by admin | Mar 20, 2014 | Innovation
Matt Kingdon is the co-founder and co-chairman of “What If,” the company he set up with Dave Allan in 1992 to partner clients who were enthusiastic about innovation but stuck on how to make it happen. Today ?What If! has offices in three continents and works with businesses in all sectors – including big names such as Google, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Virgin – and Kingdon’s passion for innovation is stronger than ever. Speaking to him, you get the strong sense that he won’t take “no” for an answer – and all his key themes are backed up with strong, practical strategies that address those times when “no” is what you’re hearing. His book The Science of Serendipity: How to Unlock the Promise of Innovation in Large Organisations, focuses on the specific problems that innovators face in large businesses and is guaranteed to fire up anyone with good ideas who’s seeking ways to implement them. Readers might also be interested to learn that serendipity doesn’t mean exactly what they might have thought it did … Find out more about what he has to say about driving innovation...
by admin | Mar 19, 2014 | Innovation
Each week, we highlight an innovation you might not have heard of yet. This week’s innovation is a twist on something invented thousands of years ago: paper. The Mod app organizes each handwritten notebook you digitize. Or you can store your notebooks in Evernote or Dropbox. Mod Notebooks The St. Louis-based team of Marshall Haas and Jon Wheatley are selling classic, quality-made hardbound notebooks. But there’s more. After you finish taking notes in their Mod Notebook, you mail it to the company using a prepaid envelope found in the notebook’s back pocket. All of the pages in the notebook then get scanned, digitized and uploaded to a Mod app and — if you wish — your Evernote, Dropbox or OneNote accounts. Find out more about these revolutionary paper notebooks...
by admin | Mar 19, 2014 | Communication strategy
In today’s tech-saturated world, people receive a constant flood of information from emails, social media and news websites. When you share an important story or idea with someone, you’re likely competing with hundreds of other pieces of information he or she is trying to process. So what’s the secret to making an impact? Author and speaker Joe McCormack says it’s brevity. Find out more about how brevity is a secret to effective communication...
by admin | Mar 18, 2014 | Concept development
Where will you be six weeks from now? Believe it or not, you could have your own small business up and running before the end of April. That’s right. If you’ve ever dreamed of being your own boss, now’s the time to take the chance, because the Six-Week Start-Up campaign is about to launch — the first-ever campaign on social media to help would-be entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. Starting today, follow along as I team up with America’s Small Business Development Center Network to bring you some of the tools, information and advice necessary to get you going in the right direction. Anyone who hopes to start, run or grow a business will get daily guidance, downloadable free worksheets and links to free resources — all through Twitter and Facebook. Find out more about how to start your own business...
by admin | Mar 18, 2014 | Brand strategy
Just because you’re doing good work as a social entrepreneur doesn’t mean you get to skip on the more commercial parts of running a business. Your good story isn’t enough to grab customers and create more impact, you need to build a good brand. Every other month, brand innovation firm BBMG hosts Five x 5, a social innovation workshop designed to help five startups with their most pressing brand-related challenges. Five teams of planners, strategists, creatives, and entrepreneurs donate their time and expertise to delve into each challenge and then share insights and concepts before the networking continues. Read more about these five branding tips...
