaction are key indicators that reflect the direct impact of innovations. It important also to measure internal metrics like the speed of implementation, cost-effectiveness, and quality improvements to gauge efficiency. Feedback from team, customers, and partners provides invaluable insights into the effectiveness of our innovation strategies. This comprehensive evaluation helps us identify strengths and areas for improvement, enabling us to fine-tune our approach and continuously evolve our innovation practices.

As it is in general important to set-up SMART goals for a project that eats up substantial resources it is no different when it comes to innovation projects. Especially when you're the owner of a small company. Why? Because the wrong project, the wrong focus and the wrong investment can cost proportionally more than it would for a large corporations. And while small companies are more agile, they are also more limited in what they can spend.

Quizás los momentos de cambios, incertidumbres, y/o crisis son los mejores para Innovar. Por qué ? Básicamente porque no hay otra oportunidad, estamos entre el cambio ó que la empresa cierre. Además, estoy en un entorno en el que el cambio es frenético, y ese entorno se llama: China. Por lo tanto el cambio y la innovación son casi una obligación. Pero el mundo también está cambiando rápidamente. Tenemos que estar siempre activos, y no dejar que nos reconforte demasiado el éxito: salir de nuestra zona de confort ! Por otra parte, los malos momentos son los mejores para "auto-preguntarse" cómo puedo mejorar ? Porque siempre hay espacio para mejorar. Y hacerse esa pregunta constantemente nos hace innovar.

I often see over reliance on quantitative metrics. The qualitative aspects can be more difficult to qualify but shouldnt be neglected. Equally the whole process- the idea generator and the implementation need looking after or you end up with a broken process.

The other side is also the speed at which you develop innovation for new solutions and importantly once your have the product then the agility and planning to launch it in the market. The best of innovation may not be of any benefit if it does not reach the user in time!

As a small business, your advantage is agility, not processes. Rigid stage-gates or idea funnels often stifle, rather than manage, scrappy innovation. Stay nimble and willing to test rough ideas through quick experiments. Involve customers collaboratively rather than locking away R&D. Make space for employees’ passions, not just top-down directives. Accept some failures as learning opportunities, not threats. Consider the Wright brothers persisting through cycles of trial-and-error. Or Ben & Jerry’s pioneering new flavors driven by imagination, not metrics. Let your values and community steer innovation, not standard templates. Success emerges from ingenuity and care, not management rigor.

You need to be hungry to improve. Many small, family-owned businesses, especially those with a more local product, get satisfied once money starts coming in and there’s ’more than enough’. This leads to a stagnant, disengaged business and eventually succession problems in management…selling such a business will also take a discount. Innovation is not about taking unnecessary effort to engage in change just to change, it is a continuous effort of a conscientious owner to breathe the same life and energy into the enterprise that it had when it came alive. The advice in this article provides good guidance, but it just as much a matter of mindset.

Innovating now is a more challenging process, as we must quickly adapt to new technologies, as is the current case with AI or, some time ago, with Blockchain. Therefore, innovation relies heavily on how efficiently I leverage new tools that the market provides and successfully integrate them into my business.

Foster collaboration among your team members and even with external partners. Encourage cross-functional teams to work together on innovative projects. Also, embrace a mindset of experimentation and continuous improvement. Test new ideas on a small scale and gather feedback to refine and iterate on them.