This is a question Brian and I get more often than not when people first read our blog and see that it is about innovation…innovation in a traditionally laggard industry such as ours.
What I explain is quite simple. While we are certainly not where we want to be in this area, we have started. And starting is the first step to succeeding at anything. We are also not too satisfied with the normal status quo of the industry. We know it can be better and we know we want to be a part of it – it is a passion for both of us.
But there’s more to it than just our desire to be more innovative. And it comes down to one simple question, “What is the alternative?” What are we, or anyone else in our industry, going to do if we don’t innovate? In a world that is changing faster than anyone could have ever imagined just a few short years ago, what is the real alternative. Living in the cave isn’t the right choice…
Whether you like the current political structure or not, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke talked about this in a recent commencement speech to Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA. He was quoted in AllthingsD in an article, “Have Faith in Innovation, Fed Chairman Tells Graduates.” I thought what he had to say was spot on for what we are trying to do as a business in the western part of the US. He said…
“As trade and globalization increase the size of the potential market for new products, the possible economic rewards for being first with an innovative product or process are growing rapidly. Both humanity’s capacity to innovate and the incentives to innovate are greater today than at any other time in history.”
I couldn’t agree more and this is why I don’t think there is any alternative to not being innovative and having this at the forefront of any business, especially in a laggard industry. We might not be as fast moving as other industries such as technology, but it doesn’t mean it is any less important. Brian and I have made it our passion and it’s going to be a great journey!
