The Secret to Your Business’ Survival
Innovation.
It’s the magic that keeps businesses from dying. It powers them above their competition. It gives credence to brands, otherwise, unknown.
You need it to make money. And you will die without it.
I’m not being grim. I’m being honest.
Real World Innovation
Look at Coke. Full fucking steam ahead, after 130 years in the business.
Have you seen the Cap Across Vietnam campaign? Brilliant. And beautiful. And it positions Coke as the “responsible” soft drink...we’ll discuss the detriment of that non-sense later...But still, they made their mark. Again.
According to Fast Company, Apple was the second most innovative company of 2015. With 74.5M sales in the last quarter of 2014, giving it the highest quarter of any business. EVER.
Because of its eye for innovation.
They are changing the way we live, with the depth of integration into our lives that they’ve set their phones up for. And some would say, this wouldn’t have happened had the torch been not been passed on to Tim Cook. (Somehow it feels sacrilegious talking negatively about Jobs’ Iron Fist, but the evidence is there. We still love and miss you, Steve.)
And this is all expected, really. I mean, big brands that have established their names over the decades are expected to grow and take over the world.
But what about you?
What about the little guy? What about the personal brands out there?
Innovation is your SOLE key to survival. And you don’t have decades to pull it off.
If you’re not able to see what others are doing and Stand Above the Noise, you won’t survive. You have to be better. Not bigger. You have to be willing to step way outside your comfort zone (hello Blab.im, Periscope, COURSES). You have to move at lightning speed, compared to the big brands.
That’s why it’s essential to know: Who the fuck you are, what you do, who you want to work with, what they struggle with, how they see themselves, your goals, their goals, and how to make their lives 9273% better, as fast as yesterday.
This isn’t a game. It might have started out as one. But now? This is the Big Show, baby, and if you’re not in it to win it?
Sit down.
The rest of us are.
How to Innovate as a Personal Brand
- Keep an obsessive eye and ear on your ideal clients. Know what they need before they do. Recognize even their unspoken pain.
- Give your mind space to think. This is of the UTMOST importance. Without it, creativity, innovation, are lost. (This is a WHOLE other book in itself, but start here. Now.)
- Create like a motherfucker. Don’t let a day go by that you’re not drawing up the plans for a new product, marketing an old, and creating relationships with the right people. Nothing happens if you’re not making it happen.
Innovation is your only means of survival in this game. And when you’re ready to sit down and find these spaces where you can, should, and NEED to innovate and grow? Let’s talk. I grow badass businesses, just like yours, everyday.
Photo cred: Coke