Plenty of blogs devoted to innovation promise to help your company become more innovative. Some focus on the academics and theory of innovation and some are written by entrepreneurs who have been there.
Sometimes you just want to read insights from the ones who care about what works, not what the books say. Reading the ideas and insights of entrepreneurs who are in the innovation trenches every day is valuable. Check out these blogs from leading business innovators in the real world:
Game Changer
The conversational and energetic Game Changer blog is the work of Jorge Barba.
“My burn-the-rules, take-no-prisoners approach to everything has gained me a reputation as an innovation insurgent," writes Borba, an IT- and Internet-marketing consultant and partner at the digital-marketing agency, Blu Maya. He has learned a lot from his failures and successes as a serial entrepreneur.
You won’t find lengthy academic discourses here. Instead, there’s a real-world, practical approach. Borba focuses on “common-sense, unconventional ideas on strategy and innovation.” Isn’t it ironic that, in the world of innovation, using common sense is unconventional?
Borba’s irreverent, down-to-earth tone makes this blog a fun and quick read. It conveys his energetic, try-anything-once attitude. He riffs on his experiences working with clients and colleagues, or just on living life. For instance, a trip to the movies spawns a thought-provoking post on how to disassemble and reassemble experiences that have become traditional and dull.
But Borba also draws from a wide range of other bloggers and authors. One of the best features of Game Changer is its Innovation Posts of the Week, links highlighting other innovative thinkers. A Resources section links to articles on innovation, strategy and creativity. Spend some time on this blog, and you’ll look at familiar situations in a whole new way.
IdeaCouture
IdeaCouture describes its mission as “partner[ing] with organizations to uncover innovative ideas that sustainably grow market share and develop competitive advantage.” The global firm is behind two useful innovation blogs.
The company’s combination of “D-school plus B-school” gives IdeaCouture a unique outlook on innovation.
The main blog, Noodleplay, features a wide range of posts on topics from industrial design to consumer electronics, social media and business models. Recent posts covered the transformation of luxury brands and how to create an emotional connection with customers.
There’s a heavy emphasis on marketing, customer experience and branding. Because these are key concerns for small businesses, the blog will stimulate lots of ideas for entrepreneurs.
IdeaCouture’s global presence and client list gives this blog a bigger perspective than many U.S.-centric innovation blogs. The company has offices in San Francisco, Toronto and Shanghai. A wide range of contributors makes for a good mix of ideas.
Innovation Playground, written by IdeaCouture's CEO, Idris Moutee is somewhat stream-of-consciousness. The ideas here are inspired by Moutee’s experience with clients around the globe. The blog supplies plenty of useful links and resources that will get your own creativity flowing.
What innovation tools are most useful to you in the “real world”?