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The Blood Of A Small Business Is Innovation

August 13th, 2010 |

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The blood of a small business is innovation. But this isn’t the ersatz innovation that corporate executives sling around monthly meetings, but a unique, powerful innovation. Each business is equipped with its own entrepreneurial talent, and development depends on creative solutions. But how to identify this coursing stream of creativity and cleverness? How to be innovative?

Isadore Sharp, founder, chairman and CEO of the legendary Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, bases his business on a novel philosophy: in order to achieve a quality, home-away-from-home atmosphere, every single employee has to be actively engaged with and care about the goal. In marketing parlance, this is called “internal/employee strategic integration.”

Getting employees on board is not for cutesy office parties or pep rally marketing meetings, it is the heart of successful corporation. Without it, creativity slows, progress is hindered, and growth secedes. And yet, many businesses treat their employees like so many robots, which not only hampers business development, but rubs against the grain of basic human respect.

What about posting fliers, or buying banner ads? In other words, are you still stuck in a rut? The massive changes in marketing, spurred on by new social networking, the decline of newspapers, online advertising, and other events, demand new and novel marketing approaches. Blendtec, a small business that sells powerful blenders, rocketed itself onto the headlines and into households by launching a popular YouTube video commercial sequence labeled, “Will It Blend?”

Culminating with the nonconformist blend of a newly-released iPhone, the series boosted sales by 700% and gained extensive PR coverage. Successful small businesses and small business consultants should use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, and other social media sites to spread news and engage customers.

Bland marketing vernacular reduces this essential selling point to the term, “Unique Selling Proposition,” or USP. In real-life terms, it means, “The product or service which knocks the socks off a customer.” Every small business should be based on a single unique, potent idea. In business, startup depends on the quality of the USP. Despite this, many corporations dismissively pass over it, and merely focus on the competition.

Let’s be frank. Beating everyone else is not a legitimate business philosophy. Take a stand, and make a difference, just like Apple. The wonder child of Silicon Valley, Apple has revolutionized the electronics, desktop publishing and personal media industries. Its 1997-2002 slogan exemplifies its push-the-boundaries style: “Think different.”

Not all hats fit all heads, and not all marketing ploys and development schemes fit all businesses. Inspiration is an individual thing. So how can a business encourage its innovation? By listening to dreams. Not all strategies must follow paradigms, not all success is easily quantifiable. Businesses should strive to develop individual innovation and creativity. For a little inspiration, study and learn from successful corporations. After all, imitation is learning.

About the Author:
Nick Messe is president of Lead Frog LLC. Joe Abraham is a small business consultant with expertise in all the key areas of small business development including business startup, business growth, traffic generation, sales development, marketing and succession planning and more.