Our half-time pep talk for 2009

OK, team, it’s coming up on half-time and the feeling is that we’re down by a lot.  This isn’t just a lopsided game; it’s a blow-out and we’re on the wrong side of it.  At least that’s the feeling you get if you are listening to the announcers.  So, put them out of your head.  Close your ears to the negativity and listen to the pep talk.

I know you’re tired, discouraged, feeling down in the dumps but wait.  There’s hope.  Who is that I see taking the field?  Why it’s Keanu Reeves (or insert your favorite action star here.)  He’s one of the scrappy replacement players who will take on the established team and win because he’s got more heart/soul/grit/gumption.

Through the auspices of Mass Innovation Nights I have been privileged to meet many of these scrappy replacement players who suddenly have the time to pursue their dreams, create their own thing, or start up the business or project they always wanted to start.  Often they are under- or not funded and they are finding interesting ways of getting what they need to move their project forward.

And, since, as you know, Mass Innovation Nights is all about new products, these are real products, not just an idea or a concept.  Someone brought their idea to fruition.  (All together, “It’s alive!”)  They saw it through and today have a product to sell.  (Maybe they don’t yet have a profitable business model but they are on their way.)

And, yes, we have a waiting list for Mass Innovation Nights.  That’s right.  There are so many companies who are introducing a new product that 10 slots every month is not enough!  That’s 120 new products in a year and I am sure we’re only scratching the surface.  Doesn’t sound too shabby now, does it?

So, buck up.  There’s new stuff coming out all the time and today’s idea might be tomorrow’s star.

Note:  This post is part of the “24 hours of innovation” blog event managed by The Board of Innovation which aims “to provide a more practical understanding of and an open platform to facilitate innovation transactions.”