Innovative
Ingenious and innovative might sound very similar, and I guess they are to a certain extent. Both rely on that creative spark that eludes so many others. However, there is a clear difference between the two: Ingenuity speaks to seeing opportunities, while innovative means acting on an opportunity in a wholly original way. In other words, for Ted Turner to see that a 24-hour news channel’s time had come was ingenious.
Turner’s decision to announce his intentions at a cable television convention in front of thousands before telling his staff was innovative. Having veteran newsman Daniel Schorr at his side was innovative. Hiring 100 recent journal-ism school graduates and bringing them to Atlanta for a crash course in TV news production was innovative. See the difference?
The seven rules of growth presented in this book represent areas in which successful small business owners concentrate their efforts. In other words, it’s within these seven areas that growth entrepreneurs innovate. More and more, successful entrepreneurs find compelling ways to innovate in relatively mundane companies, industries, and market segments. Look at the current list of Inc. 500 winners, and you’ll find, for ex-ample, a surprising number of temp agencies, homebuilders, and restaurant chains alongside the high-tech product and service developers. Later in this book, you’re going to read about a commercial printer, a pet food manufacturer, and a candle supply cataloger. While their markets may sound ordinary, I think you’ll see that these companies are some of the most innovative out there.
