5 Ways Your Small Business Can Innovate like Big Business

By Robert Gloer

The New Year can mean new goals, products, developments and much more for small and large businesses alike. For many businesses, growth leads back to innovation and how it is essential. Without staying current and developing creative approaches, many businesses find the New Year a not so happy one. This is where small businesses can learn from bigger businesses about not only sales tactics, but how to come up innovative ideas that could keep them a contender in their industry for years to come. Let’s look at 5 ways your business can innovate like big business.
Expand your Network of Ideas
Many larger companies are starting to go outside their walls to find the next best thing, newest idea, or latest innovative approach to delivering a similar product or service. Consider expanding outside your walls to see what other smaller companies are working on and how a partnership or collaboration could be more beneficial than competing. Harness new innovations by looking beyond your business.

Create an Atmosphere of Innovation
It sounds obvious but does your business really foster an environment that promotes innovation? Many big companies are creating innovative “labs” or “programs” often called Accelerator teams tasked with developing new ideas, testing them out, and pitching the top ideas to the company. Start thinking about ways you can start to create small teams to create a new product, develop new ideas for marketing, or even ways to modify an existing service to make them more profitable. Test it out and if it renders good initial outcomes take it to market.
Innovate from Within
On the flip side of looking outside-look within. Ask for new ideas, discuss concepts with current team members, and research ways you can provide solutions to any problems. Many big businesses are learning more from the day-to-day employees and current teams on projects about various ways to stay above the technology fold. Look inward towards the employees you have on payroll to suggest and implement new ideas.
Diversify What you Have
Look at current products and find ways to expand and diversify that service. Offer it on new platforms and add new features as part of existing ones. If you sell sunglasses find ways to repackage, make small modifications, expand the line currently sold, or add new colors to your line. It is no surprise that this works… some companies add Emoji options to their platforms and call it the “next best thing.”
Access to Training/Resources Digitally
Are you accessing the most current training and trends in your field? If you are, how much time and money does that cost? Many companies are utilizing technology platforms to attend training online, developing training programs for employees to view, and even using in-house technology to expand messages to others without having to pay for costly travel expenses and meal reimbursement. Have staff take online courses from the office they work within. Many new companies are embracing the technology they used to develop their product to learn about ways to enhance it. Use technology to your travel and budget advantage.
Big or small, businesses can all learn from one another. Learning ways to maximize the market and stay atop of the newest trends and consumer “wants lists” can help carry businesses longer and further. What ties the success together is not only the implementation of innovation, but continuing to to execute innovative ideas all year long. So whether big or small, implementing the above 5 methods in the workplace can make or break the coming New Year’s resolutions.

Source:​http://www.business2community.com/small-business/5-ways-small-business-can-innovate-like-big-business-01752415#8uYLlIUFA8vdUUrg.97