Believing in the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man...

and how to make heads and tails of it all.

Being an true innovator takes courage, intellect and heart.

As an innovator, you have to be willing to go out on a limb. You have to be willing to take risks. You have to be willing to be told “you’re nuts”, and have the willingness to accept failure. More than that, you've got to be able to internalize "never-ever give up". You've got to be able to mix intellect with your gut. You've got to be comfortable with leading from the front and inspiring others to take the journey with you. Just like 3 those Ozian characters, and a guy named Jobs, you've got to "think different". The bricks might not be gold yet... you may even have to go through scary forests, risking life and limb. However, with all of those potential flying monkeys, there exists a road to follow towards fame, fortune and reward.

Small startups and individuals, with less to lose, are often the most innovative of the bunch. They have the option of starting off slowly, and building a new product in a more agile and unencumbered universe. Although they generally lack funding, expertise and other resources... upstarts and lone inventors often have the possibility of creating the largest impact within their segment. With nowhere to go but up, entrepreneurs, boot strappers and individuals, possess advantages over the most well-funded and unfortunately convoluted R&D departments. While corporations are busy calculating ways to incrementally improve their existing market shares and profits, an upstart is capable of disrupting the entire business paradigm of a large corporation. Not only do these startups possess advantages in terms of mobility, but their ability to circumvent typical politically charged corporate speak allows their nimbleness and agility to shine. They can function so far outside the box, that the proverbial box simply doesn't exist in their universe.

So how does a corporation, with a super cost-conscious, over analyzed, politically charged, and totally jaded R&D group compete out there?

They hire upstart, entrepreneurial, irreverent, creative and experienced firms that don’t profess to be "experts" in the corporation's exact field. By utilizing either small teams or entrepreneurs that understand the ideation process, corporations can enjoy the outside and unencumbered views of the real situation.

If you're looking for new directions, forget trying to "think out of the box". The real innovation begins outside your comfort zone... a place where the box doesn't even exist. We think you'll find a whirlwind that can land you in a place that is beyond your wildest dreams.